There are so many chews out on the market now and knowing which one to buy is a mine-field, especially when many are said to suit puppies 4 months old and above.
What do you do if your puppy is only 2 or 3 months old and has already been using your chair legs as a favourite chew toy?
Which is safer to do? Wait until it is 4 months and let it carry on with your furniture in the meantime or buy something that says 4 months old and risk it? Personally, I would go for the proper dog chew every time, at least it won’t get splinters in its mouth! But which one…?
What I would recommend is something that is not going to splinter or it can get chunks off, what I would normally suggest are nylabones or cow/bull horns.
My own dogs have never really been keen on the nylabones (I know some dogs love them) but the bull horn has been a hit with them and although quite expensive lasts for months even with 3 dogs taking it in turns to chew it, so value wise are well worth it.
They don’t splinter (instead come off in tiny slivers) and if you get a really big one they can’t be swallowed, but saying that please be careful what you leave your puppy alone with when you go out – better a filled kong (see other blog) until you are there to supervise.
There are many bad reviews on hide chews so please do your research if you should want to use them, but, should you use them please get the biggest you can get, to reduce the risk of it being swallowed and NEVER leave your dog alone with one as they can bite chunks off. Also get the compressed bone shape, rather than the ones with knots at the ends as I have seen a puppy rushed to the vets as the knot came away from main body of the chew.
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