[K9-Design]

For small teething puppies, large rawhide rolls, cow hooves and pizzle sticks are good, they keep their attention for a long time and they can't really consume them like a larger dog can.
For older dogs (with adult teeth), I have only benebones/nylabones, antlers and beef bones. We don't have stuffed toys or balls in the house anymore, that's just asking for them to eat them.
Don't forget kongs, they are wonderful for keeping dogs occupied. There are a myriad of food stuffing toys on the market and an endless number of ways to pack them to entertain dogs. We have lots of kongs and especially if the dog is going to be crated I like putting their meals in kongs.

 

[K9-Design]

We had given our girl Nylabones and Benebones. However one day I was bored and was reading the packaging when I noticed that there was a warning on the package that said Product is not intended to be eaten or ingested. When I went to the Nylabone website under guidelines for use, there was a whole paragraph:

"

• PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE EATEN or ingested. During normal chewing, small bristle-like projections will be raised, which help clean teeth. If you think your puppy swallowed a large piece, take the product away and contact your veterinarian immediately.

"
The above quote is copied exactly how it is presented on the Nylabone website, capital letters and all. So I stopped giving her these chews. Basically if the manufacturer says that these flavored plastic bones cannot be eaten and that I should contact a vet IMMEDIATELY if a piece is swallowed, I am NOT going to give her these chews.

So now we are down to Bully Sticks and Kongs for her. Call me a helicopter parent but even with the Bully Sticks she gets them with an anti-chocking bully stick holder.

The warning on the label is because ANY chunk of toy poses a choking or impaction hazard. Nylabones are simply vinyl, small pieces that are swallowed are simply passed through the dog undigested. The material is not toxic.

 

[K9-Design]

K9, I agree that any chunk of a toy poses a choking hazard. That is not the point. The point is why buy a product that has been flavored like meat and sold as a chew toy when even the manufacturer of the product states it is dangerous to your pet if swallowed? Why not instead buy a product that is entirely digestible and the manufacturer has taken precautions to even develop a way to prevent choking by producing a protective delivery system like Bow Wow Bully Sticks?

Because the company has lawyers that write up packaging disclaimers like this for the very rare occurrence that some monster dog can chew apart a Nylabone...which if you ever have used them, you'll see it's nearly impossible for a dog to actually get a chunk off one. They are one of the safest chew toys out there. WAY safer than a bully stick, which is easily swallowed whole when it gets down to 4-5" in length, which for most dogs is after about an hour. I think you are not seeing the forest through the trees here if Nylabones are scaring you away but you think bully sticks are just dandy. I have Nylabones older than any dog in my house with very little wear. A bully stick lasts an hour, max, and I take it away when it gets too small.