It’s January. You’ve had that Christmas puppy for a couple of weeks now. It’s chewing just a little, but you know that cute bundle of fluff will be gnawing every sock/shoe/piece of furniture in sight before long if you don’t take proactive measure soon. That’s why I’ve put together the Top 5 Treats for Puppies! Stay tuned, at the end, for tips to teach your puppy not to chew on everything in the house.
- What we’re going for is longevity. Our goal is to wear out the puppy while keeping its teeth and gums healthy and clean. We also want to teach the puppy that there are acceptable and non-acceptable things to chew. With that in mind, we begin with the Top Crest Bone, a bone suitable for dogs of all sizes. This means that your puppy, regardless of breed, should be fine with this treat. This is a bone, the top of the Crown Knuckle, so keep an eye on your pup while it’s chewing. That’s sharp advice for dog owners of all stripes.
- The Braided Stick is a three strand braid of Steer Sticks. This single ingredient treat is all natural and grown and made in the USA. More importantly, the Braided Stick is long-lasting, a tough chew for little needle puppy teeth. This will keep that bundle of fur busy for awhile.
- Bandit’s Bone is a stuffed center bone, again all natural and grown and made in the USA. This bone is designed for a small to medium dog, so most puppies should be able to enjoy this treat. What I love, love, love about the Bandit Bone is the beef filling that takes TIME for the dog to get out of the center. THEN your puppy will stay busy gnawing on the bone itself. Genius.
- The Bully Bone is another treat designed for small to medium dogs, all natural and all made in the USA. This bone will keep your puppy busy for a long time. Get this – it’s a section of cow femur with a steer pizzle tied through the middle. Heaven for a puppy.
- And for those of you with large puppies – Great Danes, Saint Bernards, etc. – we’re going to go for the big treat – the Slammer Bone! This bone is a cow femur with a knuckle attached, slow baked to perfection to make your dog drool and howl. Go for it, pup!
If this is your first puppy, let me say congratulations! Let me also say that treats are to be given as a dessert or reward for good behavior. Always watch your puppy when it has a treat, especially with a puppy. You’re getting to know your dog’s gnawing and chewing habits. Be aware that all bones have the ability to splinter, whether raw or baked, so take away pieces that are small enough to fit entirely in the dog’s mouth if this happens.
Training? Replace your valuables with treats when your dog wants to chew. Never encourage your dog to chew something you don’t want destroyed. It’s so cute to play tug with your puppy and a sock now, but it will keep chewing those socks – and shoes, and everything else of yours – if you start that kind of behavior young. Just don’t do it.
Jones carries a wide variety of treats for all size dogs. They’re all 100% natural and all 100% grown and made in the USA. There are some amazing treats for puppies that aren’t listed, but snap into small pieces for training puppies, like Big Paw Jerky and Beef Liver Taffy. Any of Jones’ taffies and jerkies make great training treats. But as replacement chews to keep a puppy busy and wear them out, you can’t beat the list above.
Happy dog ownership! Let me know how the treats work out for you. A lot of pet stores and feed stores carry Jones Natural Chews, but if you can’t find them close to home, you can find all of the treats for puppies and dogs at Natural Dog Treat Shop online. And remember, all things in moderation!
Until I write again …
Flea
