i have a german shepherd cross and would like to give him a bone to chew on?

Question

i realize he cant have chicken bones but if for example i had leg of lamb for dinner would it be safe to give him the bone? or are any other bones ok to give him?

Answer 1

Off to the grocery with you.

Now find a grocery store that has its own butcher shop.

What you want are beef leg bones - often called soup bones.

For that size dog, you want a 4 - 8 inch bone.

Boil it to cook the marrow and meat on it - prevents bacterial gastroentritis.

Hand over to doggy - who is standing there drooling.

Once he ahs sucked out the marrow and wallowed it around for a couple weeks, toss and hand him a new one.

You can get a bunch and put them in the freezer

Far far bettter than these commercially prepared things.

I have to race my vet to our specialty grocery store who cuts them for the dogs since we both need the huge ones for our large/giant breeds

Answer 2

I'm probably the only dissenting voice here, but I don't give my dogs pig ears, natural bones, or rawhides. If the dog gets too much of the pig ear or rawhide, he could end up with a blocked intestine. And I don't trust any kind of cooked bone because of the possibility of splintering.

German shepherd are notorious for being strong chewers, so I buy my dogs Nylabones and Kong toys. They can't bite big hunks off the Nylabone, only small flakes, and after awhile, the Nylabone "frills" which helps to keep their teeth clean.

The heavy rubber Kong toys were invented for a German shepherd named Fritz, who was nicknamed "the Chewmeister." Kong toys are made to last and not be ripped into big chunks that can be swallowed.

As a fun note: the original Kong toy was modeled after a part on a Volkswagen! :-)

Answer 3

I always give my dogs large beef bones! Like after we have a steak they absolutely love it! You can also go to your local butcher shop they will either sell them or give you HUGE ones! Also you can buy flovored large beef bones at your local pet store! They also have rawhide bones! Also the only bone that dog CANNOT have is the chicken leg bones they have a splinter like piece that can choke them! All other chicken bones are fine! I have given them all to all of my dogs for years and they are all fine! Hope this helps!

Answer 4

I too have a German Shepperd cross an he manages OK on almost any bones.
However i should avoid too many pork bones it gives them the runs.
Zack is perfectly happy eating a whole chicken carcass.
not sure why people say they shouldn't!!
if a dog is out in the wild and comes across a chicken he ain't gonna think
"hang on.I cant eat that .I might get a bone stuck in my throat!!!
although it probably applies to the small inbred pedigrees

Answer 5

Right well I have two bassets and I used to give them pigs ears and knuckle bones then one of them got a bowel disease. It wasn't related but it means she can't have anything as it may trigger an allergic reaction. My vet recmmended a nyler bone (I think thats how its spelt) Its a fake bone but does not break, splinter etc and is much safer for them to gnaw on. She said I should never give dogs any normal bones. Weird as I would have thought in the wild they would eat them but then again our dogs today have been inter bred so much who knows. You can get them from any pet shops. They are more expensive but last forever - you just have to be very careful with pedigrees as they're just not as tough as old mongrels. My old mongrel could have drank bleach instead of water and lived on chicken bones and would still have been fine!!!!

Answer 6

For millenia dogs have been around hunting and scavenging, when they kill/find food they will eat practically everything, this includes bones. Even with modern domestication, feral dogs will revert to this behaviour.

Ever wondered why your dog chews? He/she will chew on anything, why, because it's emotionally and psychologically satisfying to them, they have evolved that way. Nature has given them the dental apparatus and the digestive system to extract nutrition even from the most rotting and skeletal carcass without harm.

Dogs have been around much longer and have successfully survived without the machinations of modern commercial pet food companies and the lies and urban myths they propagate. Just look at the answers here to see if that is true.

And yes, give your boy a raw bone, he will love it!

Answer 7

Basic Training of the Puppy - Read here https://tr.im/am6Cw

The new puppy is certainly one of the most adorable and cuddly creatures that has ever been created. It is the most natural thing in the world to shower it with love and affection. However, at the same time it is important to realize that if you want to have a well trained adult dog, you need to begin the training process right away. The dog, like its related ancestor, the wolf, is a pack animal. One of the features of a pack is that it has a single dominant leader. Your new puppy is going to want that leader to be you, but if you do not assume that role from the very beginning, the puppy’s instincts will push him to become the leader.

The most important thing to remember about training the puppy during its first six months of life is that it must see you as the leader of the family pack. The essential thing is gaining the trust and the respect of the puppy from the beginning. You will not do this by allowing the puppy to do whatever it wants to do whenever it wants to do it. On the other hand, a certain amount of patience is required. Most people err in their early training by going to extremes one way or the other. Although you need to begin the basic training process at once, you can not expect your dog to do too much at first. Basic obedience training is fine and should include simple commands like sit, stay, and come. Remember that trying to teach the dog advanced obedience techniques when it is a puppy is much like trying to teach a five year old child algebra.

It is also important to restrain from cruel or abusive treatment of the puppy. You can not beat obedience into your dog, and it certainly is not going to engender feeling of respect and trust. House breaking is an area where this usually becomes a problem because of the anger that is triggered when the puppy fails and creates a mess inside the home. Although this issue must be addressed without anger, it most be addressed. If you allow the puppy to eliminate inside the house, it will continue to do so as an adult dog. The same thing is true of other destructive or dangerous behavior such as chewing and biting. Do not expect the puppy to grow out of it. You are going to need to train the puppy out of it, but you should do so firmly but with a sense of play and fun using positive reinforcement and lots of love and praise for good behavior.

Answer 8

Your right not to do chicken bones, but lambs bones are just as dangerous. If you would like him to have a bone then ask the butcher if they have any going. Our local one is brill and always has suitable bones available for dogs. They are either free or really cheap.

Answer 9

i also have a german shep cross and she loves bones. i woll only , and very rarly, give her big bits of bone from our leftover steaks or whateer, but really the best bones for dogs are marrow bones from the butchers. Cooked bones can splinter and cause the dog to choke.
Word or warning though, my dog is constipated for 2 days after she has a bone, cooked or not.

Answer 10

No, bones really aren't safe. Talk to your vet, he'll tell you the same thing. Some say that raw bones are safe, but they're still a "no-go" according to most veterinarians. Here's two examples of differing opinions...you just have to decide what risks you are willing to take with your dogs.

Written by a vet, AGAINST the feeding of bones..
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/nutritioncomments.html

FOR the feeding of bones
http://www.bdnhumanesociety.com/rawhides.htm