Tips for Choosing Dog Chews for Your Dog
Why to Give Chews to Your Dog? Here’s Why
Dogs have a natural desire to chew. By chewing dogs explore their surroundings, exercise their jaw muscles, and take care of their teeth. For dogs chewing serves as a pastime and provides a positive outlet for mental stimulation. By giving your dog Best Friend’s delicious chews, your dog gets a tasty and activating snack.
Did you know that you can give chewing bones approx. 10% of the dog's daily energy needs? Therefore, remember to take the amount of chews and treats you give to your dog during the day into account in the dog's overall diet. From the Best Friend’s chew bones assortment, you can also find many low-fat options, such as delicious Best Friend Nordic Crunchy chews and Best Friend Bones white chew rolls. Generally, the energy a dog gets from chews is relatively small, because the dog also consumes energy while biting and gnawing on the chew bones.
How to Choose the Appropriate Chew for Your Dog?
There are many factors that you need to take into account, when choosing the appropriate chew bone for your dog. For example, the dog’s size, age, and possible health issues are factors that affect the choosing of the most suitable chew for your dog.
The most important factor when choosing the appropriate chew is the dog’s size. Giving a too big chew for a small dog is not a good idea, because the dog may have difficulty chewing it due to the size or hardness of the chew bone. Similarly, you should not give a chew bone that is too small to a large dog, because then the dog may even swallow it completely without chewing. For a dog that tends to eat chews eagerly and might even gobble them, you can try offering, e.g. Nordic Crunchy Chews as an alternative. The crunchy but tough texture in them makes the dog chew the bone in smaller pieces.
You should always keep an eye on the dog while he’s eating chews, so that the dog does not swallow too large pieces of the chewed bone. Pieces of bone that are too large can cause problems with digestion and possibly intestinal blockages. It is also good to monitor the eating of chews from the point of view of the well-being of the dog’s mouth, so that eating of the chews would not cause damage to your dog's teeth or cause mouth sores.
Remember to also keep in mind the dog's age when choosing a suitable chew for your dog. Puppies, adult dogs, and old dogs each have different needs when it comes to chew bones. Puppies need softer chews that are easy to gnaw because their teeth are still developing. Older dogs' teeth may not be as strong as they used to be, so they need bones that are not too
hard. There may also be breed-specific factors that should be taken into account when choosing suitable chews. Small, strong-jawed terriers may e.g. be able to eat harder chews than some larger dog breeds with weaker jaws.
Remember to also take the health aspects into account when choosing a chewing bone for your dog. If your dog has allergies or sensitivities, you need to choose a bone that does not contain anything that could trigger these problems. It is also recommended to avoid giving too hard chews to dogs with dental problems, as they may have difficulty chewing them.
The Benefits of Chew Bones for Dogs
Chewing bones are the best pastime for dogs! Intermittent chewing helps prevent boredom. Dog bones of different shapes and compositions are a very suitable brain teaser for a dog. By regularly offering your dog chews, you can also guide the dog’s natural instinct for chewing to permitted things, instead of your shoes.
Chews can also be helpful in caring for your dog's teeth and preventing gingivitis. When your dog has the right kind of chews daily, the drooling increases in the dog's mouth while eating the chew bones. The increased salivation helps to reduce the plaque that forms on the teeth and prevents diseases in the oral area.
Chewing bones are also beneficial for puppies, especially at the time of teething, when the puppy’s need to chew is strong.
From Puppy to Senior: Choose the Right Chew for Every Age
The dog's age, weight, and activity level affect what kind of chew is best for your dog. You should choose a chewing bone suitable for your dog's age and stage of life.
Puppies:
Puppies are full of energy and curiosity, which is why they love to chew and explore things with their snouts. Puppies need chews that can withstand their intense chewing but are still soft enough to not damage your puppy's teeth.
Best Friend Nordic Crunchy Chews are an excellent choice for puppies, thanks to their tough chew resistance and suitable soft texture. Remember to always supervise your puppy when he is chewing on any chews so that he does not swallow too large pieces of the chewing bone.
Adult dogs:
The jaws and teeth of adult dogs have already developed, so different types of chew bones can be offered. Therefore, you can try various options to find the chews that are best for your dog. Like people, most dogs also like variation, and that's why the Best Friend chew bone selection includes a comprehensive selection of chews with different textures, tastes or shapes.
An adult dog can quickly learn the technique how to gnaw the favorite chew instantly. By regularly giving different types of dog bones to chew on, you offer your dog a brain workout and help him enjoy chewing for longer. The deliciously meaty Best Friend Bones 3in1 chew bones are a very tasty option for adult dogs and they are usually enjoyed for a long time!
Senior dogs:
As dogs age, their teeth become more brittle, and their jaws weaken. This means that they need softer chew bones to chew on so that their teeth are not damaged by bones that are too hard. For old dogs, an excellent choice is, due to its light chewing resistance and size, for example, Best Friend Bones Munchy Stick. The only animal raw material in these chews is ox hide, so they are also suitable for senior dogs suffering from allergies.
Dental care is especially important for old dogs. Dog chews used regularly can help keep toothache away and the mouth healthy. Senior dogs can also be given softer toys, such as soft toys or rope toys, with which they can play and carry out their chewing behavior. Remember always to make sure that the chew bone or the toy you give to your dog is big enough so that the dog cannot swallow it.