A dog’s natural urge to chew. Early on, they’re chewing whatever they can get their puppy teeth on, like teething babies with fur. Instinct sends them into a frenzy for something they can nibble and crunch and wreck. Welcome to the exotic world of Premium Feeders: a chewtastic heaven for dogs.
For example, say you enter a pet store. The shelves are full of choices. Huge, tiny, rawhide, synthetic, natural. How in the world do you choose the right one? I’ve had dog-parent companions stare in bewilderment at the shelves, debating if their pooch would prefer a shin bone to a femur. Here’s the thing: Every dog is different, and so are their bone-related shenanigans.
So let’s chew some options, shall we? Raw bones are a common favorite. They are nutritious and meet the basic impulse of a dog to chew. But make sure they’re not done cooking. Cooked bones can splinter — like a piñata mid-explosion, but bad. A sad story from a friend: her lovable Golden Retriever pulled a cooked chicken bone out of the trash. Trust me: it was a tense trip to the vet.
Synthetic bones, too, are emerging as the safer alternative. They are designed to imitate authentic bones, but made with engineering for durability and thus can withstand dogs with a more savage bite. But a caveat: even if they seem safe, always monitor their condition. Bits may break off, with potential for a choking incident.
Ever heard of dental bones? They’re like a treat plus a kiss from a fancy dessert for humans—cleaning teeth, they remove tartar and fight that nah, nah, nah, horrific doggy breath. Minty’s uncanny dog breath alone was enough to curl her whiskers so my tabby cat would approve.
Somehow, this goes to tough calls in this talk. Some dogs explore the guitar — just like the treasures in Mary Poppins’ bag, for every pooch there is something. Observe your dog’s behavior, try a few combinations. Unravel what they prefer. It’s a cocktail of patience, intuition and a pinch of trial and error. After all, nothing beats an afternoon spent gnawing on a bone in rapt concentration, and the praise at the end of a successful bone session is the best kind of applause.