Would you’d rather have your puppy chew on a toy instead of your favorite pair of
shoes or maybe the furniture?
Today I’m going to tell you my favorite toy to keep your pup busy and which one never
to give your puppy!
HI, Michele here, certified trainer and owner of the online puppy training platform,
How to Train A Dream Dog.
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Ok…
Lets start with the bad news…
You may have to take something away from your pup, they may not be happy about it but in
the long run, you will be happy and your pup will be safe…
Let me explain...
Rawhides are one of the worst things you can give your dog to chew on for a number of reasons.
If you’ve been giving your pup one of these, toss it away immediately
#1 they are processed with harsh chemicals to get them to that nice bright white color,
#2 they do NOT process well inside your dog’s tummy or intestines, this may actually lead
to a blockage that has to be surgically removed, rawhide can expand inside your dog’s stomach
and make it difficult for your dog to pass,
#3 rawhides make dogs very thirsty causing them to drink excessive amounts of water (this
can make those of you trying to potty train your dog that much more difficult if they
are taking in tons of water, lastly #4 they are a huge choking hazard for dogs!
Many dogs choke from rawhides each year, they chew off a chunk and try to swallow it, only
to have it get lodged in their throat.
Close to 15 years ago I had a dog staying with us.
Her owners sent the dog with a couple toys and a rawhide for her to chew on..instead
of my dining room table.
One morning, I could tell she was getting antsy to chew on her rawhide so before I hopped
into the shower I gave her the rawhide to keep her busy until I returned.
When I got back the rawhide was gone, the entire large chunk of it, and the dog was
making the peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth tongue motions.
I opened her mouth and didn’t see anything.
I figured she had swallowed the whole rawhide, after about 5 minutes or so she wouldn’t
stop the licking,
so I went back again and opened her mouth and checked with a flashlight, the rawhide
had taken on the form of the roof of her mouth, ridges and all.
I had to literally scrape and pull the rawhide off the roof of her mouth.
She could have choked on this horrible thing.
Dog’s can’t distinguish between what’s a safe or even a good object to chew on, sometimes
the temptation to chew becomes so strong they don’t care that what they are chewing on
isn’t good for them.
It’s like us when we start chewing or biting our nails, sometimes the urge is there and
we don’t even know we are doing it,
it helps settle an urge, can make us feel like we can cope with nervous situations but
can be really unhealthy for us.
Since you want your dog to be as healthy for as long as possible avoid the no good dirty
rotten rawhides that can make your dog’s sick,
cause your dog to choke or worse yet get lodged in their throat or digestive system.
Over the last 20 years of training dogs, I have never come across a vet that would ever
recommend such a horrible chew toy.
Now for the good news!!
There’s a much better busy toy to give your dog,
give your dog a Kong filled with tasty treats or food… this is one of my favorite busy
toys to give my dogs
You can fill a Kong and freeze it to make it last longer, it’s especially good for
teething puppies who have sore gums and need something soothing to help ease the pain.
Kong fillers can include: A slurry of kibble.
Soak kibble in water wait for it to become mushy.
Stuff it in the Kong and freeze it
A mixture of kibble and low sodium bone broth also frozen would be another tasty treat
You can fill the Kong with plain yogurt, no sugar added, and some pure pumpkin also no
sugar added to make another yummy snack
Other things you can add to a Kong…
Blueberries, carrots, frozen peas, slices of apples, cucumber… these all freeze well
in a Kong.
Make sure to run your Kong thu the top rack of the dishwasher to get all the gunk out
and sanitize your busy toy.
It’s best to have more than 1 Kong in rotation… one for pup to stay busy and the other in
the freezer on standby
Choose a Kong that’s slightly bigger than the recommended sizing on the packaging.
I always find these to run small for most dogs.
Let's avoid choking hazards!
You’ll find a link to my favorite Kongs below!
If you want more tips on how to train your puppy to stop unwanted behaviors or follow
commands the first time you ask, check out howtotrainadreamdog.com
If you liked this video go ahead and leave a comment, like it, share it and tell other
puppy owners about it.
See you in the next video!