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Puppy Chew Toys

Food based chews are far more attractive to the majority puppies compared with plastic or rubber ones. Puppies who don't have their adult teeth (and very greedy puppies) will need to be given chews that are tough enough to withstand all that chewing without breaking into chunks. If a puppy can pull a chunk of food off, but can't chew it up quickly, he will just swallow it whole - leading to an expensive trip to see the vet.

Puppies with adult teeth can still pull chunks off but are more likle to be able to chew the chunks into a reasonable size before swallowing - beware though - some dogs will gulp down any size of chew no matter how good their teeth are, these dogs need to be watched for the rest of their lives.

Chews which tend not to be pulled to pieces include:

Raw hide - This needs to be bigger than the dogs mouth because as soon as the puppy can have the whole chew in his mouth he will be tempted to swallow it. Be sensible - the bigger the chew the better, so long as it's not so big the puppy can't chew it at all.  As soon as he has chewed it down to being slightly larger than mouth sized, replace it. Muscle Chews - These are toughened animal muscle and most dogs love them as they smell revolting and go very gooey on the outside while remaining tough on the inside. These are easier to chew than rawhide and so wont keep puppy entertained for as long, but they are also more digestible and so wont do him so much harm if he swallows a bit.

Non Food Chews

Some puppies do like inedible chews and will happily sit and knash on one for hours. It's a good idea with a puppy to have a couple of these tougher chews around ready for when he starts to teeth as this is the time when he will want something hard to work his gums on. Flavoured chews are more appealing than plain.

New Chews

When getting a new chew for a puppy, always sit and watch him chew it for at least an hour. The chew may feel rock hard to your hands but his jaws are much more powerful and he may make short work of it, biting huge pieces off and swallowing them whole. If this happens quickly lure him away from his new chew with something else that he really loves, such as his very favourite special treats. Keep him entertained with these while you dispose of the new unsuitable chew. Never just take the chew without a better exchange other wise he will learn to bolt the chew even more when you approach in fear you are going to steal it.

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