So you've probably read our blog post about the dangers of rawhide and why we shouldn’t be giving these outdated leather sticks to our pets anymore. But now you’re sitting there thinking “What in the heck am I going to give my dog to chew on?!? He’s going to chew the legs off my coffee table if he doesn’t have his rawhide bone to munch on!”.
Well don’t worry! We wouldn’t just throw you out to the wolves after telling so many people that one of the pet worlds most popular “chew toys” is bad for their dogs. So in this blog post we decided to share just a few of our favourite things for those dogs in our lives that just need to chew on something.
Better a $10 toy than your $100 shoes, am I right?
1. The Kong
Probably the most iconic of chew toys, the three level kong is a chewy dogs dream. You can fill it with peanut butter, or ice on a warm day, or give it to them just as it is. There isn't much bad we can say about these toys. All you have to keep in mind is to get the right strength or colour for your dog (kong products come in a variety of colours based on the toughness of the rubber-product), and the correct size for your dogs mouth. Too small of a kong and your dog will eventually be able to gnaw that sucker to shreds. Too big of a kong and your smaller dog could potentially get their lower jaw stuck in the centre hole.
Kong also makes a bone shaped chew toy from the same type of rubber that works wonders for teething puppies. It's the one toy I always recommend to new puppy owners. The bones come in the different rubber strengths as well, just keep a close eye on it when your puppy starts to grow as the bone shape is a bit easier to maneuver into dog's strong back teeth.
2. Bones
Giving your dog real bones is probably one of the best things you can do for a chewer. Not only are they going to get their oral fixation to chew something out on an object that isn't your chair legs or Birkenstocks, it will also help keep their teeth strong and clean. It is important to keep in mind that these need to be UN-COOKED BONES. Cooked bones will make the bone weaker and more prone to breakage and splintering.
Un-cooked bones can come in a variety of types, including frozen raw bones available at some pet stores and most holistic pet food stores, and dried bones available at most pet stores, you often find them in bins near the front labelled as "tartar busters".
As with the Kongs and any toys, size here is important. You want to choose a bone, regardless of its type, that is an adequate size for your dogs mouth. Not too big that they can't get their mouth properly around it, and not too small that they could consume it or break it apart into chunks. This is extremely important to keep in mind if you are feeding your dog marrow bones (round hollow bones with edible marrow on the inside) as if you get it too big there is the possibility of the dog getting their lower jaw stuck inside.
As with toys, bones don't last forever, so once your dog has started to break chunks off of it, simply throw it away and start with a fresh one!
3. Tuffy's Pet Toys
While not indestructible, Tuffy's Pet Toys are darn near the strongest pet toy we've found on the market that still has a stuffed toy essence to it. These adorable toys come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and animals. They are made with several reinforced layers of fabrics and so they can withstand some powerful chompers. They aren't the cheapest toy out there but we can attest that they do last leagues longer then most stuffed dog toys.
And lastly, 4. Cheese sticks?
I'm going to be completely honest. We have not tested or tried out these weird new cheese bone stick things yet; Himalayan yak chews. So we went straight to the source to find out what these things are that are slowly popping up on our pet store shelves:
"Himalayan yak Chews were born from an ancient recipe for a hard cheese snack chewed by the people of the Himalayas. In the mountains surrounding Mt. Everest at more than 15,000 feet, it is made using traditional methods with yak and/or cow milk, and all natural products with no preservatives or binding agents. They're also gluten-free! Depending on the size and eating habits of the dog, this can be a very long-lasting dog chew. Dogs must work the end of the treat for hours, softening it with their mouths before small parts of it can be slowly chewed off."
Neat! Have you tried these yet? What did you think?!?!?
disclaimer: 1. We do not make a profit off of any of these products.
2. As with all toys never leave your dog unattended for long periods of time with any toys or bones.
