Dem Bones

[pugluv]

Hello All,

This is Nick, Chester's new mom. He's doing great! Mike and I have been thoroughly spoiling him, LOL! We just saw Dr. Au and she said he was fine and everything looked great! Yeah!
My question is about bones. I would love to give him a real bone but I am completely new to the bone thing and am in need of some sage advice! I would appreciate any advice on how to introduce Chester to real bones.

Thanks!

Nick

[blanche]

Nick:
Hi!  I was at Judy's yesterday and she said that Chester is showing himself to be quite fearful--that he's afraid of everything.  Is that true?  And is it getting any better?

As to bones.  I get either smoked knee caps (sometimes called Tartar busters--available at most decent pet stores) or I get frozen raw soup bones.  I thaw the frozen raw bones (make sure they have been frozen for at least 72 hours), scrape out the marrow as it is too rich and fatty for a lot of dogs, and let them have at it.  If you can do this outside, so much the better as it can be messy.  If not, I put down a towel or an old sheet and let the dog chew to their hearts content.  I get fairly big bones that pose no risk for being swallowed.  You can also buy raw marrow bones at pet stores that carry raw food.

[pugluv]

Hello Blanche,

Thanks for your reply. I will try Global tomorrow and look for the "Tartar Busters".
Regarding Chester being fearful, yes he is very "skiddish"

He's afraid of other dogs, plastic bags blowing in the wind, garbage pails...

One night Mike and I were walking him and there was this tarp over a motorcycle and he jumped! It was the tarp he was afraid of! So Mike and I went to the tarp and gave Chester treats while we pet the tarp. We spoke softly and said "It's O.K." and within 3 minutes of doing this Chester was much better! We even shook the tarp near Chester and he tried to smell it!
Funny though, he's not afraid of cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc...

He is getting better with other dogs too, especially since we've started Doggie School. We have been attending "Who's Walking Who" Focus First classes.

I will keep you posted on his progress, Thanks again!

Best,

Nick

[Candace]

Hi Nick,
I'm glad to hear Chester is doing well, although a little skittish. That tarp would scare most dogs, I would think. When I had a foster, Daisy, she would go crazy when there was a compost bin on the sidewalk.
Glad to hear he is going to the classes.

[Pugpillow]

He's been through a lot of changes in a short time.  Give him lots of routine, quiet reinforcement and love.  I bet he blossoms.

[lmcpug]

Nick,

Thank you so much for the update on Chester

Hope to see you at some of the Events too

[Jane aka 71337]

I really like how you handled the tarp incident by taking the time to let him realize that it wouldn't hurt him and turning around a startling encounter.  That kind of patience will really help Chester develop his confidence

[Diane]

I have a question about the smoked knee bones/tartar busters...are they fatty?  My current two have both had bouts of pancreatitis and I am very nervous about what to give them to chew on.  I'm also not sure about what kind of meat bones.  I know that they should be raw but frozen for a 3-5 days first but what cut would be good for a small dog?

[blanche]

Diane:
You have to really look around with the smoked bones--some are really fatty.  If you go with the raw bones, Global carries them already frozen and in different sizes.  I trim off any fat and remove the marrow so that it's just meat and bone to chew.