Safe Dog Chew Toys and Dog Bones

Most dogs love to chew!  Chewing is a very natural & normal dog behavior.  Chewing helps alleviate boredom & can even help keep your dogs teeth pearly white.  But dont forget to brush your dogs teeth too.  Puppies and adolescent dogs tend to have a high drive for chewing things.  Hopefully, you are working with a qualified dog behavior counselor to make sure that you are teaching your dog to chew on the right items & not your furniture, or even worse electrical cords, or something that can harm your dog.

So just what makes a dog chew or dog chew toy safe for your dog?  Well over the years my opinion on this has actually been evolving from hard to chew bones to now a softer variety.  You see I have been learning & seeing too many dogs with chipped teeth from tough bones & antlers & even digesting sharp pieces of bones which can be very dangerous.  I no longer use hard bones or antlers with Dexter The Dog & usually dont recommend them.  By the way, if you look closely at Dexters teeth you will see a chipped tooth....from a hard bone.  His last.

Stuffed Kong

Below are some examples of dog chew items that are much softer for your dogs teeth than traditional hard bones.  This will help protect your dog from chipped teeth.  Please be aware that not every toy, or chew bone, chew toy will be suitable for each dog.  I strongly recommend active supervising when your dog chews, particularly if its a new toy or bone or if the chew item is edible.  The right size of a dog bone or dog toy is important too.  

You want to make sure the dog toy or dog bone is not too small that your dog can place the entire item in his mouth & risk choking.  This includes when the chew gets smaller.  I tend to toss the end out before Dexter The Dog swallows it, with the exception of dehydrated fish skins.  The larger a dog toy, the tendency it is to be thicker & tougher.  Something to consider if you have a dog who is a hard chewer.  BUT be aware sometimes if the toy or bone is too big your dog can get his jaw stuck in it.  Finding the right chew for your dog is sort of like the Princess & The Pea.

Soft or tough rubber chew toys.  I am a fan of Kong & have been for many years.  Kong has been the leader in stuffable dog chew toys.  I also like The Rita & Jed stuffable dog toy.  The key to getting your dog to chew on a rubber dog toy is to stuff it!  Read our article on how to stuff a hollow dog toy.  Check out our latest stuffable dog toy reviews here.

Fish Skin

Dehydrated fish skins.  With a good dehydrated fish skin dog treat the treat will be 100% fish skin & no artificial colors, preservatives or flavors.  Its important to check out the packaging and carefully read the ingredient list & where the fish was caught & processed.  A fish skin is a great treat for your dog full of omega 3 fatty acids, typically low fat & fully edible.  Most dogs love the taste & eagerly chew away.  Read our reviews on dehydrated fish skins.

Bully Sticks.  Made from the manly part of a bull, a lot of dogs love chewing on these.  What I like is that they typically just start to get soft & disappear, I havent seen any pieces break off.  However, I have seen a stick every once in awhile peel during chewing like string cheese.  I just toss that piece in the garbage.  Again, when the stick gets too small, I through away.  Tip-get odor free, or low order.  These babies can stick like crazy!  High in protein & fiber & low in fat these make a nice chew.  Look for our upcoming reviews on bully sticks. 

Raw bones.  Raw bones are another option for your dog to chew on.  Because the bones are  not cooked, they are soft & unlikely to splinter.  Cooked bones easily splinter & are very hard on teeth.  Admittedly I will be testing raw bones for the first time in the upcoming weeks.  I spoke in length with Dexter The Dogs holistic veterinarian Dr. Judy Morgan on the safest way to go about this.  Dr. Morgans tips-"Dont clean the bones, feed them with some meat on them, as they come. Let them pull on the meat and sinew and lick out the marrow.  I just allow them to have them for an hour, then throw them away. Its when they sit around the house, get buried, or get dried out that you get bacteria and splintering. They will last in the fridge a week before feeding. Can also be frozen and thawed."  I have to admit when I try our upcoming raw bones I think Ill have Dexter chew on them on a towel & toss the towel in the wash.  Stay tuned for our upcoming raw bone reviews!

Nylon, rubber type bones & chew.  If you read my article on toxic dog toys, you might realize Im a bit leery now on what exactly I give Dexter to chew & play with.  I think this is doubly important when we are talking about a product that will be chewed & possibly pieces ingested.  That said, soft rubber or nylon bones are nice for a dogs teeth.  However, a lot of dogs are not interested in them for chewing.  But if you place a little bit of organic peanut butter on they chew bone, sometimes that will peak their interest in chewing it after they lick it off. 

So there you have it.  That is the current list of dog chew & chew bones I feel comfortable providing Dexter & recommending to my dog training clients.  I am sure this list will be updated & maybe I can try some other chews & feel confident in using them.  Keep checking back for new dog product reviews and tips. And while youre at it, check out our Toledo Dog Training /Global Dog Training Facebook page too for dog behavior & tips.

Thank you to those companies who have been allowing me to test and review products to ensure the best & safest chews for your dogs.