# What kind of bone will keep my small dog busy



## TuckersMom (Feb 1, 2012)

I have a 3 yr old rescue Lhasa Apso (got him 9 days ago) who didn't until yesterday eat a bone. It is a nylabone, about the 4" size. It takes him about 3 minutes to eat it.

I would like to get him a bone that will take him awhile to chew on.

any suggestions?

Thank you


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

Did he eat a plastic nylabone or one from their "Healthy Edibles" line?

If you want long lasting chew toys, the plastic nylabones (get the proper size and durability for your dog) are good.

Antlers are also good, usually a bit more expensive but very long lasting. Mine have lasted almost a year and my pup still likes them.

Bullysticks don't last too long (I've heard some dogs go through them in minutes but mine takes about a day to eat a regular sized one, sometimes longer) but are big hit with my dog.


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

Any raw bone would work. Knuckle bones are great, for his size you could look at lamb knuckles (or any lamb bone), turkey or chicken backs (wouldn't take him long though to do those), beef or pork necks or ribs.... ostrich necks are yummy too...


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## TuckersMom (Feb 1, 2012)

I bought the healthy ediable nylabones. I am going to the pet store tomorrow, I live there these days, so I will pick up a few different ones suggested here. Where he does his obedience training, they have a good selection of bones, from bullysticks to antlers too.

Thanks! Much appreciated.


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

I second the antler! Caeda is a very strong chewer....a bully stick lasts about 1/2 an hour to an hour (if she isn't focused on it). She has had her antler since day one (about 9 months ago) and its still going 
Another up side to the antler is that they aren't food....so you don't have to figure out what to take out of a regular meal to balance food intake and it leaves you more room for training treats  That's just my preference though. 
Another chew toy I've tried is a Goughnut....she has barely scratched in in just over a month, which is pretty impressive.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

I get some bones from the petstore--but I have no idea what they are called. I have bigger dogs (and one little one) and the bigger ones do eventually "splinter" them--at which point I take them from them. But it takes quite a while. There is no way my little dog could splinter it.

I also get the soup bones out of the freezer section at the grocery store. Great for a cold treat on a hot day. 

I'm gonna have to try these bully sticks I keep hearing about....


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## TuckersMom (Feb 1, 2012)

Yes I hear that the bully sticks are HUGE hits with all dogs.

And I am concerned about leaving him with a bone that could splinter. Are you saying that small dogs don't do this to bones??

ANd yes, he gets a lot of training treats at the moment, so something that isn't food based would be nice. But the vet would like to see him gain 2 lbs if possible, get up to 18.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

TuckersMom said:


> Yes I hear that the bully sticks are HUGE hits with all dogs.
> 
> And I am concerned about leaving him with a bone that could splinter. Are you saying that small dogs don't do this to bones??
> 
> ANd yes, he gets a lot of training treats at the moment, so something that isn't food based would be nice. But the vet would like to see him gain 2 lbs if possible, get up to 18.


Yes, the bones I give my dogs--the little dog could never splinter. My golden and labx can--but it takes a very long time. They cannot/do not splinter the soup bones though which are raw, frozen bones from the grocery store.

I'll get the name of the ones I use next time I go to the pet store (in the next couple of days).


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## TuckersMom (Feb 1, 2012)

Goldens&Labs4Me said:


> Yes, the bones I give my dogs--the little dog could never splinter. My golden and labx can--but it takes a very long time. They cannot/do not splinter the soup bones though which are raw, frozen bones from the grocery store.
> 
> I'll get the name of the ones I use next time I go to the pet store (in the next couple of days).


Thank You.


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## melundie (Aug 2, 2011)

Antler all the way. Colby is an avid bone chewer and she's had her current antler for like 6 months and has barely made a dent in it.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

The large diameter bones that come from beef legs are reported to be harder than dog teeth and can easily damage teeth. The meant to eat man made chews don't last long around here and Sassy liked to break and swallow, not okay.

A kong? A diabolically stuffed one will take ages to empty out. My dogs cannot get out a piece of bread for instance and they adore bread and work for ages trying. Lots of threads on ways to stuff them here. Smearing a little peanut butter, cream cheese, canned dog food around the inside so as to not overfeed works for only a few minutes here. You can moisten the kibble, stuff and freeze for a hard to eat chew+meal.

Not sure I would leave my dog with any chew but something like a kong. For supervised chews try -
Beef ears took my 30-40 pound dogs half an hour to eat, pig ears only 5 minutes and they never had lamb ones.
Merrick and probably other companies smoke odd bits and pack them up. Texas Toothpicks are the tips of tails and very yummy. Tendons can take ages to eat up. I never would have bought made up ones as they are pricy but ostrich tendons are really good. 
Raw beef ribs from the roast are great. If you found large bits of any kind of neck bone that would work as they have lots of nooks and crannies to dig meat from. They need to be large, about the size of your dog's whole head, commonly they are cut up on a tray but if they are on the counter to be packed up they are often left larger.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

At Global Ryan Pet Foods they have larger bully sticks - they're basically 10000x times more effort to chew through. Butters can eat a thin bully stick in a minute, but she's still been gnawing on the really thick one (about .75 inch in diameter and 6 inches long) for the past month and only got through .5 inches - 

The thin ones definitely look more tasty, but the larger ones will last longer!


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## a7dk (Mar 30, 2011)

I like the plastic nylabones. They last for months for Hobbes. He's not exactly a power chewer, but he went through a Healthy Edibles nylabone in about 30 seconds flat.


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## PackMomma (Sep 26, 2011)

I agree with the antler too, my Kelpie pup has had his since 8 weeks old and he's almost 8 months now and he's still going on it. Although I do give frozen turkey necks occasionally as a treat, and same with the soup/marrow bones you can buy at grocery stores.. my dogs will chew on these long after they've licked out all the marrow. They won't splinter as long as they aren't cooked - and I noticed that sometimes Thumper will gnaw on these so much that he shaves/grinds them as I find tooth dents in them and white dust all over his kennel sometimes, but not harmful. I've also reused these bones, stuff them with some goat yogurt or a bit of peanut butter or liverwurst and pop em back in the freezer and take out for another frozen, yummy chewy treat.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

Where do you guys get the antlers?


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Antlers can be had on Amazon, and also at higher-end pet stores (the kind that sell Orijen-type food). They don't have them at Petco or PetSmart, at least not in my area. A big one is about $20, but they last. Biscuit has had her elk antler since Christmas and she's almost done with it (it was one for 50-90 pound dogs, I believe - 7-10 inches long), but that is a respectable amount of lifespan for a Biscuit chew toy. I like that she sort of scrapes at it with her teeth instead of chipping away at it (which is what she did with the Himalayan Dog Chew...ugh). They're sort of heavy so you should make sure to get the right size.

I like the "Dura Chew" Nylabones, too.


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## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

Thanks hamandeggs! I'll be on the lookout for them!


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## PackMomma (Sep 26, 2011)

I see them at tons of pet stores - and the first one I did originally buy from a store, but we've managed to collect a few others that nature provided for us during some hikes...


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## TuckersMom (Feb 1, 2012)

Thanks everyone, great answers!

I bought an elk antler yesterday, store personal say they are the best. Also a bully stick just for a treat. And some plastic nlyabones too! 

I will keep on experimenting.


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## workerant (Feb 28, 2011)

My dog loves to chew; she's got a few Nylabones she likes but has never shown interest in the antler I bought for her. I also occasionally give her raw beef arm bones. I buy them at the grocery store (in the meat department, not the pet department) and they're quite cheap. I buy a bunch at a time and freeze them until use. Kenda LOVES them, the marrow is good for her and she spends a few days worrying the bone after she's eaten all the yuck off them.


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## TuckersMom (Feb 1, 2012)

Ok so just gave Tucker his antler bone. He is going to town on it! Wow. Sounds like he's going to break a tooth! Is this possible? 

Thanks


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## TuckersMom (Feb 1, 2012)

So within a few minute he has some of the filling? Chewed out. Is this normal? 

Yikes. Should I be scared? Lol

I believe I just created a monster! He is on a mission and not sure if I can get him to stop to eat dinner, walk or bed time.

Will he tire out soon?


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

TuckersMom said:


> So within a few minute he has some of the filling? Chewed out. Is this normal?
> 
> Yikes. Should I be scared? Lol
> 
> ...


 He's just getting the marrow like stuff out which is much softer than the rest.

If you feel his is getting over the top with it take it away for a while.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

katielou said:


> He's just getting the marrow like stuff out which is much softer than the rest.
> 
> If you feel his is getting over the top with it take it away for a while.


This. 

We do antlers here. We live in an apartment and I can't have staining on the carpet or porch. Antlers grind into a white powder that is harmless to both dogs and carpet alike. Depending on the size of the antlers and how hard it is they can last anywhere from a week to months. I love 'em. We get them by the pound on ebay. For the size we order (I have a 40 pound dog and a 20ish pound dog) we have to get the larges and get 2-3 antlers that are about 7-9 inches long. It would be fairly inexpensive to get antlers for your little one fairly cheap.


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## TuckersMom (Feb 1, 2012)

I distracted him with our training session with treats and I got it away. It is an elk antler cut in half lengthwise, aprox 4 inches long. Tag on it was 15.00, but it rang up as 10.00. 

I just kind of freaked me out the way he was going at it. Like a wild dog! 

I am such a newbie when it comes to dog stuff!


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

The ones cut in half (with the marrow exposed) are softer, I think the marrow tastes good. Disgusting! I think dogs can theoretically chip teeth on antlers so I would try to determine if your pup is chomping down on the antler or just scraping away at it. As others have said, if he's going too crazy, just take it away for awhile.


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## roxiefoxie08 (Dec 15, 2011)

I buy the antler from http://www.kvsupply.com/KVVet/dept....hide&mscssid=E77DCC9190BD498EA0915FEC6EF243FD

great prices free shipping when you purchase $5o or more on most items $5 if under $50


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