My 2 dogs love rawhides. They have plenty of toys to chew on, but will ignore all of them for a rawhide. The problem is the bigger rawhide bones and rolls do not last long at all. Is there anywhere to buy them in bulk to save a little money? Is too much rawhide a bad thing for them?

I used to buy the bags of them from Sams and cut them in half on a power miter box (10 dogs rawhides be 'spensive yo).

Then I got to thinking about Chinese hide treatments, intestinal blockages and the unhealthy aspects of those and quit buying them altogether, and now only buy black Kongs.

I try to stay away from the Chinese ones. The American ones are pretty dang high. I may see how they like the Kongs.

I stay away from them altogether too, including the American ones, because of the risks of intestinal blockage necessitating zipper surgeries.

Maybe look into bully sticks, pig ears, and cow hooves? Lots of dogs seem to love those, and they don't seem to carry the same risk as the rawhides.

The rawhides from China are made using arsenic.   The residue from the arsenic can kill your dogs.  You also have to watch the pig ears too, to see where they come from.   Some countries use arsenic in them also.   Buy only made in the USA to be sure arsenic has not been used in the treatment of the leather, ears or whatever.  

Wolf

They like the cow hooves too. They really don't care too much for the sticks or pig ears for some reason. I am going to try some of the bigger Kong bones.

While we're on the topic, my dogs love rawhides, but they are getting a bit bored with them. What other similar chewing treats do you guys use? In my case I need something that is non-staining as one of my dogs is white and I hate when she turns all kinds of icky from working on something that stains. There are a couple of area rugs at risk, too. Thanks!

I've quit rawhides almost completely, except for a Christmas treat. Then they only get made in the USA rawhides. I stopped giving Hooves after one dog horked up large chunks of un digested hoof.

Check out this website and see what you can find: http://www.entirelypets.com/

I buy duck jerky for my dog in bulk here and they have A LOT of stuff on their website.

Please do not purchase any products from China and keep to products made in the USA. Ever since the recent scare of poisoned dog treats, I don't buy and China made products for my dog.

Too much rawhide is kind of bad for them. Try looking for natural alternatives. I bought my dog a deer antler from Prairie Dog Pet Products: http://prairiedogpetproducts.com/antlers/

They have Deer, Moose, and Elk antlers and my dog absolutely loves it!! It's worth a shot. Especially if your dog is a chewer. I also agree with giving bully sticks, hooves, and ears.

Basically, the more natural the treat the better.

Thanks. I will take a look at that site. I haven't tried them with any antlers but I want to. Both of these dogs are being trained for blood trailing. I thought about training them for shed antler hunting as well. Having an antler to chew on would probably help me in training them for shed hunting since they would be used to playing with them anyway.

I am beginning to think that the issue isn't them liking the rawhide, but maybe something missing in their diet. I have noticed in the past few days they haven't had any rawhide. They have the cows hooves and a few femur bones to chew on. They are chewing on them, but are also chewing on plants/trees in the yard. They have also started digging. Anywhere they dig I am seeing roots where they have been chewing on them. Maybe the rawhide was supplementing something they aren't getting from their food?

This is highly possible. Have you ever considered the protein, fiber, fat, and all the content of the food you're giving them? Is something lacking?

What breed is your dog? Some dog breeds require more protein than others. And if you're training for blood trailing or antler shed hunting then they're probably going to require a better dog food.

Dogs obviously don't eat plants or roots however they tend to eat grass from time to time. They do it because they may not be feeling well. So they'll eat the grass which will induce vomiting. Hence making them feel better.

Of course, they could be doing it out of boredom too but I highly doubt that if you're training them that they aren't bored and are probably pretty active.

So yeah just take a look at your dog food brand. Consider the training and amount of exercise they are going to get through training and just see what can be improved in their overall diet.

I give my dogs the bully sticks and they love them, especially my coonhound.  I buy the bulk pack at Costco and cut them in half to double the count and my coonhound stands at my garage door howling in excitement while I'm cutting one in half.  lol  Only problem is she can gobble one down in roughly a half hour.  They're pretty expensive to last such  a short time.   Someone mentioned antlers, how long do they last and has anyone experienced any problems/risks with your dogs chewing them?

I bought tendons, bones and other snacks from a woman who would frequent the dog show circuit.
All-American stuff.
I had to stop giving it to Madison, as it upset her tummy since they tend to be rich.  Larger dogs likely wouldn't be bothered by it.


http://www.thecaninecafe.com

Thanks for the links and info. I picked them up some of the black Kong bones. The like them pretty good, especially when I have the flavored treats in them. My GSP is very determined and has managed to chew a hunk out of it getting to the remainder of one of the treats. Otherwise they seem to be holding up pretty good.

Oinkees tend to last longer than rawhide chips.