I’m an enormous fan of pure chews for Dachshunds, and I give one to my canine every day.
Pure chews are:
- Nicely, pure, and don’t include any filler substances
- Absolutely digestible (so long as they’re processed naturally)
- Excessive in protein and/or minerals and nutritional vitamins
- Product of animal components of some kind
- Restricted ingredient, so they’re good for canine with allergic reactions
I get a whole lot of questions from followers about them, so I’m offering a listing of my prime 7 favorites and the place to get them.
However, first, why do my canine get a pure chew as soon as a day and the way do I feed it to them (it’s not so simple as you might suppose)?
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 canine pure chews:
- To occupy them of their crates and to assist make constructive associations with the crate.
- To maintain them busy whereas providing psychological stimulation.
- To assist distract them once I depart the home in order that they’re much less anxious about me strolling out the door or when company arrive.
- To naturally promote rest and cut back stress
- As a software to redirect my pet and cut back biting and chewing on no-no objects.
It’s necessary to notice that, relying on the scale 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.
All the time 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
Typically, pure chews are more durable than your typical “commercially created” chews for canine.
However Dachshunds have very robust jaws!
Whereas there are some Doxies which are dainty about consuming them, a decided Dachshund can eat by 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 implies that chewing on them too vigorously for too lengthy could cause my canine’s gums to bleed a bit.
Just a little 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.
Make sure you account for the energy within the chews that your canine eats of their each day allowance.
I intently monitor how many calories my Dachshunds eat a day, so I not often need them consuming the entire thing in a single sitting. Particularly as a result of I’ll need to give them a chew a number of instances a day.
Listed here are some necessary notes about how and once I feed pure chews to my canine:
- Sometimes, I solely let my canine 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 up to now.
- Relying on the chew, and my wants on the time, I’ll give them this chew of their crate, on their mat (some name it place), or exterior within the yard.
- If the chew isn’t completed, which it usually isn’t, I take it away from them when the time is up.
- If it’s a low-value chew, my canine 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 instances a day for 10-Quarter-hour at a time.
- If a big quantity of chew is consumed in a day, I cut back the quantity of meals that I feed at mealtime to compensate for the additional energy.
- As a result of these chews are fabricated from or include meat, I retailer munched on chews within the freezer till subsequent time.
I don’t give my canine the identical kind of chew every time for number of style, in order that they all the time look ahead to them as a result of by no means know what they may get, and to range the chew stage (hardness).
My Favourite Pure Chews for Dachshunds
Disclosure: Most of the hyperlinks on this web page are affiliate links (Amazon Affiliate or different applications we take part in). As an affiliate, I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases.
Whereas I prefer to introduce some new chews into the rotation often, these are those that I return to repeatedly.
Please observe that every one of those are sourced and made within the US, or international locations with very excessive meals requirements like South America (some international locations 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 referred to 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 (generally additionally known as odorless).
Additionally, I throw the ends away as soon as they get sufficiently small for my canine to attempt 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 periods, in order that they make an amazing, protected rawhide various.
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.
Although they solely are available in a 6″ size, I additionally generally purchase the BarkWorthies Hickory Smoked Bully Sticks as a result of the canine 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 useless 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 periods with a furry cow ear will take it nearly utterly off.
Hair can 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 periods.
I feed these solely outside as a result of stench so, sadly, I don’t feed them as usually as I would really like in winter.
The one downside to me is that Summit finds these to be very excessive worth so it may be troublesome 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 Naked Beast Snacks. I often purchase smaller calf ears from Etsy.
3) Beef Tendons
My Dachshunds actually like beef tendon, however it’s softer than the 2 chews above so extra of it’s consumed throughout one chew session.
For that purpose, I deal with these extra as “pet food” that takes longer to eat and has another advantages.
I exploit 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 generally I purchase them on-line.
I purchase smaller tendons for my Dachshund pet and these larger beef tendons for the grownup canine.
The small tendons usually final 4-6 pet chew periods and the bigger ones final my grownup canine 2-3 periods.
As a result of these are softer and extra brittle than most chews that we use, I permit my Dachshunds to chew up and swallow the top items (in contrast to with the bully sticks).
These don’t scent and aren’t messy, so I feed these indoors.
4) Duck (or Hen) Wings
Opposite to common perception, canine can eat and digest bone (though, solely feed bone to your canine in case you are comfy with it) if the bone is uncooked.
IMPORTANT: NEVER FEED COOKED BONES TO YOUR DOG
Dried duck or hen wings could make an amazing 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 sooner than the opposite chews on this listing.
I let the canine eat a single wing in a single session. They’re a bit larger than I would really like them to eat abruptly however too small for me to divide into two periods.
Just like the tendons above, they don’t actually scent, and I exploit them as extra of a “chew meals” to eat indoors.
I usually feed air dried variations of poultry wings that are available in my Real Dog Box subscription or that I order from Naked Beast Snacks.
I’ll attempt uncooked hen wings from the grocery retailer someday although.
Word: 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 entire with out chewing, so I don’t feed the canine these.
5) Beef Collagen Sticks
Collagen sticks are comparable in type and performance to bully sticks, however they’re a bit cheaper and don’t have the identical “icky physique half” issue (they’re constituted of the pores and skin vs a penis).
My canine 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 aren’t 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 constituted of cows, however you could find them sourced from goat, lamb, or different animals too.
Trachea is sort of utterly fabricated from cartilage which, apart from the final advantages of a pure chew listed above, present naturally occurring chondroitin and glucosamine, that are nice on your canine’s joints!
Though these chews are on the softer facet, the weird form makes them difficult for a canine to eat rapidly.
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 once they arrive in our Real Dog Box subscription field, purchase the Barkworthies Hickory Smoked Beef Trachea, or buy Nature Gnaws USA Smoked Bison Trachea Rings on-line.
7) Earth Animal No-Conceal Chews
These are the one chews on this listing that aren’t single ingredient. Nonetheless, the listing is brief.
I’d 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 fabricated from the protein, or “taste” (hen, beef, salmon, peanut butter, and so on), 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 larger roll which could be consumed over a number of.
Closing Ideas
I feel pure chews are an necessary a part of a Dachshund’s weight loss plan.
They will add selection and curiosity to what your canine eats in a day and assist with necessary issues like cleansing tooth, offering psychological enrichment, and lowering stress.
You’ll discover that I didn’t embrace antlers or yak cheese chews on my listing, that are generally really useful pure chews for canine.
That’s as a result of they’re very laborious.
I’ve heard of antlers splintering and getting caught in a canine’s gums and each chews cracking tooth.
Whereas some chews on this listing are tougher than others, and it’s attainable for a canine to wreck their tooth chewing on something, I’m comfy that the chews listed are unlikely to interrupt tooth.
All the time supervise your canine once they’re consuming a chew, a minimum of a number of instances till you’re comfy 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 may take some adjustment.
Begin out by feeding a bit at a time and monitor your canine after to verify it doesn’t upset their tummy.
