Dog Chew Recommendations

[Limitless]

I am looking for the unicorn of dog chews. Right now, the only thing that works for my 2 to keep them busy in the house are antlers. Bully sticks and Himalayan chews are fine for outside (not in the house thank you!), but they also don’t last long, maybe an hour. I’m looking for something appealing to dogs that like to chew, that aren’t area rugs, dining room table and chair legs, etc.

Kongs are fine for when there are food stuffed in them, but once eaten, not interesting. Anything soft and fluffy is a no go, they’ll be eaten. Nothing with stuffing or stitching. I tried some kind of plastic and wood? chew, and that scared me since after 30 minutes a quarter of it was missing. If they are too hard, they aren’t appealing. If they are too soft, they are destroyed and eaten! in no time. I’ve already had one obstruction scare, and I’d really really really like to avoid further ones. I’m afraid of rawhide and the like. Antlers scare me enough already.

Any suggestions for your busy body chewers.

PS - yes, they are crated when no one is home, but sometimes I like to watch TV and not have to constantly check on them.

[jherold]

Antlers, which you’ve already found fir your bill best.

[luvmyhackney]

My heeler mix is a strong chewer and busy. Like on her paperwork she chewed through her previous owners bed and door.

Currently we give her beef knuckles, beef tracheas. I keep dried sweet potatoes and random chews every where. Then if I really need her quiet I freeze treats, dog food, or even peas in broth and give that to her.

I’ve found the best thing is to exercise her brain with puzzles and learning new tricks. Then she will just lay down and switch off.

[Pep_n_Ann]

Raw beef bones, the big ones. I got a whole front cannon bone (not sure what its called on a cow, lol) for my dog and he loved it. Try your local butcher shop.

[ASB_Stars]

I have the beef bones cut into thirds, and I put them in the freezer. My guys get bones every other day. They love them!

[MunchingonHay]

I also echo antlers.

Fun Fact. Get darker colored ones, they are fresher and tastier compared to the white sunbleached ones.

[Mosey_2003]

I also get beef knuckles and shanks from the butcher, but they really are not suitable for in the house unless you lock them in a room with linoleum, I have a big mess on the carpet right now to prove it

[Limitless]

Right, sorry pups! Not getting raw bones inside! So no real, good, indestructible toys/chews that anyone has found? Untapped market potential!

My big dog’s favorite toy is his silver ball from Planet Dog. It’s an outside toy only (cause he’s obsessed with it). I guess I’ll take a look and see what other offerings they may have.

[luvmyhackney]

Yeah, the raw stuff is outside or in the barn only chews. It’s a pita to clean and I have a cream couch.

There isn’t much on the market that isn’t messy or ignored by the dog.

[DiamondJubilee]

I have a very busy and aggressive chewer as well. And she doesnt like antlers (which can cause slab fractures to teeth so just be aware).

I also feed raw bones - but out in the barn only! They are messy. Also be careful not to feed load baring bones such as leg bones as they are too tough on teeth as well. I stick to chicken feet, beef neck, lamb flanks, beef ribs etc, if you want to go that route. No marrow bones as they are a load baring bone so are far too tough on teeth as well as a jaw hazard.

I find pizzles and beef trachea work the best and keep my girl busy for about 30-45 mins (100lb 11 month old pup). But I will feed those inside. I don’t find they are messy or smelly. I just have a blanket that she can chew them on that is beside the TV/couch and I can wash it weekly anyway.

I havent found any toys that will occupy her for that long. She has kongs, fake sticks etc, and will chew them for 5 or so mins and then stops. I can toss and play with some of the toys with her from the couch and can occupy her that way for 30 mins or so as well. This way she gets tired and off to sleep even faster ha ha!

[islandrider]

What is a pizzle? My girl, even though she only has 4 teeth, gets small marrow bones. She’s trained to chew them on her ‘bone beds’ inside i.e. towels or old cushions. I’d like to find something else that would keep her busy. Following this thread!

[MunchingonHay]

@islandrider

What is a pizzle?

A pizzle is a pisser. it’s the bull’s penis

[BUSY]

This is a problem in our house too - no disgusting STINKY chews in the house !

so here’s my poor plan - it’s far from ideal but helps a bit

I generally - get some treats/chews ready before I settle in for a movie …in the kitchen out of sight
Greenies - medium size or mini
Three Dog Bakery - cookies - vanilla or chocolate
Milk-Bone Flavor Twists - chicken & cheese
Milk-Bone Chews - Gnawbones - made with peanut butter - small ones
Small size Kong filled with Stewart’s Freeze Dried Chicken Liver pieces
So inbetween each 'ask for; and delivery of treat - I try to ignore their attention seeking behaviors - nose bumping my arm or alligator rolling on the floor …

After I have gotten up five times ^ then I pulled out of my pocket the nail clippers and in an excited voice say “WHO wants their nails trimmed ?!”
And lastly they settle right down to snooze

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

What about Jolly Balls? I know some dogs like them, and since they were originally made for horses, pretty indestructible.

[strangewings]

The BEST thing i ever found, but have not been able to reproduce, is a kong ball with a slot in it that was small enough that i could very tightly wedge a dentastix into. Dog mostly had to lick, but could chew the ball to break pieces off as well. The ball wore out after several months of this, so no longer holds a chew tightly.

Snuffle mats are also good, but do not occupy them very long. I use small dog or cat kibble with those to increase the amount of time it takes for them to snuffle.

[Limitless]

Yes, I have a Jolly ball for outside playing. Sometimes it’s a high value toy that day, sometimes not. Sometimes I turn it over to the donkey for some play time and then they magically want it back! But not an indoor chew/toy option I’d say.

[Mosey_2003]

My problem is my guy is an extremely aggressive chewer, so none of the edible Nylabone types last long at all, he will straight up eat one in 15 minutes or less. And he’s really not interested in any of the harder Nylabone type offerings. Vet said don’t give things like antlers or real bones because they can break their teeth, and I told her that the knuckle bones from the butcher really weren’t optional but I would avoid the other stuff. She did suggest getting some liquid smoke and putting a few drops in a sealed container with the Nylabones for a day to see if it would entice him to like them more. I keep meaning to try that but I never remember to buy the liquid smoke

[fourfillies]

My younger Corgi is a crazy aggressive chewer and I’ve tried most of the above. He turns his nose up at Nylabones. Beef tracheas (the foot long ones) last him an hour. I found a Kong type hollow ball I can put bits of freeze dried lung in. That also keeps him busy an hour or so.

[luvmyhackney]

I can get 20ish minutes with a mat if I hide treats really well and roll it up.

The toy below with 1/2c food last a good 35-40 minutes.

[Lizrd]

My Boxers like Playology chews, surprisingly. I bought them thinking they wouldn’t be hits but have been. My old girl doesn’t chew much but my 3 year old male does.
https://playologypets.com/

He also loves this lightening bolt. It has taken quite a while but he has officially destroyed his first one - started to pull pieces off of it but it did take awhile. He now has a few in the closet that I can dole out when one gets mangled. I got the first one on a whim from Target and then found them online through both Amazon and Chewy.
https://wildone.com/products/bolt-bite-chew-toy?title=moonstone-standard

Also, does anyone else use a bully stick holder? My two really like this and it helps me keep them safer from chunks and end pieces. I use this one