Chewing is a normal and natural daily activity for puppies and adult dogs

Mar 12, 2025

Regular raw meaty bones are an essential part of a dogs nutritional, dental and mental health needs.

Some important points:

"Natures toothbrush" - bones must NEVER be fed cooked or dried
Raw bones can be fed defrosted or frozen (tip: if frozen run under tap before serving to take edge off the freeze)
Senior dogs may need bones defrosted to avoid tooth nerve pain
Puppies are in greater need of regular raw meaty bones appropriate for their size for calcium and mineral requirements for growth and development
Puppies from 7-8 weeks old can be started on small soft poultry bones if they've had fresh raw food for a week min. prior
Puppies fed a daily bone will reduce chewing on things you don’t want them to chew
Marrow bones or other "weight-bearing" bones must not be fed to any age dog. They're too hard and dense, cannot be digested and risk chipping & cracking teeth.
Bones smaller than the dogs mouth size pose a choking risk for gulpers and provide no chewing benefits
Chewing bones is great for anxious/stressed dogs, releasing happy hormones serotonin and dopamine and reducing the stress hormone cortisol
Variety of protein is important
Bones are extremely high value to dogs - separate dogs safely to consume if needed, provide plenty of space and never remove a bone from a dog unless an emergency or exchanging for something of equal or greater value
Dogs that are fed a kibble only diet should not be fed bones out of the blue.
Lodgement and impaction risks are higher in dogs fed a high-carb, highly-processed food diet.
Dogs denied regular raw meaty bones and fed high-carb processed food will need expensive and risky dentals later in life
If starting out, increase frequency of bones slowly