Not all chews and treats are suitable for puppies. Just because they are chewing everything in sight, biting ankles and you want something to keep them entertained for longer, doesn’t mean you should give them the hardest chew available.
Here is my quick guide to my top Natural Chews for puppies, but what should you consider when buying your puppy a chew?
What size/breed is your puppy?
This may sound obvious but a puppy chihuahua is not going to be able to chew the same as a Bernese mountain dog.
Consider the shape and size of your puppy’s mouth, is your puppy has a small mouth or is a gulper then longer thinner chews may be more suitable.
My top 3 chews for small puppies
For the smaller breed puppies, I would recommend trying chicken necks, these are small chews, about the size of a finger, but they are high in calcium and phosphorus, great for growing puppies.
Or what about rabbit ears? Available with or without fur, these are again a nice small, easy chew. 100% rabbit and a favourite with most dogs I’ve met.
And thirdly I would recommend trying your puppy with a pizzle, the pizzles are also be known as bully sticks, and are 100% beef (also sometimes available in other proteins but are generally beef). They are a slightly strange chew, as they are a bull’s penis dried! But waste not, want not, these are great dog chews and otherwise would be wasting in the meat processing industry.
My top 3 chews for Medium puppies
My first recommendation is duck necks, these are larger than a chicken neck, but also high in calcium and phosphorus, chemical and preservative-free.
Secondly what about a cow ear? These are bone-free, and a nice size for a good chew, and not crumbly or smelly so a good indoor chew.
Or grab a Braided Goat skin, these are a more novel protein source, but a fab chew, and the braided pattern makes them a little more interesting and difficult to chew.
My Top 3 chews for Large Puppies
Venison legs are a great chew for larger puppies, they have a chewable out that leaves behind a harder middle bone. These were my youngest dog, Rebel’s favourite was she was 5-6 months old, and are still in her top 5 chews.
We also have Buffalo ears, these contain no bone good but are a harder chew,
Another favourite is an Ostrich wing, great for teething puppies. They can gnaw and soothe those itchy teeth
Still confused? Try a puppy selection box
Did you know we have puppy selection boxes? We can tailor it to your size and age of puppy, so you can buy and try easily while getting to know your puppy’s likes and dislikes.
What not to give to a puppy to chew
Although puppies can be hard nippers/biters and are often referred to as Baby sharks, they do have very delicate teeth, and giving items that are too hard can damage the tooth root beds, which can lead to tooth problems later in life.
So following this, I would not give them antlers, hooves, horns, and such.
I also would not encourage any dog including puppies to chew sticks or stones, they are a lot of horrible stories of stick injuries, impaling, splinting, and causing injuries.
And if your dog swallowed a stone, it is indigestible, and can cause serious stomach and/or digestive issues.
We do have a safe range of wood chews available including the coffee wood, olive, and root chews. These are a much better choice.
Supervision of chewing
Please supervise all chewing and remove it if it becomes a choking hazard.
Some dogs will gulp a chew and this can be a choke hazard, I would recommend giving your puppy a safe place to enjoy their chew, where they will not be distrurbed
Are you worried about Overfeeding?
As much as growing puppies need a lot of food and calories to support their growth spurt, we always recommend including treats and chews as part of the dogs daily allowance.
I hope this helped in your mission to find the best puppy chew! Please let me know in the comments below what chew your puppy likes or did like the best, and share any other puppy tips with us.
