[Poodleroni]

Are bully sticks the key to surviving puppyhood with our sanity still intact?

Charlie just hit 16 weeks. Things are going pretty well with potty training. We are just having problems with him wanting to jump up and hang from our standard Shadow's ears. My husband just assumed that Charlie was too young and too small (he's a mini) for bully sticks at this point. We gave him one for the first time last night and our usual chaotic nightly routine was actually peaceful...I think I even heard a chorus of angels!!!

We then decided that maybe we'd let him have a bully stick once every three days. Since he was in his crate for quite a while today while we are at church (I stay at home, so he doesn't usually have extended crate time) he has been a little demon poodle tonight! We gave in and gave him another bully stick tonight so that we could actually watch "The Next Food Network Star" in peace. Again, another awesome night!!!!

So the question is, are bully sticks safe for a 16 wk old miniature poodle's little tummy every night?

 

[BFF]

Awwww....poor Charlie. Put in the slammer again! Hehehehee...LOL.

I couldn't resist. I don't know about the bully sticks, so I couldn't say.

 

[Poodleroni]

lol @ BFF. Yes, Charlie is so mistreated still! You only have 4 more weeks left, right?

 

[BFF]

Yes, 4 more weeks. Then I can start asking about puppy stuff. Charlie looks really handsome. He's growing up.

 

[cuddleparty]

Dunno about bully sticks either... but what about a nylabone?
my vet tech also said beef rawhides are ok for puppy's tummy... but just as a very occasional treat...

 

[AgilityIG]

I use bully sticks a LOT. The other thing you can use is a Kong - I actually use the large dental Kong as it has a large hole at both ends - none of my dogs have ever been good about getting all of the stuff out of a regular Kong. This is what I use:

http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Company-DK1-Dental-Large/dp/B0002AR16Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1248827770&sr=8-1

You can fill it with anything - I use bananas, biscuits, carrots, yogurt (frozen), etc... and really pack it in there if your puppy is a tough chewer. Make him work for his dinner - load up the Kong with that. Anything to keep him busy. Vinnie has NEVER had a free meal here - he has to work for EVERYTHING.

 

[T o d d]

raw hide, bullystick, etc.. are not healthy for dogs.

nylabone, kongs, and other chew toys are much better

We used to give moose some of that stuff... it upset his tummy, gave him gas, and bad diahrrea... that's when I researched it all. icky stuff really. That's also when we switched to giving him ice as a treat! He loves it!

 

[cuddleparty]

Yes! I second the option of ice cubes!

 

[T o d d]

Yes! I second the option of ice cubes!

Good on the wallet too!!

 

[gwtwmum2]

I don't do bullysticks or rawhide but I will do pig ears or sow ears. If you can find the Merrick brand that is a really good brand because it isn't greasy. It is what I give my standard poodle when I need a break.

 

[KT12]

Good on the wallet too!!

Everytime I go to the freezer to get some ice for my drink, no matter where she is in the house, Cali is instantly at my feet sitting.

She LOVES ice cubes. I was worried at first that she would lose interest and leave them places, but she doesn't. She takes them with her and chews them. I think they feel good on her little gums.

 

[T o d d]

Everytime I go to the freezer to get some ice for my drink, no matter where she is in the house, Cali is instantly at my feet sitting.

She LOVES ice cubes. I was worried at first that she would lose interest and leave them places, but she doesn't. She takes them with her and chews them. I think they feel good on her little gums.

Haha that is how Moose is too! Even if he's sleeping, and it doesn't matter if it's our house, my folks, or a friends!

 

[bkitchen0406]

I am not sure I totally understand the problem. To seperate dogs I use newspaper. I don't even have to hit the dog. If you hit a dog with your hand the dog will not understand or obey. Dogs do not like to be touched by an object that is not you. I have not read enough to fully understand this. I have never even hit a dog with news paper. All I have to do is slap it in my hands and that breaks up a fight. Poodles are smart though. When my parents dogs would fight I tought them this way and now if I pick up any article of paper in my hands they will stop. I am not sure what the correct way of handling this problem would be. In this instance my way may not be first choice or the best, but it worked really well for me. I had very limited time when visting my parents to resolved this issue so I made due with what I had.

 

[Poodleroni]

Thanks everyone for the posts! I haven't read them in a while. I kept forgetting to read all of the advice. Shadow, our standard, loves ice cubes too...he even seems to try to play something resembling hockey with them, but Charlie gets bored with them pretty quickly. He does love strings on pajama pants though! lol

@Bkitchen - we would never ever hit our dogs, I was just asking advice about chew things for our puppy...to keep him occupied and off the standard's ears.

 

[Poodleroni]

Oh, guess I should also update this and add that Charlie is now almost 6 months and we've continued with the bully sticks and they have not caused any problems with him.

 

[FUZBUTZ]

There are toys that you can buy for your pets that are rubber on one side w/ a mold on the other side that attaches to the rubber part. You fill the mold up with water or you can even add broth to the water or bits of your pets favorite goodies and then freeze the whole thing. After it freezes you take off the mold, if it doesn't come off easily you run it under water, like you would with an ice cube tray and the mold comes off. Now you have a toy that is half rubber and half ice, pets who enjoy ice should really love this. We just recently bought some of these toys at PetCo, but haven't tried them yet. Hope our dogs like them, I think that if they do really work, our male spoo, Rocky will especially love these toys, because he is one of those that loves chewing on ice. Has anybody else ever given these toys to their dogs and if so how did they like them? I will let you know how ours like them, as soon as I get them frozen for them.

 

[taxtell]

I am a big fan of greenies (the new formula)...keeps them busy for a bit.

I also like the ice cube idea, or Frosty Paws, and I LOVE Kongs.
You can chuck so many things in those.

I prefer to stay on the healthier side of things, but to each their own.
http://dogs.thefuntimesguide.com/2006/02/dog_recipes_for_kong_chew_toys.php

 

[Poodleroni]

I don't usually speak up when topics seem to be a bit controversial, but bully sticks are all natural and are fully digestable. http://www.ehow.com/facts_5408786_bully-sticks-dogs.html Sure the contents may be disgusting for humans, but dogs are not humans and they are carnivores. The following link is why we do not use nylabones...http://www.dogster.com/answers/question/are_nylabones_safe_for_a_dog_like_me_im_a_13_month_chi_terro_dox-5131. We give our dogs filtered water and we always look to the dog food rating system when potentially choosing a new food and that food is always organic. We only want the best for our pooches here. We have also started giving them tripe recently...we have heard that it's supposed to help with digestion issues. http://www.lockergnome.com/forsythe/2007/09/15/tripe-for-your-dog/