I know I’ve done a post like this before, but it bears repeating. Here is a great email from an owner who has questions about what dogs should chew. Remember, this is relative to Rottweilers as they are vigorous chewers…
Bob,
I think we talked about this before but what are your thoughts on rawhide bones? Bear is at the point were the rubber toys are no good, he is chewing them up and I cant think of anything else to replace a chew toy with other than a rawhide bone…..
Answer: Here are my views on toys and rawhides, versus bones. I myself do not recommend leaving a dog’s toys, such as balls and so on, for a dog to chew on as:
1. they then either become bored with toys in general (because now they associate a toy with food) and won’t play with you with the toy. Hold off on giving him any more toys to chew, as he will then not want to play with them.
2. You are running the risk of the dog swallowing a piece of the toy and creating an obstruction in his intestines, requiring expensive surgury.
3. A rawhide is not a good chew item for a dog as it does nothing for cleaning his teeth and can also be swallowed whole and get caught in the intestines,etc. Also, they get
chewed up in a matter of minutes, especially with Rotties = waste of money.
So, with that being said, I suggest you get real beef bones. No chicken bones. No rib bones. Nothing that will shatter while being chewed. You want big, knuckle bones or leg bones, from cows. Or big pork bones, like leg bones. You can pick these up at any good pet store or order them online. I like to get the smoked bones, with some meat left on them that the dog nibbles off and then gets into the actual bone. These will really help the dog to clean his own teeth and the bone meal is totally digestible. You can smoke your own bones, too, if you have a smoker at the house.
I’ve attached a couple pics of what I consider good bone types to use. Just keep him in fresh bones and when the bone gets too small, get rid of it and replace it. You can also go to jefferspet.com to order bones in bulk, as they are cheaper than at the local pet store.
Let me know if this helps.
Bob