I’m an enormous fan of pure chews for Dachshunds, and I give one to my canines each day.
Pure chews are:
- Effectively, pure, and don’t include any filler elements
- Totally digestible (so long as they’re processed naturally)
- Excessive in protein and/or minerals and nutritional vitamins
- Manufactured from animal components of some type
- Restricted ingredient, so they’re good for canines with allergic reactions
I get plenty of questions from followers about them, so I’m offering an inventory of my high 7 favorites and the place to get them.
However, first, why do my canines get a pure chew as soon as a day and the way do I feed it to them (it’s not so simple as it’s possible you’ll assume)?
Causes to Give Your Dachshund a Pure Chew
There are a number of causes that I ensure that my Dachshunds get a pure chew each day.
I give my canines pure chews:
- To occupy them of their crates and to assist make optimistic associations with the crate.
- To maintain them busy whereas providing psychological stimulation.
- To assist distract them once I go away the home in order that they’re much less anxious about me strolling out the door or when friends arrive.
- To naturally promote leisure and scale back stress
- As a software to redirect my pet and scale back biting and chewing on no-no gadgets.
It’s essential to notice that, relying on the dimensions and texture of the chew, I usually don’t give them the chew unsupervised, and I don’t allow them to eat the entire thing directly.
At all times supervise your Dachshund with a chew, particularly if it’s one they haven’t eaten earlier than.
How I Feed My Dachshund’s Pure Chews
Normally, pure chews are more durable than your typical “commercially created” chews for canines.
However Dachshunds have very robust jaws!
Whereas there are some Doxies which are dainty about consuming them, a decided Dachshund can eat by way of a 6-inch bully stick in Quarter-hour or much less.
And a few can break off giant chunks and can attempt to swallow them.
Additionally, a part of the rationale that I like pure chews is that they’re robust and final, however that additionally signifies that chewing on them too vigorously for too lengthy may cause my canine’s gums to bleed slightly.
A bit little bit of bleeding is nothing to fret about to me, however I need to finish the chew session when it begins.
That’s to not point out the energy.
Remember to account for the energy within the chews that your canine eats of their each day allowance.
I intently monitor what number of energy my Dachshunds eat a day, so I hardly ever need them consuming the entire thing in a single sitting. Particularly as a result of I could need to give them a chew a number of occasions a day.
Listed here are some essential notes about how and once I feed pure chews to my canines:
- Usually, I solely let my canines have a chew for 10-Quarter-hour at a time, and by no means wholly unsupervised, a minimum of not with a brand new chew I haven’t monitored previously.
- Relying on the chew, and my wants on the time, I could give them this chew of their crate, on their mat (some name it place), or outdoors within the yard.
- If the chew shouldn’t be completed, which it usually shouldn’t be, I take it away from them when the time is up.
- If it’s a low-value chew, my canines will give it again to me once I give them the “that’s sufficient” command.
- If it’s a really high-value chew, I “commerce” them for one thing scrumptious like a little bit of their uncooked meals or cheese.
- I solely give them a chew 1-2 occasions a day for 10-Quarter-hour at a time.
- If a big quantity of chew is consumed in a day, I scale back the quantity of meals that I feed at mealtime to compensate for the additional energy.
- As a result of these chews are manufactured from or include meat, I retailer munched on chews within the freezer till subsequent time.
I don’t give my canines the identical kind of chew every time for number of style, so that they all the time stay up for them as a result of by no means know what they could get, and to range the chew degree (hardness).
My Favourite Pure Chews for Dachshunds
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Whereas I wish to introduce some new chews into the rotation often, these are those that I return to time and again.
Please be aware that every one of those are sourced and made within the US, or nations with very excessive meals requirements like South America (some nations even have greater requirements than the US).
1) Bully Sticks
Bully sticks are my favourite go-no pure chew as a result of they’re reasonably sturdy and straightforward to get.
In case you don’t know already, and so you aren’t shocked later, whether or not it’s known as a bully stick or bull pizzle, it’s an air-dried dried bull penis.
Some can scent actually unhealthy, and I usually give this chew indoors, so I all the time get the “low”, or no, odor variations (typically additionally known as odorless).
Additionally, I throw the ends away as soon as they get sufficiently small for my canines to try to swallow them. To chop down on waste, I get the thick, 12-inch bully sticks.
When given for 10-Quarter-hour at a time, one 12-inch bully stick will final for a minimum of 4 or 5 classes, so that they make an excellent, secure rawhide different.
My solely “warning” with these is that they’ll get stringy and caught within the tooth. I’ve needed to pull items out of my canine’s tooth on a number of events.
I buy my bully sticks from my native pet retailer or on-line from manufacturers like BarkWorthies or Pawstruck.
Regardless that they solely are available a 6″ size, I additionally typically purchase the BarkWorthies Hickory Smoked Bully Sticks as a result of the canines love them.
2) Fur-On Cow Ears
These are ah-mazing for cleansing my Dachshund’s tooth however whoa do they scent horrid. I imply, they are air dried lifeless animal components.
However they’re robust and the coarse hair takes the plaque off their tooth simply.
If plaque has gathered on the gumline, 2 or 3 chew classes with a furry cow ear will take it virtually fully off.
Hair can also be a pure “gut sweeper” and dewormer.
Cow ears are usually very giant and skinny, though they’re thick and meaty on the base, so I feed one ear in 2-3 chew classes.
I feed these solely outdoor because of the stench so, sadly, I don’t feed them as usually as I would love in winter.
The one disadvantage to me is that Summit finds these to be very excessive worth so it may be tough to get again from her.
I’ve to make use of a brilliant excessive worth meals merchandise to commerce, and I’ve to toss it effectively away from the ear, so I’ve time to grab it from her earlier than she turns round to protect it once more.
I purchase my cow ears from Bare Beast Snacks. I often purchase smaller calf ears from Etsy.
3) Beef Tendons
My Dachshunds actually like beef tendon, but it surely’s softer than the 2 chews above so extra of it’s consumed throughout one chew session.
For that motive, I deal with these extra as “pet food” that takes longer to eat and has another advantages.
I take advantage of tendons most frequently with my 10-week-old pet since his tooth aren’t as robust.
I usually purchase them from the native boutique pet retailer, however typically I purchase them on-line.
I purchase smaller tendons for my Dachshund pet and these bigger beef tendons for the grownup canines.
The small tendons usually final 4-6 pet chew classes and the bigger ones final my grownup canines 2-3 classes.
As a result of these are softer and extra brittle than most chews that we use, I enable my Dachshunds to chew up and swallow the tip items (not like with the bully sticks).
These don’t scent and are usually not messy, so I feed these indoors.
4) Duck (or Rooster) Wings
Opposite to standard perception, canines can eat and digest bone (though, solely feed bone to your canine in case you are snug with it) if the bone is uncooked.
IMPORTANT: NEVER FEED COOKED BONES TO YOUR DOG
Dried duck or hen wings could make an excellent chew as a result of they include softer, hole bone with some cartilage, meat, and connective tissue.
The bone and cartilage are more durable and are what make this a “chew”, though it’s extra on the brittle spectrum and is usually consumed quicker than the opposite chews on this record.
I let the canines eat a single wing in a single session. They’re slightly greater than I would love them to eat abruptly however too small for me to divide into two classes.
Just like the tendons above, they don’t actually scent, and I take advantage of them as extra of a “chew meals” to eat indoors.
I usually feed air dried variations of poultry wings that are available my Actual Canine Field subscription or that I order from Bare Beast Snacks.
I could attempt uncooked hen wings from the grocery retailer someday although.
Be aware: different uncooked meaty bones embrace hen toes, heads, and necks. I’ve fed uncooked toes earlier than, and air-dried hen and duck heads, and dried necks, however Gretel tries to swallow uncooked necks complete with out chewing, so I don’t feed the canines these.
5) Beef Collagen Sticks
Collagen sticks are comparable in kind and performance to bully sticks, however they’re slightly cheaper and don’t have the identical “icky physique half” issue (they’re created from the pores and skin vs a penis).
My canines don’t like them as a lot because the bully sticks, however they don’t flip their nostril up at them both.
They’re about as robust and lengthy lasting as bully sticks, and are usually not stringy, so items are much less prone to get caught in my canine’s tooth.
For my part, they don’t scent so I feed them indoors.
I order collagen sticks from Pawstruck.
6) Trachea Chews
The commonest trachea (windpipe) chews are created from cows, however you could find them sourced from goat, lamb, or different animals too.
Trachea is sort of fully manufactured from cartilage which, apart from the final advantages of a pure chew listed above, present naturally occurring chondroitin and glucosamine, that are nice in your canine’s joints!
Though these chews are on the softer aspect, the bizarre form makes them difficult for a canine to eat shortly.
They are often bought as rings that may be eaten in a single session or longer lengths that may be consumed over a number of.
I feed trachea chews after they arrive in our Actual Canine Field subscription field, purchase the Barkworthies Hickory Smoked Beef Trachea, or buy Nature Gnaws USA Smoked Bison Trachea Rings on-line.
7) Earth Animal No-Cover Chews
These are the one chews on this record that aren’t single ingredient. Nonetheless, the record is brief.
I might by no means, ever give my canine rawhide as a result of it’s not digestible and is handled with chemical substances to show it white, however these chews are comparable in look and texture whereas being wholesome.
No-hide chews are manufactured from the protein, or “taste” (hen, beef, salmon, peanut butter, and many others), plus brown rice flour, agar-agar, natural eggs, olive oil, banana powder, and pineapple stem.
There’s little or no odor, and you’ll select small sticks to be eaten in a single session or a bigger roll which will be consumed over a number of.
Closing Ideas
I feel pure chews are an essential a part of a Dachshund’s weight loss plan.
They’ll add selection and curiosity to what your canine eats in a day and assist with essential issues like cleansing tooth, offering psychological enrichment, and decreasing stress.
You’ll discover that I didn’t embrace antlers or yak cheese chews on my record, that are generally really helpful pure chews for canines.
That’s as a result of they’re very onerous.
I’ve heard of antlers splintering and getting caught in a canine’s gums and each chews cracking tooth.
Whereas some chews on this record are tougher than others, and it’s doable for a canine to break their tooth chewing on something, I’m snug that the chews listed are unlikely to interrupt tooth.
At all times supervise your canine after they’re consuming a chew, a minimum of just a few occasions till you’re snug with how, and how briskly, they eat it to assist guarantee their security.
Additionally, in case you are new to feeding your canine pure chews like duck wings and cow ears, beware that they’re wealthy and might take some adjustment.
Begin out by feeding slightly at a time and monitor your canine after to ensure it doesn’t upset their tummy.
