Chews can be categorized in various ways, but for this post, we will focus on what's right for your dog. To us the most important factors in deciding which chew can be best suited are
Age of your dog
Chewing habits ( aggressive v/s non-aggressive chewers)
We get this question more often than any other questions asked to us. How do you choose the right chew for a dog? What are the factors that you need to take into consideration while making this decision?
All of these questions are really important and we felt that writing a short blog might help in making an informed decision. Even if you have been a pet parent for quite some time, or you are absolutely new to being a pet parent, we hope that you will find this blog useful.
Remember, chewing is a natural part of your dog's development
Age of your dog
A lot of pet parents who've recently become pet parents enquire us on whether they can choose to give their dog a bone to chew on. Typically pups develop adult teeth by the time they are 8 months old. At the initial stage when the dog's age is less than 8 months hard bones can cause damage. Pups at this stage have extremely sharp teeth which they can use to break off larger pieces that they can usually handle and this can be extremely dangerous. Gulping down these pieces accidentally can cause choking and can get stuck.
At this stage we recommend the following strong but completely safe chews.
Tendons, Bully Sticks, Tripe Chew Sticks, Round Gullet Dog Chews Sticks
This also applies to older dogs who may seem enthused to chew on but choose a softer chew to prevent damage to gums and teeth.
Chewing Habits
We have divided the chewing habits of dogs into two major types
Aggressive Chewers
Aggressive chewers have a lot of jaw strength and energy. These dogs chew with such vigor and energy that they can tend to break the object they are chewing on quite easily. If your dog belongs to this category choose the following options available
Air Dried Natural Big Bone, Knuckles with Meat
Non Aggressive Chewers
Non aggressive chewers are gentle on the object they chew upon and they take more time. There are therefore less chances that they completely break down the object they chew upon and gulp it down. Here are some of the products we recommend
In general, you could go for digestible body part chews
Chewing Safety
- Always maintain supervision while your dog is chewing on an edible or a non edible chew
- Gulping down an object that is small enough to fit in the mouth but big for the throat can cause choking, so choose a chew that is larger rather than smaller and big enough so that it can't be gulped down.
- While older dogs may seem anxious and enthused to chew, choose a softer chew, breaking of teeth and damage to gums can be caused if a proper chew is not chosen
We've found this post extremely useful in composing this blog. Have a look at it for more information.