So what do you give your dog to chew on????

[ccromnes]

So what do you give your dogs to chew on? I have yet to find a "Lab-Proof" toy. We now give our Choc. Labs Abby and Rusty basted knee caps and basted ham bone and the like. It takes them awhile to get through them. But if Rusty my 83lb. puts is mind and teeth to it, he can demolish them in about a day or so.

One in awhile they get a pigs ear but not too often as they get the runs from them sometimes.

I'll give them the pressed rawhide bones while we are watching TV. I just don't like the one with the rolled ends. I had an old basset hound named Mort. I had given him one of those to keep him busy while I was at work. When I came home the day, he came a running. It took a bit before I realized what had happen.
He had chewed on one of the ends and more or less unrolled the knot. He tried to swallow the whole damn thing whole! He had the end sticking out his mouth.

I pulled a total of about 7 inches out of his throat! He drank a lot of water after that and got pig's ears.

[hogdogs]

Only natural here!
Aside from the sticks they scrounge up outside...
They get femur ends from the butcher, .89 per pound.
These will last months rather than hours or days as the cooked ones do.
Cooked bones are brittle which can shard off in pieces that are unsafe for the dog but can be swallowed.
They also lose much marrow and nutrition during processing.
They are near 8-10 dollars ber pound... don't believe me? Do the math weigh one.
We feed raw chicken leg quarters when ever the price is under .50 per pound as well. this is part of the diet but it is a bit of a chew toy.
As for rawhide... Since it is not nutritious, nor terribly healthy,,, we refuse to let them have it.
Brent

[hogdogs]

The rope sold in boat stores as a "nicer rope" is sold in pleasing colors and is durable. Rather than buying those one foot pieces with a knot in each end for upwards of 3 bucks...
Buy 10 feet and make your own!
Some indidvidual size ones and one 2-3 feet for your sit down tug toy and a four footer for out in the yard or standup toy!
Brent

[mbpg]

Up North we let the hounds chew on raccoons after the kill.We prefer to give them high protein dog food.I used to give them treats etc. to chew on until one of them almost choked to death and cost me a fortune at the vets.They only get top of the line dog food, they don't need anything else unless their not active,then its a different story! I learned my lesson and they get no more extras.No more vet bills, unless they get sloppy and need stitches which can happen when training them on Bob cats and coons.

[hogdogs]

mbpg, What kibble do you use?
I have been feeding the Diamond Hi-energy (higher fat rather than protein) for all the dogs and have not seen a detrimental weight gain on the non-work dogs. It is very affordable yet better gdade than the typical brands. My aunt says that hi-protein feeds can be hard on the liver if they do not need the excess protein.
My 15 year old son relates protein to his snakes and says "If protein is so needed... Why do my snakes digest everything but hair or feathers?"
I must admit he has a bit of a point even though we are talking apples and oranges!
Brent

[loserchumpandfool]

my 2 dogs just chew on alot of sticks in the backyard or whatever else my kids leave out there[if its left in the backyard its fair game for the dogs]about the only other things are my golden retriever likes her thick pull rope and my boxer likes to chew on me but no matter how hard the kids try she wont chew on them,just me

[mbpg]

Howdy Hogdogs,
I have switched my hounds from high protein foods to 2 different brands - Ol'Roy Kibbles Chunks "N" Chews and mix that with Ol'Roys Meaty Chunks "N" Gravy.
this seems to be a good food mix and find they have been doing well and work is up to max when coon/cat hunting.When they lay around they chew on knockle bones from beef which I boil till half cooked.

hogdogs said:

mbpg, What kibble do you use?
I have been feeding the Diamond Hi-energy (higher fat rather than protein) for all the dogs and have not seen a detrimental weight gain on the non-work dogs. It is very affordable yet better gdade than the typical brands. My aunt says that hi-protein feeds can be hard on the liver if they do not need the excess protein.
My 15 year old son relates protein to his snakes and says "If protein is so needed... Why do my snakes digest everything but hair or feathers?"
I must admit he has a bit of a point even though we are talking apples and oranges!
Brent

[riverbirchrun]

I have done alot of research on dog food and treats and such. From what I have found from both studies. Personal trials, Vets and reading. If the 1st ingredient in your dog food is corn or wheat get a different food. It goes right through the dog and is just a fill w/o the nutritional value your dogs need. Meat or bone marrow should be the 1st ingredient. Each dog is different if the dogs is producing more than 2 piles of stool a day you need to try something else. Waste means the dog is not using the food but rather passing it. Most dog foods have websites with each food they sell and the ingredients, check them out and find a good one. You don't have to spend $30 a bag to get a good dog food.

As far as chew toys, I give bone shanks, they last a few weeks and keep there teeth clean. Rawhides are the worst thing to give any dog. A dog can NOT digest rawhide. Alot of dogs do not chew them into small pieces and it gets wadded up in there stomach. Till they bloat cause food can now longer pass through there gut. There for taking a trip to the vet to get the wad removed. Some dogs don't there soon enough and die as a result. Artificial food color is hard on the dogs liver and kidneys. So give treats that are not colored. Pig ears are good, but make sure they are not from Canada, they don't have the FDA standards and can have disease in them. Never let your dog chew on sticks often they get stuck in there mouths/ throat as well as getting splinters in there digestive track.

[dec67]

my dogs favorite chew toys are antler sheds i have found

[Bowcrazylady]

I fill a kong full of peanut butter and it keeps her busy for hours!! Totally indestructable.

[BackWoods]

WIC
I have a One year old lab. I started training her to find sheds and discovered that she absolutely loves chewing on these things!!! So I started giving her a antler to carry around the house. She loves it!!! Everything else I gave her she would chew through it in a couple of days. Not this, It last a long time. I just round all the sharp edges and points. As she chews the antler you might get some sharp edges, just cut them off. Try it you will not believe it!!! Your dog just might get a knack to go and find you some sheds in the woods!!! Here are some pictures of my lab with her antlers.

[chakta]

We have several hunting dogs at our place but I never give them treats, not even the pups.....bad habit! My wife gives them large leg bones to chew on, as it is much safer and does a good job on their teeth.

Rawhide is one of the worst things you can give a dog or young pup. It could end up costing you a big VET bill to do such a thing. Just go to the butcher shop and pick up some big bones.

[sevendogs]

My dogs (West Siberian Laika) live outside. I often feed them with raw meat products with some bones. During deer hunting season and in winter, I give them pieces of raw deer skin. Laikas often use their chews as a dominance symbols, carry them and guard them from other dogs. To avoid fights, I do not leave such a chew for a long time, only for a few hours. When the dog looses his interest to chewing, I remove it.

[Bowcrazylady]

Kongs are the best I think!!!!Also they have those hollowed out bones and I just put stuff inside. Keeps the Abster busy for days!

[Curdog]

hogs, pigs, hogs lol