Rawhide Bone Treat

[Arlene]

I am wondering how long and often I should give my 9-month old Beagle-Shepherd mix a rawhide bone. I bought a 6-inch one and let her chew on it a half hour or so, then take it away for another day. She doesn't object to my taking it. I don't give it to her every day nor at the same time, because I don't want her to expect it. What is your advice on rawhide bones - how often? how much?

Thank you.

Arlene

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi Arlene!

I think you are doing a right thing, not leaving the raw hide with your puppy all the time. It is sometimes hard to digest so you might want to keep it as a special treat, not accessible all the time.

In addition to that, it is a good idea to take it away from her every time after certain time. It is a good way to train "drop it" and to prevent her to develop possessive aggression. I see so many cases in this forum where owners can not take things away from their dogs since the dogs have gotten so protective.

I have 3 dogs and when I give bones or hooves to my dogs I make them take turns. In other words I don't give each dog his/her own bone or hoof. I give Holly a bone to chew first. Noah and Daisy have to wait for a few minutes. Then, I make Holly drop the bone and give it to Noah. Noah gets to chew it for the same length of time, then Daisy gets her turn...

They all wait for his/her turn nicely and patiently. They all listen to my command of "Drop it" because they all know that they will get their turn if they just wait. By doing this, all the 3 dogs never fight over one thing. They have learned to wait for his/her turn.

I really recommend you keep working with your puppy on "Drop it" and "Leave it" commands. Good luck!!