[CrazyDogLady]

Out of curiosity, I just Googled the calorie content of a Bully stick. When I found the following statement:

Bully sticks are low in calories, making them a healthy addition to a dog's well-balanced diet. DogFoodAdvisor.com recommends that a typical 40 pound dog consume 969 calories per day. Since most sticks and rings last at least a week, the caloric impact on the overall diet is minimal and should not be a concern.

(bolding added for emphasis)

At first I laughed. Mercy can tear through a braided 12" Bully Stick in about an hour. Then I started wondering, how long does a Bully Stick last at your house?

 

[Hambonez]

We haven't tried them yet because I can't get over the idea of my dog gnawing on a penis >.<

 

[dagwall]

I only get them rarely because Jubel will finish a 12" bully stick in about 15 minutes tops. He loves it but it's just not worth the money IMO. I just got a Himalayan chew at the pet expo the other week and he LOVES it, sadly to the point of resource guarding it, and is getting about an inch every 15-20 minutes. So the Himalayan chew is a better value for the money but I don't like giving him items he'll guard if it's something I'm going to want to take away. I'm pretty sure he'd eat the entire thing in one sitting if I let him and don't think it'd sit too well in his belly.

 

[Rowdy]

A 6 inch "thick" bully stick will last @ 20 minutes with my guys but neither one is a very aggressive chewer.

 

[ChaosIsAWeim]

Bully sticks last a few hours at my house, thats it. Himalayan chews last a few weeks (and that's with multiple dogs chewing on the one they stole).

If the Himalayan chews weren't so expensive I would be buying them in bulk.

 

[kafkabeetle]

I only get them rarely because Jubel will finish a 12" bully stick in about 15 minutes tops. He loves it but it's just not worth the money IMO. I just got a Himalayan chew at the pet expo the other week and he LOVES it, sadly to the point of resource guarding it, and is getting about an inch every 15-20 minutes. So the Himalayan chew is a better value for the money but I don't like giving him items he'll guard if it's something I'm going to want to take away. I'm pretty sure he'd eat the entire thing in one sitting if I let him and don't think it'd sit too well in his belly.

You could actually use this as a training opportunity. For Sydney I trade up from high value items with bits of raw meat. I am amazed how much better she has gotten just from that. I distract her from the high value chew by offering the meat, then while she eats it I take the chew. Then I have her sit to get the chew back, let her chew for another 5 minutes or so then repeat. I love that my dog can now have the things she loves without constantly eyeing me like I'm going to snatch it away at any moment.

I've never tried bully sticks because I cannot (or will not) afford them. Nylabones and very thin unbleached rawhides fulfill the same purpose for so much less and with hardly any increased risk.

 

[dagwall]

You could actually use this as a training opportunity. For Sydney I trade up from high value items with bits of raw meat. I am amazed how much better she has gotten just from that. I distract her from the high value chew by offering the meat, then while she eats it I take the chew. Then I have her sit to get the chew back, let her chew for another 5 minutes or so then repeat. I love that my dog can now have the things she loves without constantly eyeing me like I'm going to snatch it away at any moment.

I've never tried bully sticks because I cannot (or will not) afford them. Nylabones and very thin unbleached rawhides fulfill the same purpose for so much less and with hardly any increased risk.

That is what I'm doing with him right now with the Himalayan chew. Let him have it for about 20 minutes or so them offer him some high value treats, I don't think I could find a HIGHER value treat than he considers the Himalayan chew at that moment but they are 'good enough.' He traded well the first time but the second time he was more reluctant to trade and it was more of my gently pulling it away than him dropping it in favor of the trade. Possibly because he realized I was going to take it for an undetermined amount of time rather than give it back anytime soon.

Your right it might help to break it into 3-4 trade sessions than just one trade. Overall I'm not really concerned as he's only tried to guard two types of high value treats and fine with me taking pretty much anything else. His guarding has never gone further than a little grumbling and him getting up and moving away with the prized item, mostly because I've never tried to press the issue further than having him trade with me if I really want the item back from him.

 

[doxiemommy]

That makes me laugh, as well! I have small dogs and we give the small bully sticks, but they only last about an hour, if that!

 

[nfedyk]

I gave Oliver a bully stick last week for the first time. It was about 6" long and lasted an hour tops. He absolutely loved it but later got the runs. Next time I will just give him a small section of it as a treat.

 

[Ramble On Rose]

The 12" lasts my Catahoula mix about 20 minutes. For the price, it's not worth it for me to get them.

I'm now curious about Antlers, but they are sooo expensive. They just don't look like something my dogs would chew on. They seem too plain, so i'm afraid to try them.

 

[RCloud]

Charlotte devours a 12 inch bully stick within the first couple of hours, but Ma'ii takes his time with his. Takes him about a day at most.

They are really expensive and to me not worth the price, but I still get them for my dogs from time to time because they simply love them so much and it keeps them busy.

 

[dagwall]

I also got a deer antler at the pet expo and it wasn't too expensive, $15 for about a 6-7' antler. It's definitely not as highly desirable as a bully stick or Himalayan chew but he likes it and chews on it occasionally. Worth the $15 to me because it will last for a good while I'm sure, if only because he isn't crazy about it enough to want to consume it all in one sitting.

 

[PatchworkRobot]

Dreizehn goes through an 18-inch bullystick in about an hour.

Ruthie has some 6-inch ones but she hasn't become interested in them yet.

 

[hargyle]

I had one once ... and he choked on it. I switched to antlers, best thing ever! He just carries it everywhere we go, he has 3 on the go because he got into the new package while I was making dinner one day. I read somewhere to make them more desirable to soak them in broth... I have never done it but apparently the marrow sucks up all the yummy flavour.

 

[ChaosIsAWeim]

The 12" lasts my Catahoula mix about 20 minutes. For the price, it's not worth it for me to get them.

I'm now curious about Antlers, but they are sooo expensive. They just don't look like something my dogs would chew on. They seem too plain, so i'm afraid to try them.

Get elk antlers, I find my dogs like those better than deer. The elk antler I have now, I have had for a year and its still no where near done. It goes outside, its had multiple dogs chewing on it, and it still looks almost (edges are white from chewing and some marrow is gone) like it did when I bought it. They are a little more expensive, but its worth it. I would get moose to try but those are even more expensive.

 

[CrazyDogLady]

The 12" lasts my Catahoula mix about 20 minutes. For the price, it's not worth it for me to get them.

I'm now curious about Antlers, but they are sooo expensive. They just don't look like something my dogs would chew on. They seem too plain, so i'm afraid to try them.

I got Mercy a Moose antler and she loves it! There's some kind of marrow or something in the middle that she goes after.

I'm very lucky, my feed store has great prices. I bought a piece for $16.00 and then saw the same sized piece someplace else for about $50.00!

 

[Ramble On Rose]

Thanks for the comments about antlers. I think i'll go ahead and get one from Amazon and see how it goes.

 

[Roloni]

My Roxxy is an Extreme Chewer.
Bully Sticks are like Pupperonis , they are gone in moments. Antlers last maybe half a day.
The longest lasting chew for her has been Marrow Bones..and even they dont last for more then a week.

 

[dagwall]

The foster puppy I have until the 7th apparently loves the deer antler. She's made herself at home in the doggie bed and is gnawing on the antler... actually making Jubel interested in it in the process.

 

[luv2byte]

We order 50 at a time, they end up less than $2.50ea. One can last a week or it can last an hour, depends on their mood. Skyler likes to gather them up (we usually have 2 out, 2 dogs), he will lay on one while eating the other. I swear he is a hoarder, not a herder.