"When you give your dog a chew bone, you are doing a lot more than giving him something to chew on."
Whether you have a brand new puppy or a faithful old friend, one of the best things you can do for your dog is to provide him with a rawhide chew. Aside from being just plain fun for every dog, chewing on rawhide bones helps dogs of all ages in a number of ways. Rawhide treats provide important benefits:
Dental benefits. Natural tendencies of wild canines and their predecessors were to sink their teeth into their prey and pull away on the hides stripping the skin and meat. Inherent in this feeding process was the beneficial action of the tugging and pressure on the teeth and gums that served to toughen the gums and clean the teeth for a continuously healthy mouth. Because dogs have been domesticated by man, they no longer use their teeth to tear through a skin layer in order to feed. As a result, their canine teeth become disused and prone to plaque buildup and yellowing. Infections, kidney and heart disease can result when poor dental health gives bacteria an environment to enter your dog's body. Bacteria in the dog's mouth break down food particles and converts them to plaque and excess acid. The plaque can become mineralized to form a hard deposit on the tooth surface called calculus. The excess acid damages the gums resulting in gingivitis. Unchecked gingivitis results in periodontitis, the leading cause of tooth loss. As rawhide bones, chips, rolls and twists are chewed and moistened, they act like leather chamois, wrap around the teeth and gently rub off plaque and calculi. This also diminishes bad breath, keeps teeth whiter, and reduces the risk of potentially serious dental problems.
Behavior benefits. All dogs have an innate desire to chew, especially puppies. This drive can exhibit itself on furniture and clothing items. Rawhide chews offer a safe chewing outlet helping you to avoid destructive chewing behavior from both puppies and adult dogs. An effective rawhide chew should be able to relieve boredom for many hours. If you encourage your dog to chew on bones from puppyhood on, chances are he'll choose a bone over your shoes, books, television remote, and so on.
Rawhide chews provide stimulating activity by entertaining your dog for hours and keeping his mind stimulated. This is especially important for older dogs who may not be as active. Just remember, your house gets pretty dull when you are not there all day.
Rawhide bones relieve your puppy's teething pain and stimulate the growth of adult teeth. Like human infants, the pressure on a dog's teeth and gums from chewing on something hard helps relieve any discomfort from the new teeth pushing through the gums.
