Every dog, like every person, is an individual. They each have their own likes and dislikes and chewing styles. Some are power chewers, and others are more delicate. With the wide array of chewing items available at your local grocery and pet store, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find something suitable for your dog to chew that will satisfy his likes and his chewing style.
Consumables
Some chews, like rawhides, pig ears, Booda bones, and bully sticks are combination of a chew and a treat. Dogs should always be supervised when they have consumable chews due to the dangers that some of them present.
It’s generally a good idea to get at least one size larger than what is recommended for your dog, to reduce the likelihood of your dog breaking off and swallowing, or perhaps choking on, a piece that is too large. Some chews, like pig ears and rawhides, soften and swell as the dog chews and they have been known to get stuck in dogs’ mouths, throats, and digestive tracts.
A good rule of thumb is if your dog is consuming more than 1 inch per hour of the chew, than it’s either the wrong size or the wrong strength for your dog.
Durable Goods
Durable chews are the items that you want to have available to your dog all the time. For soft chewers, a rawhide can be a durable chew, but Nylabones, hard rubber chews, and raw or sterilized marrowbones are more suitable as a durable chew for an average or strong chewer. Some have the added benefit of being dental devices, with nubs, grooves, or ridges that can be used with or without dog toothpaste.
Power chewers come in all sizes. Dogs bred to use their jaws for their jobs, like the bull breeds, fighting breeds, and retrievers — Boston terriers, bulldogs, Staffordshire terriers, Labradors, and golden retrievers, to name a few — tend to need to chew more and be more powerful chewers than other breeds.
Any natural animal chews you purchase for your dog, like rawhides, bully sticks, moo tubes, and the like, should be made (not just packaged) in the USA or Canada. Most of the Asian and South American processors use toxic chemicals in the production of dog treats and chews.
The hard rubber toys come in practically endless varieties, including designs that hold treats or biscuits to make them more appealing. They can be tossed in the dishwasher to keep them clean between uses.
