I had a foster dog nearly choke on a rawhide bone. It partially obstructed his airway for close to half an hour and I had to encourage him to keep drinking water until it softened enough for him to swallow it. I will never give rawhide to another dog.
The best chews are ones that are hard enough to provide resistance and help clean the gum line but not so brittle that they splinter or can break into chunks small enough to swallow. Really hard chews, like hard antlers and bones, can break teeth. It is important to keep in mind that not all antlers and bones are the same. Elk antlers tend to be softer than those from deer, and split antlers are softer than whole antlers. Also, fresh sheds are softer and much safer for dogs than older sheds, which tend to be whiter in color and very brittle. These antlers are harder and can splinter, but being lower quality they are generally much cheaper. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the broken teeth that vets see are due to people giving their dogs poor quality antlers.
Softer supportive “bones” like tracheas provide enough texture and hardness for dogs to enjoy chewing on but are not so brittle that they will splinter or break a dogs teeth.
Some people have good luck with Himilayan dog chews. Our dog devoured his in less than half an hour but some people say they last weeks. These do have some flavor, but the odor is mild and non-offensive, and they don’t stain.
Whimzees are an all natural dental chew that fall into the “hard enough to satisfy the need to chew but soft enough to be easily digestible and not break teeth” category. They aren’t inexpensive though, and they last maybe 5 minutes with our dog.
Chew toys made of durable but flexible rubber are wonderful as well. Whether or not your dog likes these (or destroys them) very much depends on your individual dog but we have a Kong that has lasted our dog as well as a Bionic Bone that he loves.
Our dog’s preferred chew toy is his Nylabone. It is hard and durable enough to last and satisfy his chewing needs, but doesn’t splinter and is not so brittle that it breaks teeth.
For us, the toys are a good option because our dog will fixate on scented/flavored chews and go at them until they are no more. The toys are better for playing with and redirecting him, as we are showing him what is appropriate to bite/chew on, but not giving a “treat” reward for nipping behavior.
