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Hi, I have a 3 year old mixed breed named Haley. I bought her an elk antler, as someone told me that these are probably the longest lasting chews that you can buy.
I got mine in the mail, probably weighs a pound and is solid as a rock. My problem is, my dog licked it a few times, tried to bite into it, then gave up since it was basically like biting into a rock.
My dog is definitely a chewer and loves bully sticks and small rawhide twists. How can I get her to start on this elk antler? It was expensive and I don't want it to go to waste. Also, are all elk antlers supposed to be rock hard?
My dog loves chewing antlers. Yes, they are very hard. Her last antler has lasted her ages. I wouldn't buy elk antler though, as it's bound to be more expensive for pretty much the same thing as a deer antler... You can buy cheap deer antlers on ebay. I paid maybe $5 for a deer antler and she's had it for 6mo-year. And she chews the heck out of it. If not ebay, I find my antlers laying out in the woods or buy them from other shed hunters who have found them out in the field. Many people give their dogs antlers to help train them into shed hunting dogs.
I do think individual dogs have likes/dislikes when it comes to things to chew on. My dog will not chew on rawhide bones. We got her one for Christmas a few years ago and she never touched it. To encourage your dog, I'd maybe rub a bit of her fav. food on one area of the antler... hotdog, roast chicken, or maybe a bit of the gravey from canned dog food. That might entice her to start chewing on it.
*Edited to add: If the size & wieght of the antler are a big factor in her not wanting to chew it, I would definitly try deer antlers... they are typically much lighter & easier for the dog to get it's mouth around.
Many animals eat antlers - even the deer themselves will gnaw on sheds as a valuable source of calcium and minerals.
Antlers are good chews - they're hard, provide hours of chewing and licking pleasure, 100% digestible, they don't smell and they don't break teeth or splinter. The dog will chew and chew, but it only comes away as powder/tiny pieces so there's no risk of impaction.
OP - if you've got a wood saw handy, cut the antler into a few smaller pieces. The inside of the antler is the truly delectable (well, for a dog anyway) bit as that's where the blood supply flows when the antlers are growing. A dog has to work away at the hard outer to get to the yummy inner, so by showing the dog the yummy inner, it may convince her to work for it. (Or she may just insist on cut antler forever! )
P.S. - Use a manual saw, not any type of mechanical/chain saw.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,776,945 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djxpress
Hi, I have a 3 year old mixed breed named Haley. I bought her an elk antler, as someone told me that these are probably the longest lasting chews that you can buy.
I got mine in the mail, probably weighs a pound and is solid as a rock. My problem is, my dog licked it a few times, tried to bite into it, then gave up since it was basically like biting into a rock.
My dog is definitely a chewer and loves bully sticks and small rawhide twists. How can I get her to start on this elk antler? It was expensive and I don't want it to go to waste. Also, are all elk antlers supposed to be rock hard?
Any kind of antler will be rock hard. Some dogs pick it up and immediately know what to do with it, others are turned off immediately by the sensation that must be very similar to biting a rock. For the chewing to be satisfying, there must be some sort of shearing, shaving, crunching or cracking happening. Antler isn't really a good medium.
How about trying a coconut? I once saw a pitbull have an absolute BLAST with one! For any dog that is the least bit compulsive about gnawing or chewing, it'll definitely occupy their time for quite a while. Of course they'd have to be a fairly large dog, and if they have the patience and strength to chew it until it can be opened, they get to enjoy the delicious innards!
Now as I recommend this I do want to add that I do NOT know if coconuts do any harm or wear to dogs' teeth, so please, investigate before trying this out with your pup.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,029,371 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djxpress
Hi, I have a 3 year old mixed breed named Haley. I bought her an elk antler, as someone told me that these are probably the longest lasting chews that you can buy.
I got mine in the mail, probably weighs a pound and is solid as a rock. My problem is, my dog licked it a few times, tried to bite into it, then gave up since it was basically like biting into a rock.
My dog is definitely a chewer and loves bully sticks and small rawhide twists. How can I get her to start on this elk antler? It was expensive and I don't want it to go to waste. Also, are all elk antlers supposed to be rock hard?
Same deal with Artie. He loved the one that what at his friend's house so I bought him one. $15, it was. It arrived. Artie sniffed it. Licked it. Left it. He's like that, though -- interested in his friend's toys, but not so much his.
I'm going to follow FiveHorses' advice and cut it into two or three pieces. Maybe that'll help.
For the chewing to be satisfying, there must be some sort of shearing, shaving, crunching or cracking happening.
You'd be surprised - plenty of "shaving" (probably the best description for it) happens with an antler. I don't know what colour the commercially available ones are on the outside (brown-ish?) - but it's actually very easy to see where it's being/been gnawed as it will be much whiter. It's the sort of honeycomb that in the inside that dogs want to get to - it seems to have the same appeal as marrow but I can imagine that easily dissuaded chewers might not feel it's worth it.
One thing I will say is I know the commercially available ones have been "sanitised" in some way. I can't help but wonder if some of the taste/appeal is lost in the process.
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