# Best chew toy/bone?



## law1558

Looking for something to keep our 11mo old occupied for longer than 5 minutes...can anyone suggest a chew toy/bone that fits the bill? The nylabone doesn't seem to be that appealing. 

Thanks


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## RocketDog

How big of a chewer is she/he? If she's not too aggressive, I buy frozen soup bones (they're different than marrow bones) and spread an old vinyl tablecloth or sheet out. I can get up to an hour of time out of 'em. Of course, Rocket is not 6 months old yet, and he's never really destroyed anything either (yet). He definitely doesn't break the bones. Still, he doesn't get them unless I'm sitting right there. 

I've also heard pigskin stuff is more digestable than rawhide. So maybe there's stuff in that kind of thing that would help?


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## lkcheertex

Bully sticks or cow hooves are what we use.


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## jprice103

lkcheertex said:


> Bully sticks or cow hooves are what we use.


Same here!


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## msvette2u

Zogoflex. It's amazing, look it up.
We also like Planet Dog toys, they are next to impossible to destroy. 
You'd never believe it but we have a 10lb. Dachshund who can destroy almost any toy made. And if he can't (in the case of the zogoflex toys) he isn't interested. There's something very satisfying for him to just rip to shreds, any toy we bring home!
Even those fire hose toys they make? He chewed through the edges. Tennis balls last 5min. max. Bad/good cuz toys? Squeaker part destroyed within the day.
I should use more hooves and stuff with him but I'm always afraid of E. coli, and the smell is awful


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## BlackGSD

Anyone that has ever had a dog get a cow hoof stuck cross ways between it's upper teeth and against the roof of it's mouth, would NEVER again give them again! It is NOT fun (nor is it easy.) to get out when the dog is freaking out. This was a GSD and it was not a hoof that was chewed down. Hooves are evil! They also stink and when the dog pukes up pieces on the rug, that isnt fun either! Let alone the fact that it hurts like heck to step on one barefoot! I don't even allow my dogs chew on the trimmings when the horses get their feet trimmed. There are MUCH safer alternatives.


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## Emoore

What about antlers?


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## Suka

BlackGSD said:


> Anyone that has ever had a dog get a cow hoof stuck cross ways between it's upper teeth and against the roof of it's mouth, would NEVER again give them again! It is NOT fun (nor is it easy.) to get out when the dog is freaking out. This was a GSD and it was not a hoof that was chewed down. Hooves are evil! They also stink and when the dog pukes up pieces on the rug, that isnt fun either! Let alone the fact that it hurts like heck to step on one barefoot! I don't even allow my dogs chew on the trimmings when the horses get their feet trimmed. There are MUCH safer alternatives.


Same here and why I don't like hooves. Ohhhh the smell. Wretched things.


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## RaidersMom

Emoore said:


> What about antlers?


 
Love them! We used Antlers for Raider. He detsroys everything... has little interest in Kongs. Basically doesn't like much of anything that isn't soft or that he can feel his teeth sinking into. But give him a deer antler and he is happy! Especially the larger ones that maybe have a little exposed Marrow on the side already to "entice" them.


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## VegasResident

Mine has food allergies and cannot have the array of normal chews so he does well with the Michelangelo and the Nylabone tough chew rings. He will sit and naw on the ring while watching a movie. It does not come apart. When it gets too many sharps nubbies we replace it.


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## law1558

BlackGSD said:


> Anyone that has ever had a dog get a cow hoof stuck cross ways between it's upper teeth and against the roof of it's mouth, would NEVER again give them again! It is NOT fun (nor is it easy.) to get out when the dog is freaking out. This was a GSD and it was not a hoof that was chewed down. Hooves are evil! They also stink and when the dog pukes up pieces on the rug, that isnt fun either! Let alone the fact that it hurts like heck to step on one barefoot! I don't even allow my dogs chew on the trimmings when the horses get their feet trimmed. There are MUCH safer alternatives.


 
So, BlackGSD - what are the safer alternatives you suggest? 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions...I'll be looking into antlers (in southern CA...might be a challenge!) and the zogoflex toys. I've gotten bully sticks before that Beau will inhale in seconds, but will check around for something more substantial.

Do most of you get your items at feed stores? Petco-type stores?


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## Emoore

The school where we do our agility training sells elk antlers, as do some independent pet shops.

Also, my pup was never interested in Nylabones until I boiled his in beef broth. It gave it a really strong beef scent and flavor and made him more interested in chewing on it. After it cooled off from boiling and before I gave it to him, I touched my tongue to it and it really did have a beef flavor. He's been into Nylabones ever since.


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## law1558

EMoore - great idea! I'll try that!!


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## law1558

PS) got Beau an antler today....he LOVES it and it's lasting longer than 10 minutes!! thanks guys!


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## mwiacek10

I ordered Elk Antlers and recieved them yesterday. Gunny spent the entire evening chewing on them! He's never done that before with anything. He really seems to enjoy them.


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## BlackGSD

Well my dogs have always used Nylabones "as is" straight from the package. Siren chews on hers several times a day. I was going to say antlers, but you already discovered them.


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## Cheerful1

Emoore: I like the idea of boiling the Nylabone in beef broth. What kind of broth do you use? Some of what I've seen have onion powder in them, and I was concerned about that.


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## Emoore

I just used the stuff I had in the pantry for my own food- Swanson Lower Sodium beef broth. Since I wasn't feeding him the liquid, just boiling his bone in it to get the flavor, I didn't worry a whole lot about whether it had onion powder.


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## RocketDog

1) Where did you order the elk antlers from, and 2) what's the deal with onion powder?


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## Cheerful1

I've heard that onions are no good for dogs.


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## Emoore

RocketDog said:


> 2) what's the deal with onion powder?


Onion is toxic to dogs, but, the amount of onion powder in beef broth is small. I'm not feeding him the broth; I'm boiling the bone in it and then he chews the bone and spits out any little pieces. I figure the amount of actual onion consumed is less than he would get from licking the kitchen floor.


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## Cheerful1

Thanks, Emoore for the great hint! I'm going to give it a try. Joey enjoyed his Nylabone for a while, now seems to be addicted to his Gappay ball. Want to give him something else to try.


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## RocketDog

Wow. How in 31+ years of dog owning did I never know this? Yikes. Glad I do now.


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## mwiacek10

Got the elk antlers from Bestbullysticks.com.


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## mwiacek10

*www.bestbullysticks.com*
*Thanksgiving - Black Friday - Cyber Monday *12% OFF SALE on Select Bully Sticks!

Use coupon code: NOVSAVE12


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## law1558

*Antler*



RocketDog said:


> 1) Where did you order the elk antlers from, and 2) what's the deal with onion powder?


I went to our local Petco last night and found all four sizes of antler..small, medium, large and jumbo. I will be getting more!

I also talked to the guys I work with who hunt...it's deer season don't ya know!


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## LissG

My GSD Wolf LOVS bully sticks (www.bestbullysticks.com has great prices, they also have an Ebay store). He also loves it when I get these bones http://source-www.petco.com/Assets/product_images/8/8518443300B.jpg and fill them with peanut butter and stick it in the freezer. They were my best friends when he was teething LOL!


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## ZAYDA

OK, Here's my problem. I use to give my 2 GSD'S nyla bones until my vet told me that one of my girls had 2 cracked teeth so of course that put an end to the nyla bones. So my question is do you think that antlers can do the same thing.My girls are older and they really enjoy chewing so I would like to offer them something.


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## frillint1

Those looking for elk antler should order from

http://www.facebook.com/MTAntlerChews

They have amazing customer service I just ordered my first antler. They get collected from wild elk in the mountains of Montana and are made in the USA. I got a 11in antler for $24 that beats any petstore price and its much better quality and you know where its coming from. Also Elk antlers last longer than deer antlers.




law1558 said:


> I went to our local Petco last night and found all four sizes of antler..small, medium, large and jumbo. I will be getting more!
> 
> I also talked to the guys I work with who hunt...it's deer season don't ya know!


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## Dobergals

Antlers are good. I would also recommend Busy Buddy Products, especially the Busy Buddy Barnacle. That keeps my dog busy for a very long time.

SK
The Blogging Dog | A dog blog


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## Kmagenius

Just gave my gsd an antler, he had it for 20 minutes and started cracking it. He needs something to chew that won't crack


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## NancyJ

How long should a 12 inch bully stick last? After about 20 minutes it is down to the point I need to take it away.


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## lyssa62

we get the big antlers too. This last one Roxy had for 2 weeks before I had to take it away. She will chew on that for hours at a time..(I save that for tv time at night)


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## jjk454ss

Anyone given there dog a Bully Horn? Hugo seemed to really like it at the store, was thinking of picking one up for him. 

The Original Bully Horn|Dog Chews at DrsFosterSmith.com


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## jjk454ss

jocoyn said:


> How long should a 12 inch bully stick last? After about 20 minutes it is down to the point I need to take it away.


I just got one today, and that's about how long it lasted. I was hoping for the price it was something that would last longer.


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## doggiedad

elk antlers, deer antlers, black kong toys, rope,
rope and ball, beef bones (center cut femur or
whole), balls. my dog has all of the above plus
some things laying all over the house. why do
you want your dog chewing on something longer 
than 5 minutes?


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## doggiedad

what kind of antler? how big was it?



Kmagenius said:


> Just gave my gsd an antler, he had it for 20 minutes and started cracking it. He needs something to chew that won't crack


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## doggiedad

are bull horns hollow? Foster and Smith sells things that
are made in China.



jjk454ss said:


> Anyone given there dog a Bully Horn? Hugo seemed to really like it at the store, was thinking of picking one up for him.
> 
> The Original Bully Horn|Dog Chews at DrsFosterSmith.com


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## doggiedad

Bully Sticks are a treat/teeth cleaner. they don't last.
i bought a 3' piece Friday. i cut it down to 5" or 6" peices.


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## trcy

jocoyn said:


> How long should a 12 inch bully stick last? After about 20 minutes it is down to the point I need to take it away.


they don't last long. My two older dogs are 20 and 30 pounds. They will devour one in about 10 to 15 minutes. My teething 5 month, 50+ pound gsd chews them very slow. He has been working on the same on for three sessions now. After 20 minutes it gets taken away. 

They don't get them everyday. Maybe once a week. He loves the antler and nyla bones.


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## jjk454ss

doggiedad said:


> elk antlers, deer antlers, black kong toys, rope,
> rope and ball, beef bones (center cut femur or
> whole), balls. my dog has all of the above plus
> some things laying all over the house. why do
> you want your dog chewing on something longer
> than 5 minutes?


Not that he needs to chew on it longer than 5 minutes at one time, just for the price it would be nice if it lasted longer than a total of 5 minutes.


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## jjk454ss

doggiedad said:


> are bull horns hollow? Foster and Smith sells things that
> are made in China.


They are hollow, looked like they would be great to stuff with peanut butter or something as a treat.

Not sure where these are from, I actually saw them at Chow Hound.


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## Switchblade906

For us it has been the Antlers. We bought a huge one for about $27 online and shes had it for about 4 months and it is not even 20% gone. Still has 80% life left at least.


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## jjk454ss

jjk454ss said:


> Anyone given there dog a Bully Horn? Hugo seemed to really like it at the store, was thinking of picking one up for him.
> 
> The Original Bully Horn|Dog Chews at DrsFosterSmith.com


I picked up a Bully Horn, it said it was from a Water Buffalo. It didn't last 5 minutes and pieces were cracking off, I had to bring it back because of these sharp little pieces breaking off. So much for what the clerk told me about the person who loves them because her large Mastiff can chew on them all day.


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## doggiedad

is it ok for a dog to digest parts of a nylabone bone?



Emoore said:


> Onion is toxic to dogs, but, the amount of onion powder in beef broth is small. I'm not feeding him the broth;
> 
> >>>>> I'm boiling the bone in it and then he chews the bone and spits out any little pieces. <<<<<
> 
> I figure the amount of actual onion consumed is less than he would get from licking the kitchen floor.


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## KathrynApril

doggiedad said:


> is it ok for a dog to digest parts of a nylabone bone?


They are non-toxic. If they do digest a part of the nylabone, the size of what they digested would be what can be of concern. Ie, are they going to be able to pass it?
If you are concerned of it being too large to pass you might want to get them in asap to have the vet facilitate them throwing up. Much cheaper than having to pay for intestinal blockage surgery.
Grant it you probably don't want them digesting the whole thing regardless, but if they digest a little bit & it is passable I personally wouldn't be concerned.

Side note: If you think it had any sharp edges I would then be concerned in that case too.


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## Traveler's Mom

I recently bought a deer antler for my GSD. It was rock hard and had no smell. He ignored it regardless of how I tried to entice him to try it. I read about boiling them to make them softer. Tried that and the reaction was the same even with 2 hours boiling/simmering. It was still hard.

I'll try the beef broth boil with that and see what happens.


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