# The "Right" bones......



## lone Ranger (Nov 29, 2012)

Hello Friends, and fellow GSD lovers... 

lone Ranger here, in Australia, inexperienced to some degree only raising three GSDs over 10 years.. But I am also under the tuteledge of a Champion raising Breeder, and further tend to put things to the test and not just be gullible... *I also have slaughtered my own beef now for one kg packets of dog meat, bone, and small bit of organ, and have some practical experience most would not have.. * Anyway, you are free to argue or agree but here is what I have experienced and know, and I hope it is a help to you.

There are Right and Wrong bones for a puppy. We go to a Butcher and here are presented these massive big "Dog Bones"... Sorry, but the big hard bones like sliced in half leg bones and things are a *NO NO*. Too hard on their teeth. Just like cooked bones are also a *NO NO*, can splinter and even kill in the case of chicken and skinny steak bones... *But it is less clear when you get to the rest of the carcass and here is what I have come to:*

The bones have to be chewable, I mean like to you and me even, not hard ivory, more like a softer texture and chewable they can work on. Even a big beef rib, flat big rib, is near useless to a puppy. Oh, he may be able to knaw on the cut edge to get at the interior, but it is only second rate... The sawn in half backbone, neck, brisket (cartiledge connection point of ribs) are all superior. Even bits of hip where you can slice it to thin bone exterior and a lot of chewy honeycombed marrow is good. Raw T-bones are good, but again it is a bit like the flat big rib in that the pup will only get so far.

*One of the real values is leaving meat on said bone. That rip and tear is what you want for development.* Brisket is good, but boring after a while. Raw chicken carcasses are OK now and then, but you need more meat on, like on raw thighs bone and all. They will eat the meat and seem to like the crunch. Personally I do not like the needle bone on chicken legs even raw, but maybe.. *Necks seem to really appeal to them for the texture and the crunch seems entertaining...*

Lamb shoulder type steaks, cutlet type bone steaks, brisket, all the smaller lamb bone is good for a once a week menu item. Again, they are softer and a puppy can manage the bones better..

I hope this has been a help.. lone Ranger, out doing Dances with Wolves on the Last Frontier...


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## Movin64 (Aug 23, 2012)

What about rib bones? one of my breeders said they would give a rib bone to each of the puppyies as they are full of marrow, and soft , some say not to , also hard raw hide swells up when in their stomach and adding water dont know if any of these things are true.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Great information, Lone Ranger!


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## lone Ranger (Nov 29, 2012)

Movin64 said:


> What about rib bones? one of my breeders said they would give a rib bone to each of the puppyies as they are full of marrow, and soft , some say not to , also hard raw hide swells up when in their stomach and adding water dont know if any of these things are true.


Hello Movin, I think people might have different perspectives according to what age of beef for instance that they are looing at, or what PART of the rib... I am now getting into slaughter of my own, and what I have found is the ribs are waaaay to hard for the puppy to make any progress on. PUPPY that is, and Older beef... If you got a young steer, or weanling calf, or like the veal (that is pulled off the mother so she keeps making milk) then the ribs could be fine. In this first older cow, the ribs are near worthless as the puppy could only make just a little progress on the cut end running the edge a little ragged. However, on the frontal area where it goes soft to cartiledge then yes, you are on to something there, more like "brisket".. 
*I am not saying your Breeder is wrong, just making specifics out of it for your benefit OK? *I am on the bloodied side of it, and can do that for you...

*Movin, IMO never give the hide*, it could seriously clog them up. I have seen wolves carcasses, they tear it open but then hollow it out and leave the hide. In fact I have seen the leftovers and the hide is just about by itself..


*Jae:* My seven year old Bitch even has worn canine from me thinking leg bones were OK, when they are really not even for full sized dogs IMO... On the neck, full sized older beef for a puppy, will only knaw on the vertebrae edges of the neck bones, again I think OK.. 

_The point of my Topic is that the "Right bones are ones that we could almost knaw on ourselves. The "Wrong" ones besides the obvious cooked or splinter or too skinny, the "Wrong" is the ivory hard ones._ But even the joint and knuckle of cartiledge is good, as long as it is soft enough not wear out teeth, and soft enough for them to make headway on..

Within maybe 60 days, I will be slaughtering a young cut steer for my own gourmet grass fed grain finished beef. I will compare the bones and usefulness, but do not think there will be much difference except maybe more of the ends of the ribs to brisket usage..

Kind regards, out on the Land... 

*Jae here is a secret, when you say **keep living the dream, lone ranger. you have one jealous corporate monkey here.* *:* It is harder work doing country living bit, you really have to have the PASSION and appreciation, so it is not work in fact not enough hours in the day for you.. I was up at 4:30 this morning. A Stallion pawed the ground and dug up and broke a water line and I lost 80,000 litres out of the stable tanks. I fed the dogs, fed the steer I am fattening, tried to guess how long to supplement him with grain before he goes, fed the horses, traced out the water lines to find the break, planned on pumping up water from the arena tanks to the stable tanks, I walked the dogs down to the arena, pulled a few handfulls of weeds, realized that in all the wet weather here in end of summer I was about a full day behind in mowing with the big tractor and the grass was up too high, and all the roads needed weed spraying with the quad bike as the grass and weeds were up under the fences, Dodge Megacab covered in dirt needed a wash, dogs tracked mud into the garage for a week ..... And more, *then I changed out of my rubber boots into regular and went off to work.* :rofl:

If I moved to your City world, it would be like a Holiday full time... Restaurants, bars, little maintenance...party everywhere... And yes, I do know the pressures of the Corporate World.. I have 50 Employees in my Manufacturing Factory. Just saying the "Country Life" is a LOT OF WORK just in the Lifestyle...

I hope this has been a help to you... Mind you, I would not move to the City for anything... But country life is a job on its own, my 30 acre hobby farm is about 10-12 hours a week in maintenance alone...:help::wild:


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## AngelaA6 (Jan 20, 2013)

lone Ranger said:


> The sawn in half backbone, neck, brisket (cartiledge connection point of ribs) are all superior. Even bits of hip where you can slice it to thin bone exterior and a lot of chewy honeycombed marrow is good. Raw T-bones are good, but again it is a bit like the flat big rib in that the pup will only get so far.


So would a beef knuckle be okay then? I've been really hesitant about giving my pup any kind of bone because i'm afraid of splintering. There's a raw food/kibble store we go to called mudbay and we really only get freezed dried salmon treats and canidae's all stages lamb and rice, but they also have a large selection of bones that my pup is always wanting to chew on. I guess what I'm trying to ask is: What kind of bones would you suggest for just recreational chewing?


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

What about these Dentley's Prime Cuts Center-Cut Beef Femur Bone - Dog - PetSmart


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## AngelaA6 (Jan 20, 2013)

oh and here's a link to the beef knuckles they sell at the store we go to: http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/shop_image/product/large017080.jpg


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## lone Ranger (Nov 29, 2012)

*Angela,*
I have tried the knuckle from a freshly slaughterd cow, and he worked on the meat around it, but not much luck with the knuckle..

I do not trust those dried, cooked, preserved, sprayed for insecticide for shipping, gassed, who knows on those dried knuckle bones in the pet stores.. I would not do it...

Further, I think the knuckle is just a bit big and odd shaped.. I have had no luck with even the fresh raw ones... Angela, you asked about recreational chewing, and I think mine prefer something they can get into their mouth across the bone... Maybe look into lamb brisket bones, here about $ 2 a pound, I really like general brisket, chewy type bones, chicken necks, chicken carcasses maybe try.. At home if you have lamb or beef like a T-bone, you can cut the meat off the raw bone and give it to them, as long as it is not a very thin one.. 

_*The best*_ is something like a shoulder cut steak beef and lamb, the cheap sort of I think you call it chuck or shoulder or BBQ steaks, they have a soft sawn bone in each about the size of a big finger or two and six inches long or so.. It might even be sawn across the shoulder blade, and is soft in the center. Those are great for a puppy.. Go feel up the cheapest cut of steaks in lamb and beef, and you will find the bone ones I am talking about. You can eat the meat or give it to them, the bones are prized...

*Zeeva,* *in my opinion Flat NO..* The Femur is the long leg bone. That looks like it is sawn in a strip lenthwise. It looks like ivory. These dogs should not chew on things as strong as their teeth, or it will wear away the teeth.. Try it yourself, if you cannot mark it, imagine your teeth wearing down as you try. These dogs after their puppy teeth are gone, do not grow new points on their teeth, once they are worn, it is all over... My older GSDs, aged 10 and 7, have the points worn off of their primary teeth due to my own stupidity... Only give the right bones, soft enough to chew IMO.. 

I bury all the leg bones, deep..... Useless, too hard of ivory... Note the good bones above in this Post....

Kind regards, from the lone Ranger in Australia, growing his own Organic Grass Fed Beef, grain finished, for me AND the dogs... :wild::wub:


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

Thank you c:!!!


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

My adult dogs love fresh knuckles they get them every couple of weeks  great for cleaning teeth 

Brisket is my favourite bone for them tho abc they enjoy a meaty lamb neck.
I'd won't give beef neck, that stuff is hard and spiky - could cause a blockage.

Very jealous of you being able to slaughter your own tho 

Oh no 80 000l of water, I nearly cried when I read that  I only have a 22500L tank and we are down to the last few rings, we need rain so bad, I'm gonna have to call the water cartage guy again.


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## AngelaA6 (Jan 20, 2013)

Thanks lone ranger  and i will keep an eye out at the butchers. Just found out he has a freezer full or raw food items for dogs and makes a food of beef liver heart and cow tongue just for the dogs


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## Thesilentone (Jan 5, 2013)

Beef soup bones? I just got my dogs some of those recently.


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