Tip: Give your dog tons of opportunities to chew. Do ensure that:
1. It has as little added to it as possible (no added sugar, salt, etc.). Standard raw hide is good.
2. Choose irradiated (bestraald) raw hide over bleached.
3. Choose a size that is too large for your dog to put completely in his/her mouth – to reduce the risk of choking.
4. Choose a doughnut-shaped one (also in relation to the risk of choking)
5. Throw it away as soon as the dog has consumed so much that there is only one small bit left. Small enough for your dog to put in his/her mouth completely (also in relation to the risk of choking).
6. If your dog isn’t all that interested, smear it with diet yoghurt (WITHOUT sugar and salt and DEFINITELY without sweetener – e.g. xylitol)
7. Give it to the dog in a quiet spot in the house, so that the dog can enjoy it in peace.
8. Do not grab it from the dog. Exchange it for something yummy.
Good to know: You can give your puppy rawhide rolls and chips from the moment he arrives (so from around 8 weeks).
Photo credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Do_not_take_his_bone.jpg, by David Shankbone. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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