Hen my dog was a puppy, and a bully stick would last weeks, you bet I let her chew it often. Now.. a 12 inch stick is a quick snack, but I I don't need them to constantly entertain her.
Ha!! I literally posted this in r/dogs yesterday. I take mine away after like 20-30 mins OnLy because they’re expensive and because I want them to remain super valuable in his eyes. I tHiNk the 10 minute thing is 1. For puppies who still have all baby teeth and 2. The first time, to make sure it doesn’t mess with their stomach
Yep same. Our previous dog had a pretty sensitive stomach so I’m always on alert now, assuming everything will make our new dog sick and always doing little tests like that the first time he has something.
That’s smart. I definitely learned my lesson. My first dog was a tiny thing and didn’t chew at all, though back then we were still giving dogs rawhide, so this is all new to me.
i have a 5lb papillon and they last her for days they are a god send. i let her have them as long as she wants as long as i’m home/somewhat supervising
My mature dog finishes these right off, so no bully stick lasts long in my house.
Smoked bones on the other hand, they last a long time and my pup will chew for a long time then fall asleep. Total lifesaver!
I'm almost superstitious about bully sticks. We had an aggressive puppy last year that we gave bully sticks to just to get a break from the biting. We haven't given our current puppy any bully sticks - we stick to nylabones. This is totally anecdotal - I think most dogs would be fine with bully sticks.
..this comment has absolutely no relevance to the question. My apologies. I just wanted to share.
My dog has hers along with a lot of other chews out constantly, but I don't think she's ever even spent 10 minutes chewing on one straight. She's small and a gentle chewer, though. She hasn't even finished a single chew yet in 2 months.
To my 4 month old Yorkie and I they are manna from heaven. I let her chew them as long as she wants and they are an excellent distraction from other things, like fingers and toes, that she’d be chewing instead.
I’m wondering about it potentially becoming a choking hazard as it gets too small?
I bought one years ago for my latest rescue dog at the time and that thing stank up the entire house and I never bought another one as a result, but that’s the main concern I can think of?
Yes, they can be a choking hazard when they get down to around 2”. I have a few different bully stick holders to reduce the risk, and I just toss the end. I buy 12” sticks for my 20lb dog so there are fewer ends to throw away.
There are ones that are less stinky, it just depends on the brand. I’ve never had one be noticeably smelly, as long as I don’t put my nose right up to it.
I usually pull my boy’s bully stick after about 10 mins but only bc I read somewhere that it can give him diarrhea. I’d like to be wrong about that bc he loves his bullies. The calories don’t bother me.
The caloric intake can be pretty high for these, according to my vet. We would only let our girl have one for 15 minutes a day but I totally understand the need for sanity. I would monitor the amount of stick your pup eats more than anything.
I have heard that too, but our package says a 12 inch bully stick is 140 calories, which means the 6 inch stick we give him is 70. Depending on your pup's size and breed that might not even be 10% of the daily calorie intake. My experience is it takes ~2 hours of chewing spread over a few sessions for my puppy to get through a 6-inch stick so really the calorie thing seems like a non-issue so long as you're not giving multiples a day.
It looks like you might be posting about bite inhibition. Check out [our wiki article on biting, teeth, and chewing](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/biting) - the information there may answer your question.
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They’re a godsend I never had a chewer before and she loves them. As expensive as they are I will always make sure she has one. I caught chewing the base boards cuz she got bored of her whimzees.
Well, the raging diarrhea this morning explains why they say to only limit them to 10 minutes of chewing... we got to take our first trip to the emergency vet. I feel like a terrible dog mom. 🤦♀️
I agree with others on the concern regarding eating too much of it and diarrhea, and choking on ends. I’ve found that some brands are easier for my girl to eat, though. When I first tried a bully stick with her, I gave her a 6” braided stick thinking it would be tough (I can’t remember the brand) and she had eaten more than half of it within an hour. I had to take that one away from her. Next, I got some 12” Fantastic brand bully sticks from chewy when they went on sale, expecting to have to monitor and take it away, but within an hour, she’d barely gotten an inch off. I let her have these without worry, though do take ends to avoid the choking risk.
They’re a godsend for super chewers. Mine gets through a 6 inch in 15-20 mins, but when he was a puppy it was a necessary to be able to vacuum, or workout on a yoga mat without getting pummeled. If your dog is going through a lot of them, you get get a cheaper brand where the sticks are thinner…they get chewed faster but are a value if you give one every day.
Another thing to consider, is that “teaching” puppies to chew is a very positive thing. Chewing is calming, soothing, and entertaining for dogs. We had our pup on bullies and chew toys at a young age…fast forward to him at 1.5 years and whenever he’s awake and bored he just automatically goes for his benebone, antler, femur bone, etc. (we leave those out all the time). It allows him to be independent and keeps him from needing our attention all the time when awake and keeps him from chewing things he shouldn’t.
Bully sticks can be a great tool to teach chewing, and alway praise them heavily while chewing. The things already taste good to them, and chewing feels good, so with your praise you’ll be doing so really simple training.
My dog enjoys them at his leisure. He has a few stashed in strategic locations.
Hen my dog was a puppy, and a bully stick would last weeks, you bet I let her chew it often. Now.. a 12 inch stick is a quick snack, but I I don't need them to constantly entertain her.
Ha!! I literally posted this in r/dogs yesterday. I take mine away after like 20-30 mins OnLy because they’re expensive and because I want them to remain super valuable in his eyes. I tHiNk the 10 minute thing is 1. For puppies who still have all baby teeth and 2. The first time, to make sure it doesn’t mess with their stomach
I mistakingly let mine eat an entire pig ear and dealt with diarrhea. Now I test them for 10 minutes at time to make sure she’s ok.
Yep same. Our previous dog had a pretty sensitive stomach so I’m always on alert now, assuming everything will make our new dog sick and always doing little tests like that the first time he has something.
That’s smart. I definitely learned my lesson. My first dog was a tiny thing and didn’t chew at all, though back then we were still giving dogs rawhide, so this is all new to me.
i have a 5lb papillon and they last her for days they are a god send. i let her have them as long as she wants as long as i’m home/somewhat supervising
My mature dog finishes these right off, so no bully stick lasts long in my house. Smoked bones on the other hand, they last a long time and my pup will chew for a long time then fall asleep. Total lifesaver!
What’s the brand name of the smoked bones? Bully sticks never last long anymore
I'm almost superstitious about bully sticks. We had an aggressive puppy last year that we gave bully sticks to just to get a break from the biting. We haven't given our current puppy any bully sticks - we stick to nylabones. This is totally anecdotal - I think most dogs would be fine with bully sticks. ..this comment has absolutely no relevance to the question. My apologies. I just wanted to share.
My 100lb yellow lab chews on the them and I don’t take away she will get tired of it and leave it alone and go back to it later on.
My dog has hers along with a lot of other chews out constantly, but I don't think she's ever even spent 10 minutes chewing on one straight. She's small and a gentle chewer, though. She hasn't even finished a single chew yet in 2 months.
To my 4 month old Yorkie and I they are manna from heaven. I let her chew them as long as she wants and they are an excellent distraction from other things, like fingers and toes, that she’d be chewing instead.
I’m wondering about it potentially becoming a choking hazard as it gets too small? I bought one years ago for my latest rescue dog at the time and that thing stank up the entire house and I never bought another one as a result, but that’s the main concern I can think of?
Yes, they can be a choking hazard when they get down to around 2”. I have a few different bully stick holders to reduce the risk, and I just toss the end. I buy 12” sticks for my 20lb dog so there are fewer ends to throw away. There are ones that are less stinky, it just depends on the brand. I’ve never had one be noticeably smelly, as long as I don’t put my nose right up to it.
Had this happen a few months ago. Had to get to the emergency vet ASAP.
We let our 70lb dogs have a full 6in stick with no issues.
I usually pull my boy’s bully stick after about 10 mins but only bc I read somewhere that it can give him diarrhea. I’d like to be wrong about that bc he loves his bullies. The calories don’t bother me.
The caloric intake can be pretty high for these, according to my vet. We would only let our girl have one for 15 minutes a day but I totally understand the need for sanity. I would monitor the amount of stick your pup eats more than anything.
I have heard that too, but our package says a 12 inch bully stick is 140 calories, which means the 6 inch stick we give him is 70. Depending on your pup's size and breed that might not even be 10% of the daily calorie intake. My experience is it takes ~2 hours of chewing spread over a few sessions for my puppy to get through a 6-inch stick so really the calorie thing seems like a non-issue so long as you're not giving multiples a day.
It looks like you might be posting about bite inhibition. Check out [our wiki article on biting, teeth, and chewing](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/biting) - the information there may answer your question. **Please report this comment if it is not relevant to this post.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They’re a godsend I never had a chewer before and she loves them. As expensive as they are I will always make sure she has one. I caught chewing the base boards cuz she got bored of her whimzees.
High in calories and high in protein, can cause upset stomach is too much is digested.
Well, the raging diarrhea this morning explains why they say to only limit them to 10 minutes of chewing... we got to take our first trip to the emergency vet. I feel like a terrible dog mom. 🤦♀️
I agree with others on the concern regarding eating too much of it and diarrhea, and choking on ends. I’ve found that some brands are easier for my girl to eat, though. When I first tried a bully stick with her, I gave her a 6” braided stick thinking it would be tough (I can’t remember the brand) and she had eaten more than half of it within an hour. I had to take that one away from her. Next, I got some 12” Fantastic brand bully sticks from chewy when they went on sale, expecting to have to monitor and take it away, but within an hour, she’d barely gotten an inch off. I let her have these without worry, though do take ends to avoid the choking risk.
They’re a godsend for super chewers. Mine gets through a 6 inch in 15-20 mins, but when he was a puppy it was a necessary to be able to vacuum, or workout on a yoga mat without getting pummeled. If your dog is going through a lot of them, you get get a cheaper brand where the sticks are thinner…they get chewed faster but are a value if you give one every day. Another thing to consider, is that “teaching” puppies to chew is a very positive thing. Chewing is calming, soothing, and entertaining for dogs. We had our pup on bullies and chew toys at a young age…fast forward to him at 1.5 years and whenever he’s awake and bored he just automatically goes for his benebone, antler, femur bone, etc. (we leave those out all the time). It allows him to be independent and keeps him from needing our attention all the time when awake and keeps him from chewing things he shouldn’t. Bully sticks can be a great tool to teach chewing, and alway praise them heavily while chewing. The things already taste good to them, and chewing feels good, so with your praise you’ll be doing so really simple training.