I mentioned in my article on digging that giving a dog a nice fresh bone can result in the dog digging a nice big hole in the garden.

There are other more significant problems with bones that I have seen over my many years training domestic dogs at people’s homes.

In summer time bones will attract ants, flies, birds, wasps including the European Wasp.

Bones can become lodged in a dog’s throat, gut or abdomen causing unnecessary and costly surgery. And many dogs will vomit shortly after ingesting a bone.

The old adage ‘’Like a Dog with a Bone’’ is based on the real issue that some dogs become more protective over bones. Over protective behaviour can become aggressive behaviour and this is not breed dependant – it can happen in all breeds.

If the basis for giving a dog a bone is dental hygiene then, in my professional opinion, there are so many chew products on the market specifically designed for this purpose that they are your best option. They are designed to be consumed and digested so why not choose something like Greenies, Denta Sticks, Denta Chews etc..

Puppies shallow rooted milk teeth will fall out by the time your puppy reaches approximately 6 months of age so they don’t need cleaning anyway. Puppies simply need teething rusks until that time and then they too can move on to the products mentioned above.

And always keep front of mind to never leave babies, toddlers, and young children near any puppy or dog whilst the animal is eating anything, especially bones.