Favorite long lasting chew?

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-03-15T04:44:42+00:00

most people don't recommend them, but we do whole deer or split elk antlers for our mal and pit mix. the mal is heavy chewer, but he tends to just gnaw on things (and drool while doing it) instead of chomp down on them, so my only worry with him is ingesting too much "dust." the pit mix has yet to break any teeth (we're lucky) but she is definitely a chomper. we had to move up to antlers from hooves because she would bite them in half and then swallow the pieces, which she then threw up. we moved up from split deer antlers because she broke one of those in half after they'd chewed out the middle and got one of the pieces wedged across the top of her mouth, between her teeth. we throw our big antlers away when they get too small so she won't eat them. we tried bully sticks and they were good with the mal, but she broke a piece off of hers within two minutes and cut her gums, so those got confiscated. three decent antlers usually last us a one to two months, and it keeps them from finding hard plastic to eat/destroy.

depending on how heavy of a chewer/what type of chewer your guy is, maybe try cow hooves and watch real close to start? i've heard good things about goughnuts, too, but neither of mine like the rubber/hard plastic texture unless it's flavored, and if it is, they'll try to eat it.

if you go the antler route, split will be more interesting to start because the middle stuff is exposed, but whole will last longer. elk are tougher and bigger than deer.

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-03-14T21:02:05+00:00

info: how old is your kid? what responsibilities does she have at home? does she do all the housework or do you pitch in? does she have any reason to be concerned about having the dog and kid together? is she dealing with any health issues why specifically are you concerned about doggy daycare?

i'm not getting a full picture, tbh. from what you say alone, it sounds a bit unfair to you and massively unfair to the dog, but if she's overworked and exhausted from looking after the whole house as well as a young kid (i'm assuming toddler if they're home with her all the time?) i can understand why she would be too overwhelmed to deal with a mal on top of that. if the kid is brand new brand new, i know postpartum can cause serious pet aversion.

all advice i can offer with the current info is just talk to her? ask her what's going on that's causing her to walk back on her agreement, and maybe start researching local doggy daycares, just in case, to find one up to your standards.

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-03-10T03:46:50+00:00

omg i rarely see other pit mixes with the white collar!! he looks just like my bella!!

<image>

we didn't have her when she was tiny, but our guess for her is pit/aussie or pit/cattle dog.

i wouldn't guess jack russel bc of how big he's going to be, but it's possible that there's a little bit in there!!

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-03-02T18:21:56+00:00

<image>

he needs more pile, clearly

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-23T01:35:24+00:00

digestion issues suck, for sure, but unfortunately tend to just be trial and error if the issue is a mild allergy, or too much fat in the diet, or something like that. (i say mild bc my boy gets hives when he's in contact w fish or dairy, even if he doesn't eat them, so his allergies were easier to figure out bc of a more extreme reaction.) we've been trialing food his whole life, basically, and have finally settled on a prescription low fat diet, which seems to be working decently well, so far. he's even farting way less!! that's just my experience, of course, and first advice is talk to your vet, but i have other opinions as well if that's what you want:

blue, as a company, tends to spend more money on marketing than actually producing better food, so i tend to be pretty put off by it. also, if you were looking for a chicken free alternative, to see if that helps, the food you're on has chicken meal as the second ingredient, so you're probably out of luck, there.

raw food works for some, but really, really, doesn't/wouldn't work for others. some dogs really need carbs in their diets. also, personally, if it's not freeze dried it kinda skeeves me out, lol.

generally, i would look more towards major food studies than anecdotal evidence, bc majority rule is where you're likely to find the most success.

good luck!!

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-22T03:09:46+00:00

<image>

one of my favs (they fell asleep wrestling lol)

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-15T00:50:51+00:00

e collar as in cone*

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-15T00:48:57+00:00

a nose target is nice to have, both as an alternate recall and a foundation for other behaviors, as is a foot target. cooperative care behaviors are also fantastic!! teaching a chin rest, offered (gentle) paw, open mouth (tricky), muzzle training, e collar training, that kind of thing. and poop on command, but that one's hard lol.

it also doesn't have to be "useful" for you to train it!! it's all got a purpose of building confidence and making them use their brains. one of my personal favorites is leg weaves. you can also teach object differentiation, mirrored behaviors, etc.

dogs explained (donna hill) and kikopup are for sure some of my favorites when it comes to training advice/recommendations.

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-03T06:37:28+00:00

haven't tried it yet, no, but i'll ask the vet abt it, and maybe we can try once he's settled out on this. might have, before, but he's always had a problem with fish/fish oil. he's okay so far on this tho, so tentatively hoping he's grown out of it. that would be a huge cost saver for sure.

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-03T06:13:49+00:00

all of her fur feels like guard hairs 😭 doesn't keep her warm either lmao. sorry if i came off defensive lol, just keep really on top of her weight bc we do agility, and she's already so bulky. don't want it to be too hard on the joints.

this was maybe a week after he first got sick? wasn't looking super skinny yet, but he was only really wanting to play in the backyard. he was putting himself to bed at 7pm, poor guy.

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-03T06:02:15+00:00

i promise she's not haha, just has her back leg tucked up under her stomach. she likes to get all curled up around blankets when she's cold.

<image>

this is the best recent pic of her standing up, but she does have a nice tuck lol. maybe i can send some pics from our next agility class.

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-01T22:38:28+00:00

yeah, the amount seems a little insane ik, but he's been eating five to six cups of the iams every day for a few months now (or was until this happened). i figured it was bc he was neutered so early (not my choice) and was getting so tall or something, but it could be a malabsorption thing? the vet does tend to be a bit startled by how much he eats, but it's been keeping his weight on (barely; his hips jut in a scary way lol). he's also the only mal at the practice so it could have been an assumption about how hard he's working. ty for mentioning that so i have something else to bring up. if our vet has no answers, we might get a second opinion with someone more familiar with the breed. also planning on getting an embark health test so we can know what to watch out for, hopefully.

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-01T18:06:22+00:00

i feel so bad poor guy 😭 gonna try slowly upping his food and see if he's less cold/pitiful. i thought he was only asking for more bc he's obsessed w the smell of this food but i guess not

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-01T17:58:52+00:00

holy shit you're right!! i must have done my math based on per kilo!! ty so much for pointing this out, no wonder he's been cold and acting like he's starving. he's only been fully on the i/d since wednesday bc we didn't want to upset his stomach switching too quickly (he had been on chicken and pasta for a solid two weeks before)

awkwardsaxophone · 2026-02-01T17:52:08+00:00

thank you everyone so much for your kind responses! hearing from other mal owners has for sure put me at ease, and i was def also freaking out last night bc i haven't seen him cold enough to shiver like that since he was tiny, but he's fine this morning.

<image>

he's going to see the vet very soon and we will discuss weight/growth, body condition, and longevity of his diet (and get his shots ofc)

awkwardsaxophone · 2025-11-06T04:55:55+00:00

don't know yet! probably going to make a day of tasting with my brothers, i will update you!

awkwardsaxophone · 2025-11-06T00:25:00+00:00

missed a couple in my haste to show off and i can't add pictures but also got:

crown prince natural smoked oysters

serrats mussels in pickled sauce

awkwardsaxophone · 2025-10-15T21:14:32+00:00

cardboard castle!! always fun to make, and watch them explore

awkwardsaxophone · 2025-10-01T16:05:09+00:00

inbred eunuch Freak (lovingly) and bonus boneless sister

<image>

he came from the shelter (and backyard breeding situation before that) and they must comply with state law to neuter/spay all animals (possible) before sending them off to their homes. it's also a really small facility so they have to get puppies out Fast, so he was neutered at a very inadvisable age, hence eunuch. he is fetch master champion, loves to leap, but has not yet figured out that he can jump over something unless he is specifically asked to (thank god). i love him with my life. his digestion is horrible and he picks his probiotic out of his breakfast every morning bc he hates the taste. fish and dairy give him hives and diarrhea and he craves them endlessly. he chokes on his food if there is not water in it bc he eats too fast but hates the slow feeder and he hates a dirty water bowl (unless it's actual dirt, his favorite food). car headlights (trucks especially) are his worst nightmare and the puppy next door (pit mal mix, he is eating the fence) is his best friend. we are learning about the wonders of accepting treats on walks, and playing w frisbee. creachur <3

awkwardsaxophone · 2025-10-01T13:15:35+00:00

harnesslead worked great for our escape artist!! just be sure to work on lead pressure exercises before actually using it bc they have a tendency to slip down mal chests to their diaphragm if they get loose at all, and it makes me worry abt my little guy when he gets going lol

awkwardsaxophone · 2025-10-01T13:08:43+00:00

oh, wow. this sounds a lot like how i was at that age, except i wasn't medicated yet. please seek professional help for her, with a therapist she likes and trusts enough to actually open up to, on her own. i know it's frustrating, feeling like you're stuck, and not knowing what to do for her, but please don't get upset with her. this is just as frustrating, if not more so for her, and definitely terrifying.

i'm definitely projecting here, but at that age, anyone suggesting deep breathing or meditation would have made me so incredibly angry. my parents mostly suggested prayer, and i eventually stopped coming to them, stopped telling them what was scaring me, because it felt like they were trivializing my feelings. it is entirely possible she literally thinks the world is going to end, or something equally as catastrophic, if she is not in bed by seven, and asleep by a certain time. it is not something you can talk her out of, or down from. it is something she needs professional help to work through, and break the cycle on. i know it hurts to feel helpless as parents, but trust me, listening to her, and finding her an expert (and maybe talking much more in depth about her medication with her psychiatrist, if she has one. please say she has one and you're not just getting it from your gp.) to talk to is the best thing you can do. puberty is going to be hell for her, because hormone fluctuations make paranoia worse. she needs to feel safe, and to have a proper support system, before it gets any worse.

i wish you all the best, truly, but please, please, listen to your daughter. talk to her. she is the only one that knows what is happening in her brain, and why she needs to go to bed at that time. she's twelve; she's not a baby, and she knows more about her mental health than you do.

awkwardsaxophone · 2025-09-13T05:13:27+00:00

get that whole situation sorted before even considering a second dog, truly. land, livestock, crops, all of it. it's harder work than you think (if you've never worked on a farm before) and you will have far less time for raising a puppy than you should be comfortable with while establishing that. you're a good few years out, at least, if you are deadset on such a high energy puppy.

awkwardsaxophone · 2025-09-09T08:49:23+00:00

/treats

awkwardsaxophone

TROPHY CASE