Struggling to keep up with your canine chomper? Maybe it is time to get the best dog bones for chewers. When choosing the right dog bones, there is more to the process than choosing one that looks tasty for your dog. You want a bone that is also safe, durable, and healthy. Unfortunately, not all dog chews are healthy. Some carry risks, mostly for aggressive chewers.
The market offers various dog bones, from synthetic to natural ones. Each bone has special characteristics in shape, size, hardness, and taste. Therefore, it’s up to you to decide what suits your dog best. As much as dogs and bones might seem like a natural pairing, they might pose safety hazards to your dog’s mouth. Let us get the facts straight and teach you which bones are safe for your dog and which ones are to avoid.
Understanding Your Dog’s Chewing Needs
Does your furry companion express their desire to keep chewing by chewing everything? If your furniture legs or your favourite slippers are the victims, then your canine strongly desires to chew. It is a natural behaviour that can be a source of frustration for some pet owners.
Several factors contribute to a dog’s desire to chew. first, the most common factor is teething for puppies. Chewing gives them much-needed relief from sore gums as their new teeth erupt. Adult dogs’ natural urge to chew helps them keep their jaws strong and teeth clean.
Below are several chew strength classes that your dog might fall into:
Gentle Chewers
Light/gentle chewers take a long time to finish their bones. They are also gentle with their chew toys. These dogs may have sensitive teeth or be prone to other dental issues. You can use a standard-size natural bully stick to determine your pet’s category. Gentle chewers will take several hours to days to get through the bully stick.
Moderate Chewers
These dogs love to chew, but their chew toys last a while. A good indicator that your dog is a moderate chewer is that it takes time before it destroys their toys. A moderate chewer takes an hour to four hours to get through a bully stick.
Aggressive Chewers
Also known as hard chewers, these dogs love to consume their toys and chew bones almost instantly. When given a bully stick, aggressive chewers may take minutes to an hour to get through it.
What Is The Healthiest Thing For A Dog To Chew?
This is a question that rings through the minds of many dog owners. Although dogs will chew any treat you offer them, it’s important to offer them healthy treats. It’s a bonus when a treat comes with nutritional value, providing your pup with additional health benefits.
Healthy treats like lean treats, support your dog’s skin coat, muscles, and joints. In addition, natural healthy chews promote good dental health because they are rich in calcium. Nevertheless, you have to consider safety when choosing chew bones for your dog. Be mindful of the broken pieces and always watch them from ingesting indigestible objects.
Below are a few healthy treats based on your dog’s chewing category:
- Light Chewers: beef trachea, thin bully sticks, and turmeric mini pops
- Moderate Chewers: pig ears, standard bully sticks, beef tendon, and turmeric medium bars
- Aggressive Chewers: collagen sticks, lamb bones, beef bones, and thick bully sticks
What is the Safest Dog Bone to Chew?
Dog bones are available in different shapes, sizes, and flavours. Some bones, however, pose risk factors to your furry friend, the main challenge being breaking their teeth. Anyone who has ever broken a tooth understands how painful of an experience it can be for your dog.
Should dogs chew bones? Yes. Bones are a source of nutrients and minerals for dogs. Chewing bones prevent plaque buildup because they stimulate the production of saliva. Your dog is less likely to scratch its paws when chewing on bones.
Safe Bones for Your Canine Friend
Cooked bones pose risks as opposed to raw bones. Large bones, too, become brittle after cooking, and they might break and prick your dog’s mouth. The two types of raw bones you should offer as treats are nutritional and recreational raw bones.
Nutritional raw bones include chicken and turkey bones. You can mix these bones into your dog’s diet. Nutritional raw bones mostly act as supplements to your dog’s meals. As their name suggests, recreational raw bones are more of play bones and are not meant to be swallowed. Such bones include whole bones. Recreational raw bones should be less brittle and should not include small bones.
How to Ensure Your Dog Is Safe Consuming a Bone
There are several safety measures to observe when giving your dog bones.
Supervise Your Dog
It is essential to watch over your dog as they chew a bone. They may grow up chewing too much or chewing aggressively if you leave them unsupervised. This might lead to mouth or dental injuries.
Dispose of Bones on Time
Disposing of a bone treatment after four days of consumption is advisable. Leaving the same bone for too long leads to bacteria buildup, which could risk your dog’s health. When a bone or chew toy becomes significantly cracked, it’s time to replace it with a new one.
Offer the Dogs Bigger Bones
The rule of thumb is always to give your dog a bone bigger than its muzzle. The smaller the bones, the more likely your dog will swallow. Large dog breeds should get large bones. Dogs are likely to chew large bones as opposed to swallowing them. Swallowing bones poses risk factors.
The Hardest Bones for Strong Chewers
Finding bones for hard chewers is a challenging task. These dogs are aggressive and do not realize their limits when chewing and swallowing bones. When you offer an aggressive chewer a soft bone, they swallow it almost immediately. Hard chews, too, are not safe as they may cause these dogs dental and digestive issues.
So, what is the hardest bone for a dog to chew on? Here’s a selection of durable alternatives that can withstand even the most aggressive chewing.
Beef Trachea
This is one treat that the American Kennel Club recommends. Beef trachea comes from cows’ windpipes. It is a healthy and tasty treat for dogs. Dogs love beef trachea, which is ideal for even the most aggressive chewers. Apart from its ability to be durable enough not to break into pieces and soft enough not to damage teeth, it has many other advantages.
These bones alleviate joint issues, reducing any incoming signs of arthritis. They are all-natural, so you won’t have to worry about preservatives or artificial flavours. Beef tracheas are 100% digestible, meaning no potential choking risks exist.
Deer and Elk Antlers
These naturally shed antlers are dense and hard, providing hours of entertainment for hard chewers. They are also a good source of minerals and help clean teeth.
It is essential to choose size-appropriate antlers and be aware that very aggressive chewers may eventually crack them. Split antlers can expose the inner core, which some dogs find even more appealing.
Beef Femurs and Knuckles
Slow-cured beef leg bones are another excellent option for aggressive chewers. The drying process removes moisture without making the bone brittle. This results in a long-lasting chew that’s rich in nutrients. Thick-walled femurs and knuckles offer maximum durability.
Tendons
Tendons are also known as bully sticks. They are made from parts of buffalos and bulls. Huge tendons last a long time, and dogs love them. Tendons are 100%natural and do not pose any health risks to dogs.
Durable Nylon Chews
Some companies produce heavy-duty nylon chews specifically designed for power chewers. While not technically bones, they are ideal artificial chews. These come in various shapes and sizes and can be infused with enticing flavours to keep your dog interested. Just be sure to choose a size and thickness appropriate for your dog’s jaw strength.
Health Benefits of Chewing
Image: Irinak, Shutterstock
We’ve established that chewing is a natural and important behaviour for dogs. Chewing offers a range of health benefits for dogs beyond satisfying their instincts. Below are the health benefits of chewing:
To keep the Teeth Healthy
Hard chew toys keep dogs’ teeth healthy. Hard bones, such as the bone marrow, help in scrapping plaque from their teeth. Plaque buildup can give dogs a bad breath, resulting in serious dental problems.
When plaque mixes with the salt in a dog’s saliva, it hardens in about 24 hours, which can lead to tartar-causing periodontal disease. Chewing bones prevent tartar from forming. Therefore, your dog is less likely to suffer any unforeseen dental issues.
Relieves Anxiety and Boredom
Dogs resort to chewing when they undergo stress and boredom. Dogs that spend most of their time alone chew to kill boredom. These dogs might end up gnawing on pieces of furniture and even shoes. They will find chewing an occupying thing to do.
Stress and anxiety are other major factors that make dogs chew—chewing acts as an enjoyable activation for dogs’ brains. Chewing activates the release of endorphins, hormones that have a calming effect and alleviate stress.
Dog owners should, however, consider spending time with their dogs or find someone to do it if they are unavailable.
To Teach Bite Inhibition
Chew treats are a magnificent way of training puppies on how much pressure they need to apply when biting something. This process helps pups understand which part of their mouth should feel hard or soft.
Studies have found that chew toys are the obedience training methods that promote biting force stability. Harder toys are ideal for teaching puppies about appropriate jaw strength as they play.
Expert Recommendations: What do vets recommend for dogs to chew on?
Dogs love to chew bones. But with so many options on the market, what do vets recommend for dogs to chew on? Vets provide an overview of safe and beneficial products and natural bones that can be part of your dog’s daily routine.
What Vets Recommend
Choosing the right treat for your dog is equally important to their digestive health as it is to their oral health. Dogs’ digestive system produces a lot of acids, which can take up to 8 hours to digest what they consume. Highly digestible treats are recommendable.
Vets state that hard-to-chew toys are not ideal for dogs as they cause fractures to their teeth. Broken teeth can resort to inflammation, and they are painful. You can perform the thumbnail test to determine if a treat is safe. A treat is considered safe if you can make an indent using your thumbnail. The treat is likely to break teeth if it bends your thumbnail.
Vets highly recommend silicone and rubber toys because they are pliable and cannot damage your dog’s teeth. Chewy toys should be quite big because dogs choke on small toys as they try to swallow them.
5 Top Bone Choices in the Market
There are hundreds of options in the market, and choosing an appropriate one for your fog can be challenging. Here are some of the best dog bones on the market.
1. Nylabone Healthy Edibles Puppy Natural
The Nylabone Healthy Edibles Puppy Natural is an amazing treat for puppies. These bones are perfect for little teeth, and their flavour motivates pups to chew. “My puppies love these. I love that they aren’t a choking hazard,” Stated one reviewer on Amazon.
The characteristics that make these treats a good buy are:
- They are natural, long-lasting, and healthy.
- Nylabone edibles are highly digestible; you do not have to worry about choking.
- They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can choose one that’s ideal for your puppy.
2. PURINA Busy Small/Medium Dog Bones
You keep your dog satisfied and interested when you offer them the PURINA Busy Small/Medium Dog Bones. This treat is ideal for moderate and soft chewers. It is made from real beef hide-rawhide and is highly nutritious.
It would help if you considered the PURINA small/medium dog bones because:
- They come in sizes ideal for small and medium-sized dogs.
- These bones provide more than fun with their long-lasting design.
- Rawhide is 100% digestible.
3. Peanut Butter SmartSticks
Peanut Butter SmartSticks is a treat made with wholesome vegetables and chicken. These stick-shaped treats have real chicken inside and peanut butter and vegetable wrapping on the outside. These are reasons why this treat is among the best:
- It is 100% digestible and delicious.
- Real peanut butter, chicken, and vegetables make this treat highly nutritious.
- Dogs love to chew on this treat due to its stick-shaped design.
- They are desirable for all breed sizes.
4. Bully Bunches 12 Inch Thick Human Grade Odor-Free Bully Sticks
Ideal for medium to large dogs, Bully Bunches 12 Inch Thick grade Odor-Free Bully Sticks have many advantages. This treat is only made from human-grade, free-range cattle. It has a lot of positive reviews, with most customers stating that it is a great product that keeps their dogs occupied for a while.
Other benefits include:
- It is made from grass-fed cattle and free from preservatives.
- Contains little to no odour.
- It is fully digestible because it comes from a single ingredient.
5. Benebone Dental Durable Dog Chew Toy
Dogs’ powerful sense of smell inspires Benebone Dental Durable Dog Chew Toy. This treat is ideal for aggressive chewers and has a long-lasting chew packed with real bacon. This is the go-to treat for dog owners who ask, “What do you give a strong chewer?”
Here are the benefits that come with the Benefit chew toy:
- It contains 100% real bacon to enhance its flavour.
- This treat offers a paw-friendly grip. It’s easy for your dog to grab and get a good chew quickly.
- It’s durable.
- Offers the right dental stimulation.
Conclusion
You know how much dogs love to chew if you have lost your favourite slipper to your dog’s teeth. Chewing comes with a lot of benefits for dogs. Thankfully, various chew toys are on the market, and you can choose the best one for your furry companion. Most toys are safe for your dog, but some require extensive research, and this guide helps you with that.
FAQs
Are there bones my dog chew every day?
Yes, bones like:
- Buffalo horn
- Ostrich bones
- Puzzles
- Large deer leg
- Beef tails
What is the safest bone to chew?
- Pig ears
- Bully sticks
- Dental bones
- Yak cheese bones
What is the hardest bone for a dog to chew?
- Raw bones like beef and lamb bones
- Bully sticks
- Nylabones- They are synthetic chews
- Elk antler bones
- Yak chews
Do you have recommendations for my strong chewer?
- Beef Trachea
- Beef femurs and knuckles
- Tendons/ Thick bully sticks
- Deer and elk antlers
What is the healthiest thing for a dog to chew?
Nutritional and recreational raw bones are the healthiest thing for your dog to chew. Nutritional raw bones include chicken and turkey bones. These bones mostly act as supplements to your dog’s meals. Recreational raw bones are more of play bones and are not meant to be swallowed.
