The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Hi all,

We finally adopted our new puppy at 8 weeks from a great breeder; thanks to all who suggested reliable breeders to me.

Our Baily is now 13 weeks old and have been researching chewing toys for him. Man, I sure don't know how such little tiny teeth can be so sharp. Anyway trying to find safe things he can chew on has been frustrating. I read about Bully Sticks on the forum and they sound like they might be something that would be good for him to chew on while we supervise him.

My question is does he swallow the bully stick parts he chews off and what prevents him from choking on them? I read where people take away the stick when it reaches a few inches in length to prevent their pups from swallowing a larger piece. My concern is that he could bite off a piece before that and choke on it.

I also read that they can get stringy and if your pup pulls of the "stringy" parts he could choke on that.

Any thoughts from Bully Stick users cause Bailey is bankrupting me going thru his toys. I shudder to think what will happen when he starts teething.

Ahhh, but he is such a joy. Tried numerous times to post his picture but even after reading the instructions it didn't work.
But will keep trying.

Thanks to all in advance.

Marge and Bailey the Most Adorable pupster in all the world

Bully sticks are great! Gromit always had a couple available when she was a puppy and I honestly believe that they saved my shoes, and probably some furniture, too. She still loves them. I don't take them away from her when they get small, and I've never had any problems with them. She does seem to prefer the spiral bullies. I think the spiral shape is easier for her to hold onto, since she doesn't have dew claws.

Mine all love bully sticks and have since they were puppies. I have a phobia about choking so if there is a small piece I do take it away but that's my hang-up. They have never had a problem with them. I like them becasue even if they swallow a hunk it digests as opposed to causing a blockage which rawhide and such things can do.

We have used bullysticks since the girls were 8 weeks old they were recommended by our trainer. As already stated they are 100% digestable, but I take them away when I can no longer hold onto them, about 2 inches I guess. We did use them to stem the nipping and chewing when teething and got into the habit of holding it for the girls made for a great bonding time while watching tv in the evenings. I believe it also helped in that we have never had a problem with me taking anything out of their mouthes as we have done it from day one. Now at night they bring them to us to hold onto as we all watch tv as a family. I do pay the extra to get odorless ones as I can't stand the smell of the ones bought at Petco or Petsmart. Another really good chew is the Himalayan dog chew, it is made from Yak and Cow milk with lime as a preserative. It's a really hard cheese that they do more of a scraping motion than a chewing motion, getting rices size pieces most of the time, again it is fully digestable so does not cause blockages like rawhide does. We also used cow ears and lamb ears when the girls were small, working our way up to all kinds of different chews. There are always at least 2 to 3 different chews laying around, but I have not lost any shoes, furniture,or any other household items to them as they know what is theirs to chew and what is not.

I had the same fears as you with the bully sticks and wound up going to the store to get one and wound up buying a fire hose toy for my puppy when he was teething. It was made from recycled firehose and had a loop at one end and velro at the other. I emptied a water bottle, stuck it in the hose, velcro'd it closed and and gave it to puppy. Over a couple of weeks, he shredded it as he teethed. I used that and Kongs with peanut butter and tennis balls.

Becky made a great point. I also used to sit on the floor and hold one end of the bully stick while Gromit chewed on the other end. I'd also be scratching her ears and face, feeling her toes, and just getting her really used to me handling her (while she was perfectly distracted by the bully stick). Today, she has no food aggression at all, or any problem with me or anyone else taking food from her while she's eating.

We have used bully sticks for our puppy since we brought her home at 8 weeks old. No problems so far and she loves them. We get both the straight and the curly ones. We get ours from bestbullysticks as they are the cheapest.

Thanks to everyone for your responses and ideas.

I now feel confident to give Bailey the bully sticks. I do plan to hold him while he chews it. That is his preferred method of playing with his chewing toys - sitting on my lap while I hold one end of the chew toy. That way I have been able to massage him, brush him, touch his paws, rub his ears, etc. He is getting use to me woman-handling him which I hope will make him more accepting when he is being examined at the vets or groomed.

Altho bath time he is like a rabid cat in the sanitary tub. I end up wetter than he does . The funny thing is he loves the water anywhere else but the bath.

Back to the bully sticks, I will check out Best Bully Sticks, Himalayan dog chews, and the firehose idea. Any suggestions for chewing objects which will prevent him from chomping on shoes, etc. are always appreciated. Thanks

Marge

I don't know of anything specifically that will "prevent" chewing on shoes except diligence on the owners part. Some people have had luck with bitter apple spray but I've not used it. I like Kongs (or other rubber chew toys/puzzle feeders) and will fill and freeze them to last a little longer.
I would say that if you catch him chewing on something undesirable to redirect to an appropriate chew toy instead of trying to punish. It's much easier to train for chewing where you want than to deter what you don't want (and much happier for everyone involved). I would also praise out the wazoo when he chooses to chew on the appropriate toys so he knows that it's a good thing to do.
He is adorable, just watch out for those little knives they call puppy teeth!

Thanks Ashley for your response. I do give Bailey Kongs to chew on but hadn't thought to freeze them. Def. will do that now. Btw, your blog with Max waiting for his pupcake put a smile on my face. What a well trained pupster!

Marge