Do you use rawhides?

BlackLabbie

...Patty OTOH, could have a pigs ear for about 2 weeks or so...

That was Caleb with a lamb's ear I gave him over the summer.  He carried it around and slept with it for over a day.  Then he very gently started nibbling at a corner.  He finished it 3 days later. 

I buy the extra thick rawhide retriever rolls - only the ones made in America from American beefhide.

 But I'm funny about rawhide...sometimes it smells "off" to me; sort of rancid...and if I unwrap it and it has that smell I throw it away. I try to remember to poke a little hole in the plastic wrap and smell it before I buy otherwise it's like throwing $5 bills in the trash.

I prefer the 3 foot bully sticks. Veronica is actually a dainty chewer and it takes her awhile to go through a chew; then I take it away from her when it gets down to the end because I'm alaways afraid of her swallowing a big piece and choking. A 3 foot bully is good for 3 to 4 chew sessions.

Kim_MacMillan

I don't like rawhides personally. I don't like how they get sticky and slimy and basically turn to glue. .. I've seen my fair share of gagging and choking on them, while pulling six-inch stringy pieces out from throats.

ditto

Gotti will eat anything in about 30 seconds but Luna was always trying to swallow these huge slimy pieces..ewww.
I personally like the puffed pig or cow snouts. Luna seems to have a much easier time chewing them. I also give my guys just about any other "parts." They love the tracheas and tails...

The antlers sound good - i'd like to try them but all the ones i see at the pet stores are so small and expensive! where do you guys buy the antlers from?

No rawhides in this house, EVER. I don't like them, and IMO it's just not worth the risk.

For chews, I use RMBs. And I would never leave a dog unsupervised with any chew, no matter what kind it is. Bailey is supervised 100% of the time whenever he is chewing on an RMB, or any kind of food really.

I have gave my guys snouts and traches too, they love them but they go threw them in no time!

Its about half and half of customers that will not use rawhides and ones that do, seems like more people feed rawhides than dont on here tho.

gopher- pet supplies plus has bags of vannila chips, knotted bones, and retriver rolls. I recomened trying the vanilla bc it smells so darn good! My 3 love them too.

Spazzy

No rawhides in this house, EVER. I don't like them, and IMO it's just not worth the risk.

 

For chews, I use RMBs. And I would never leave a dog unsupervised with any chew, no matter what kind it is. Bailey is supervised 100% of the time whenever he is chewing on an RMB, or any kind of food really.

Same here.  Bull Terriers are "serious" chewers.  I don't ever want to see what they would do to rawhide.  And when they are choking on the slimy mess of the thing they create with it, I don't want to need to use a bite stike to force their mouth open so I can have it back.  My dogs are not aggresive and my dogs will give on command.  It's just when the something is stuck down their throat that I'd need to go in there with my own fingers.  No. Thank. You!!  Their jaws do not lock.  But when they don't want you to open their mouths, they can be quite good at keeping you out!

So RMB's for them.  Mostly beef leg bones.  They hold up the best as the idea is not for them to crunch them up and eat them, but to be entertained by the gnawing on them.  My Rottie, when he was still alive, would make short order of lamb bones.  If he could eat them that easily, then lamb bones would be almost too dangerous to feed Bull Terriers. 

I give rawhides, but never without supervision. As far as choking hazards, I don't really see how a compressed rawhide or retreiever roll is any worse than a bully stick, pig/lamb ear, or dental chews.  I think all chews need to be monitored, and what is safe to chew depends on the individual dog's chewing habits.