The Great Treat Debate

Not a fan of bully sticks, but rawhides are ok, I never leave my dog alone with one and I always make sure she has plenty of water. She's never had an issue with them.

I give mine bully sticks if they're sourced from the US.  They don't last long with mine so they don't get them often.  I quit giving rawhides because I had too many dogs choke on them.  They'd chew them until they were soft and then try and swallow them whole.  Not fun pulling a slimy rawhide out of your dog's throat. :(  I don't know what smart bones are.  Mine get Nylabones to chew on.  Always a chance of breaking a tooth though.

We had the same experience as Jackie with rawhides, so we don't use those anymore.  Also, when we gave them to our first dog, he seemed to throw up more often.  

Both our dogs have loved Nylabones.  Sometimes the sound of a crack makes me panic about a broken tooth, but knock wood, we've had good luck with them.  It really is a good release of tension when they get in that heavy gnawing "zone" with a Nylabone.  Sometimes when Ruby is starting to get into her haywire mode and we encourage her to settle down, she'll grab her Nylabone, as if to say, "OK, well I need to do something with this energy, so I'm going to try to crush this thing!"

I'm not sure what bully sticks are, but my guess is if it comes from a real animal, Ruby would try to eat it all at once and choke on it.  She's way too powerful of a chewer, and a food gobbler.

Here you go, Tracy: http://www.bullysticks4dogs.com/bully_sticks_made.htm.

I haven't given rawhides in years. I had a dog who swallowed hers whole, then stole the other dog's and did the same. Then she was severely constipated. If you think pulling a slimy rawhide out of their throats is fun, you haven't lived until you've had to literally pull the poop from their butts two days later. I was young and didn't know any better, but smart enough not to give them anymore.

We give bully sticks on occasion.  I don't give rawhides, but if we take the dogs to my in-laws, Co-Co will usually end up eating one there.  She seems to do ok with it, and their dogs do ok with them, but I don't really like the idea.  We have several Nylabones at home.  I'd like to give more raw bones but we don't get them hardly at all.  When at the feed store its tempting to get them some of the bones that are there, but I've heard so many times that those are a bad idea.

No  rawhide!!!!  A little bisket when they go in the crate. I like cow hooves and hard bones for them. For training, my one dog I use his food. He is very food motivated.

I used to give mine cow hooves but the smell was too much for me. eww Those cooked bones from the pet stores gave all my dogs diarrhea and I was afraid they'd break a tooth..  I guess it's whatever works for your dog.  

Tina, I've had to pull long blades of grass out of my dogs' butts but never poop.  Sounds like a life lesson. :)

@JackieG

Tina, I've had to pull long blades of grass out of my dogs' butts but never poop.  

Off-topic of chew treats, but was it someone here who told the story once about having to pull tinsel from a dog's butt because he ate it off the Christmas tree?  I heard that somewhere and never forgot it.  What an image! 

Thanks for the link about the bully sticks, Tina.  I bet Ruby would love one, but I admit the idea of them isn't exactly pleasant, so I think I'll skip them for now!