Chew Toys--Good or Bad?

tdlabrie · 03-04-2007, 05:03 PM

I understand that for puppies, it's not only good for them to chew, it's necessary. Thus, a good chew toy is far better than, say, my slippers.

But I'm talking about a full-grown dog. Or, at least in the case of my buddy Max, a 13-month-old, darn near full grown. Does having chew toys around perpetuate the idea that they should chew? I mean, does it keep them chewing when, maybe, they shouldn't be chewing anymore?

Or is chewing a life-long thing for a dog? And so, as with a puppy, a chew toy is far better than slippers or the couch. And, if you think the chew topys are a life-long thing, should they be eaten? That is, are the kind of chew toys that splinter up and get swallowed okay? Or should I concentrate on the kind that cannot be eaten, or take them away when they start to break up?

Thanks. I'm really curious about this.

MagicToller · 03-04-2007, 05:12 PM

Quote:

I mean, does it keep them chewing when, maybe, they shouldn't be chewing anymore?

Chewing isn't a negative behavior, what should be made clear early and consistently is what is acceptable to chew on. The equivalent of hands, dogs use their mouth and teeth to play, communicate, and explore.

I don't really like commercial chew toys, they are generally not sturdy enough and leave dangerous debris and bits. I give my dogs recreational raw bones like cow knuckles to give them a good time, as well as the bones from their raw diet to clean their teeth and keep them in top shape.

all4thedogs · 03-04-2007, 05:36 PM

Chewing is a natural behavior for all dogs. I agree that raw bones are an excellent choice, but I do also provide chew toys. Some good ones that I have found (I have a Great Dane and German Shepherd) are Kong products, Jolly Ball, and Cuz. We also pick up used balls (basketballs, footballs, soccer balls) at garage sales. They dont last nearly as long, but are alot of fun to play with.

Good luck!

cshellenberger · 03-04-2007, 05:46 PM

Chewing is a stress reliever for dogs of all ages, it also is a natural way for them to clean their teeth and stimulate their gums, kinda like brushing our teeth and flossing. Provide your dog with safe toys to chew, along with RAW bones large enough they can't swallow them ( I give them in the crate so they don't feel they have to protect them) and you'll have a much happier, healthier dog

Jaylie · 03-05-2007, 10:59 AM

Be careful about rawhide bones! They get soft, and then the dog swallows them, and it can cause intestinal injuries. Toys are DEFINATELY essential, especially for inteligent dogs. They need daily stimulation, and so you should get a toy like a kong, and put a little bit of peanut butter, (not too much! That stuff is SOO fattening) and some kibble. The kibble sticks to the peanut butter, so it takes awhile for the pup/dog to get all of it out of there. And then there's the job of getting all of the peanut butter out! And if there's not anything in there, he can still chew on the kong! The kong is the only toy that Jaylie likes. She'd rather have human contact then toys!

Moey · 03-05-2007, 05:35 PM

What about pigs ears and cow hoofs? Raw bones are ok to give to the dogs?

Kerry · 03-05-2007, 07:09 PM

I thought a marrow bone from the butcher, frozen, would be a good choice for my puppy. Wrong. Her little system couldn't handle it and her poops were not to be believed. I called the vet and he says he doesn't like them.

MagicToller · 03-05-2007, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Raw bones are ok to give to the dogs?

Absolutely, infact they are necessary for optimal oral and general health. You might want to check out some websites or books for more info, maybe you can start with these:

http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.raw-connections.com/

Quote:

I called the vet and he says he doesn't like them

I imagine he wouldn't, many Veterinarians are skeptical on the idea of feeding raw bones. For whatever the reason (paid benefits for selling brand kibble, insufficient and bias education, etc) the unsurmountable amount of evidence on the negative effects of feeding only processed food seems to be overlooked. Oral health is the crux of overall health, but for some reason some Vets don't think so.

In anycase, maybe you should build up to eating bones before you present your pup with a big juicy one. Maybe allow smaller pieces, but big enough for her to grind and work on. Get her used to the idea, so when you finally give her that regular sized one, she doesn't get overexited and try to gobble the whole thing down as well as getting her stomach used to digesting more biologically available food.

workingdog · 03-05-2007, 09:03 PM

We have chew toys down all the time. Our home looks like we have small children but it's only dogs. Our 5 year old pit will still play with them, not as often as the younger ones but he gets in the mood now and again. We pick up a lot of their toys from the dollar store and second hand stores. We allso have a few of the plastic pools for summer, OMG! they love them. My sister tought her dog(she only had one) to pick it's toys up. It was funny to see. My sister would just say toys up and the dog just starts putting them in a toy chest.

Alpha · 03-05-2007, 11:37 PM

Toller I'm right there with you.

Look at the brands of dog food sold in vet's office, Science Hill diet?!?!? :O Techni-cal?!?! Technical, made by Royal Canin isn't a BAD brand per se, but there are definitely better.

On other dog forums I frequent, vet's are often not spoken to about diet. It's not their specialty.

It's pretty usual for a dog to get the runs after a raw bone after eating cardboard, grains and chewing on raw hides their whole life.

If you ate McDonalds your whole life and then got a steak what do you think would happen at the porcelain throne the next day!!

I see the same thing when people say they fed their dogs canned and it got diarrhea. It's expected!!! Easing them into those diets and using some canned pumpkin usually does the trick.

My guys have all SORTS of chew toys. They have a Bad Cuz, Roxy's deathly afraid of it! LMAO.

But mostly, they chew on bones. It keeps their teeth pearly white and it keeps them quiet for a few days.

I don't see anything wrong with having ACCEPTABLE things for your dog to chew on in exchange for you comfy slippers

As someone already stated, chewing is natural for dogs. Make it easier on yourself, have something they LIKE to chew on that you don't mind being ripped apart

pam36 · 03-09-2007, 01:51 AM

It Is Good For The Dogs To Chew It Help's there Teeth
Pam

Cheetah · 03-09-2007, 04:48 AM

Yup, a dog will ALWAYS have the urge to chew, no matter what age it is. So provide chew toys throughout their lives so they don't find their own chew toy. >^_~<

Mine get Kongs, raw marrow bones (femurs), raw meaty bones etc. They get the occassional pressed rawhide (Castor & Pollux brand ONLY, and ALWAYS supervised), but they are pricey... I could get like 10 raw marrow bones for the price of ONE rawhide.

Ginny01OT · 03-09-2007, 04:13 PM

What about booda bones you can get in the pet store and some kong toys.

Chini · 07-23-2008, 04:18 AM

Bumping to ask my question --

Are toys that online dog boutiques sell safe? I'm talking about the plush toys that have no food value. Right now my puppy's only toy is a small stuffed lion somebody gave him. Puppy loves it to death -- he carries it around the home and sleeps with it in his crate at night -- and it keeps him from chewing on my furniture. It's one of those sturdy, felt-covered plush toys with no parts that can be broken off and become choking hazards, and I would like to get him more like it. Just wondering if there are chemicals are something in it he shouldn't be chewing on (although I imagine toys sold as safe for children should be safe for dogs).

rosemaryninja · 07-23-2008, 05:13 AM

Stuffed toys are fine, but as always, you should supervise. Now, my dogs are less interested in toys, so they don't chew anything except Kongs and raw bones. When they were younger though, and got toys like Nylabones and stuffed toys, I would supervise all the time, regardless of which toy it was. Even now I supervise when my dogs are eating raw bones. The only toys they get to have when I'm not in the house are their Kongs, which I know they can't destroy because I get the black ones for aggressive chewers.

4Onyx · 07-29-2008, 10:47 AM

What about a puppy (3 month old) can they have regular store bought dog bones. We have a 3 month old lab/cocker spaniel mix and have been giving her regular hard chew dog bones from the pet store and she loves them. However, last time I was looking to buy some I noticed that on a lot of the packages it states 'for ADULT dogs' or 'intended for adult dogs only'. Just curious why? Can a puppies teeth not handle these hard bones?? I have not had any problems and she loves the good hard chew bones.

Poly · 07-29-2008, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Onyx

What about a puppy (3 month old) can they have regular store bought dog bones. We have a 3 month old lab/cocker spaniel mix and have been giving her regular hard chew dog bones from the pet store and she loves them. However, last time I was looking to buy some I noticed that on a lot of the packages it states 'for ADULT dogs' or 'intended for adult dogs only'. Just curious why? Can a puppies teeth not handle these hard bones?? I have not had any problems and she loves the good hard chew bones.

Some reasons to consider puppy toys for young pups:

(1) Puppy joints - including jaw joints - are not at complete balance with the associated muscles, and puppies can injure their jaw if they clamp onto something that is very hard. It's the same basic principle why we avoid hard running, jumping or climbing activities with our puppies, although with these we must take care for much longer.

(2) When a dog's adult teeth first erupt, they are not completely rooted in place. It requires chewing on something - not soft but not too hard either - to set the roots.

The problem is usually the opposite. A puppy will generally let you know when it's ready for adult-density toys - by chewing through the puppy toys. Although most puppy toy labels say this won't happen until all the adult teeth are in, I take issue with that statement.

Maintain supervison, inspect all toys daily for wear and tear, and discard any that are clearly damaged.

4Onyx · 07-29-2008, 10:48 PM

So would you suggest not giving our 3 month old any hard chewing bones? She seems to chew right through these and loves them. Now I have given her roofs and she chews for a while and then will stop, I have given her a pigs ear and she ate that up in 20 minutes. I give her frozen stuffed kongs, different store bought stuffed and unstuffed bones, and she also has a lot of soft stuffed toys too. Do you suggest not giving her the harder ones or will she chew what she can handle and not chew what she can not handle?? Also with the hard running, jumping, and climbing- to what extent and for how long??? Thanks, I guess I didn't realize this.

rosemaryninja · 07-31-2008, 09:28 PM

Here's some information on why we should avoid hard exercise in puppies:
http://www.dogueinfo.com/index_files/care.htm

It's about Dogues, but the information isn't breed-specific and really applies to every pup.

4Onyx · 08-01-2008, 10:53 AM

Thanks for the info- that is very helpfull- We have only had Onyx 3 weeks but I just hope there is no damage done already as since we have had her we have let her go up and down stairs and free run as she wants though she doesn't do the free run for very long. Things will be changing though!! Thanks again!!!!
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