Pet Health, Interesting Facts, and Trivia
Important Information about Dog Bones

Why your dog needs bones

Dogs chew for physical needs such as to keep their teeth clean and maintain gum health. The chewing action breaks away plaque to leave teeth whiter and breath sweeter. Stimulating the gums and controlling bacteria build-up helps to prevent serious dental problems.

Dogs chew to simulate the long-term process of eating freshly-killed game. They have a need to "kill" and "destroy" as well as to "while away the time" in a productive activity. Providing enough outlet for a dog's chewing needs will help to avoid destructive behaviors (often expensive) and alleviate anxiety and stress-induced behaviors such as excessive barking.

Puppies chew to relieve teething pain and stimulate the growth of adult teeth. Given no other outlet, puppies will chew your furniture, walls, shoes, or anything else that seems to offer a good texture.

Which type of bones?

Dental Bones: Dental bones are different than other types. They often have bacteria-fighting properties (plaque is made of bacteria) and breath-freshening ingredients. Choose the size that is appropriate for your dog - one that will fit comfortably in his mouth. They are usually more quickly consumed than other types of bones, so don't over do it.

Rawhide bones: It is the rare dog that is not attracted to rawhide. It is also our experience that rawhide poses VERY MINIMAL risk of choking or intestinal blockage. We do recommend that you take small pieces away from your dog as he chews them off.

If he is a very aggressive chewer, we recommend pressed rawhide. It has several layers of the toughest hide wrapped together under pressure to provide the biggest challenge. Our experience shows it to last 4-6 times longer than just wrapped rawhide.

The most important properties of rawhide are its wrap strength and heavy-hide properties. We take great care to obtain rawhide that is tightly wrapped and nice and white. The more tightly wrapped it is, the longer it will last. Also the more it will weigh. Compare ours to any rawhide in the grocery or on the retail shelf and you will find ours heavier and longer-lasting.

Dogs prefer pork-skin rawhide over beef hide, but it does not usually last as long.

Natural Bones: We never recommend that you feed your dog bones left over from your own dinner. It is a well-documented fact that cooked bones from human food pose a high risk of splintering, choking or intestinal puncture. While there is always a small risk of bone splinter with natural bones, our natural bones are all cooked under very stringent cooking conditions to minimize the risk of this type of breakage. The temperature and cooking time are critical to create a bone that wears down over time instead of breaking into sharp shards or tiny slivers. Supervise your dog with natural bones and take away any tiny pieces.

Nylon Bones: They are virtually indestructible. They don't splinter. They are very good for aggressive chewers. However, our experience tells us that some dogs are just not enticed by them. Give them a try, but you can't force the reluctant pooch.

Additives and Foreign Manufacturers: Most of our products are from American producers and made with USA ingredients. Some come from Argentinean beef. But none come from questionable sources and none have any Chinese additives.

Bones & Older Dogs Older dogs often benefit greatly from having a variety of bones to chew. If their teeth are still healthy, they really need the cleaning action as well as the challenge and entertainment. Older dogs that are not very active get very little stimulation, so bones can be a great mental exercise.

Bones & Puppies Bones can save your household and personal items. Puppies are natural gnawers. They will often just chew mindlessly, not caring what is in their mouth. If you condition your puppy to a variety of bones of different sizes, flavors and textures, he will naturally learn to chew on the bones instead of your belongings. You will be rewarded with a dog that has constructive chewing habits and a pleasant mouth with sparkling teeth.