Crates are invaluable tools for dog owners, serving as safe havens where puppies can be contained for short periods, preventing them from chewing household items or getting into mischief. They offer a secure space, giving owners peace of mind when they cannot provide constant supervision, whether taking a shower, attending a meeting, or running a quick errand. The underlying assumption is that a crated puppy is a safe puppy. However, this safety can be severely compromised if the wrong type of toy or chew is introduced into their confined space.
Owners are often advised to provide their puppies or dogs with a toy or chew to make crate time more enjoyable and help pass the time. While well-intentioned, selecting an unsuitable item can turn a supposed safe haven into a dangerous environment. If the toy or chew poses a risk to your puppy’s health, that unsupervised time in the crate becomes anything but safe. In fact, it could present a greater danger than leaving the puppy loose in the house without the item. When you step away from your crated puppy, even for a brief moment, your choices for a truly crate-safe chew or food-dispensing toy become quite limited. It’s essential to understand these limitations to protect your puppy. For more ideas on how to keep your puppy engaged, explore best puppy toys for mental stimulation.
The Crucial Role of Crate Safety and Puppy Toys
The primary goal of using a crate is to ensure your puppy’s safety and well-being. This extends beyond just preventing house training accidents or destructive chewing on furniture. It also means preventing harm from the very items we give them for comfort or entertainment. Many common dog chews and toys, while seemingly innocuous, can become serious choking hazards or cause dental damage when a puppy is left unsupervised in a crate. The confined space means a puppy cannot easily spit out a dangerous piece or seek help if they get into trouble.
Understanding a puppy’s chewing habits is vital. Puppies explore the world with their mouths, and their teething phase intensifies this natural instinct. This makes providing appropriate and safe chew options not just for entertainment, but also for their developmental needs, critical. However, this also means they are more likely to aggressively chew and attempt to ingest items, heightening the risk of choosing an unsafe toy.
General Principles for Crate-Safe Chews: Go Big or Go Home!
When selecting any item for your puppy to chew on unsupervised in their crate, the golden rule is “Go Big!” If the item is intended for chewing, it must be significantly too large for the puppy to swallow, even after an extended chewing session. Avoid giving any dog something that can be completely chewed down to a swallowable size in less than an hour. Many popular chew products on the market, despite being labeled for “large” dogs, can be rapidly consumed by an aggressive chewer.
We’ve observed countless chew items, marketed for various dog sizes, that are far smaller than what we’d consider safe even for a five-pound Chihuahua. If your puppy can reduce a chew item to a swallowable size within an hour of dedicated chewing, it is absolutely not safe for unsupervised use in a crate. The risk of choking is simply too high. Always prioritize oversized, durable options when considering best things for puppies to chew on that will be left unattended.
Specific Chew Toy Categories and Their Crate Safety
Bully Sticks (Pizzles)
Bully sticks, or dried beef pizzles, are a popular choice for many dog owners, often sold in 12-inch lengths. However, a significant drawback is how quickly most dogs can chew them down to much smaller pieces, often three or four inches, within 15 minutes. At this point, these items pose a severe choking hazard if swallowed whole. While some dogs meticulously chew until pieces are small enough to be safely ingested, others will instinctively gulp down larger remnants. For this reason, bully sticks are generally not recommended for unsupervised crate time.
Rawhide Chews
Rawhide is another common chew, but it comes with considerable risks. Many rawhide products are made from multiple small pieces pressed together, which can break off easily and be swallowed, leading to choking or digestive blockages.
However, there is a specific type of rawhide product that we have occasionally used for strong chewers and foster puppies: Wholesome Hide’s 10-inch Retriever Roll. These chews are distinctive because they are made in Illinois from a single, very thick sheet of rawhide. This construction means it takes a substantial amount of effort and time for a dog to chew off small pieces, which is crucial for safety. The goal is to slow consumption to prevent immediate gulping and excessive intake of rawhide, which can be difficult to digest. Even for smaller puppies, providing a ridiculously large rawhide roll will significantly extend its lifespan and reduce the choking risk, as it will take them much longer to make a noticeable dent in its size.
Bones
The discussion around bones as chew items is complex. We generally do not approve of giving dogs dried bones, whether the sterilized, bleached white ones or the non-sterile ones with tissue and marrow still attached. The former are often too hard, posing a high risk of slab fractures to a dog’s molars when they attempt to crack them open. The latter, while softer, can harbor pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella due to their moisture content.
If you opt to give your dog a bone, it should ideally be fresh or fresh-frozen, and preferably still have tissue attached. The act of chewing, licking, and tearing at these tissues is highly beneficial for scraping plaque from a dog’s teeth and promoting dental health. Unfortunately, finding such bones can be challenging unless you have access to a traditional butcher. Most commercially available raw bones often lack these beneficial tissues.
Even with fresh bones, they should only be given to dogs who have demonstrated safe chewing habits through numerous supervised trials – meaning they chew moderately, not overly aggressively, and aren’t inclined to quickly swallow large pieces. Even then, we would only recommend a large, fresh, meaty bone for an experienced bone-eating dog in a crate for short periods, ideally no more than an hour, as bone-chewing should always be supervised. For toys for 8 week old puppy, bones are generally not recommended due to their undeveloped chewing strength and higher risk of injury.
Miscellaneous Dried Animal Parts
What about other dried animal parts like pigs’ ears, snouts, beef hooves, and tendons commonly found in pet stores? Our recommendation is a firm “no” for unsupervised crate time. These items are often too easily chewed down to sizes that present significant choking hazards within a very short period. The risk simply outweighs any potential benefit when you are not actively monitoring your puppy.
Food-Dispensing Toys: A Safer Alternative
For most puppies who benefit from having something to keep them occupied and happy in their crate, stuffing a food-dispensing toy like the original Kong is often the safest option. These toys provide mental stimulation and can keep your puppy engaged for extended periods.
To maximize the longevity of a Kong, fill it with canned food or a raw diet and then freeze it. This makes the food melt and dispense much more slowly, requiring your puppy to work harder to empty the toy. Alternatively, you can mix kibble with peanut butter, cream cheese, or plain yogurt – any healthy, sticky substance that encourages licking and manipulating the toy to access the food. These types of teething toys for puppies that freeze are particularly good for soothing sore gums and providing a lasting distraction.
It remains crucial to ensure the toy is of an appropriate size (too big to be swallowed) and toughness (chew-resistant). You must also observe your puppy’s behavior to ensure they safely empty the food without progressing to chewing and destroying the toy itself once the food is gone. Conduct several trials under supervision to determine which types of food fillings keep your puppy engaged the longest without risking destruction of the toy. While there are many “food puzzles” that require manipulating sliding covers or removing pegs to access treats, or balls that dispense kibble when knocked around, these are generally not safe for unsupervised use, especially within the confined space of a crate.
Addressing Aggressive Chewers in Crates
Even with the toughest options, no toy is 100% safe for all dogs. Some aggressive chewers can manage to destroy even the black Kongs, which are specifically designed for the strongest chewers. If you have such a puppy, traditional toys might not be suitable for unsupervised crate time.
In these cases, the safest solution might be as simple as scattering a handful of their regular kibble on the crate floor. While this won’t last as long as a frozen Kong, it eliminates any choking or ingestion hazards associated with chew toys, making it the most secure choice for puppies prone to destroying everything. This ensures they have a small activity without any added risks.
Conclusion
Ensuring your puppy’s safety during crate time is paramount, and selecting the right toys and chews plays a critical role. While crates provide a secure environment, the items we place inside with our puppies must be chosen with extreme caution to prevent choking hazards, dental injuries, or digestive issues. Always prioritize oversized, durable, and non-ingestible options. Food-dispensing toys like frozen Kongs offer an excellent balance of safety and enrichment for most puppies, providing mental stimulation and lasting engagement.
However, remember that no toy is entirely foolproof, especially for aggressive chewers. Consistent supervision during initial trials and understanding your puppy’s individual chewing habits are essential. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. For ultimate safety, consult your veterinarian for specific recommendations tailored to your puppy’s age, breed, and chewing style. Your proactive approach ensures your furry friend’s crate remains a truly safe and comfortable space.
References
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). (n.d.). Selecting and Caring for Your Puppy. Retrieved from https://www.avma.org
- The Humane Society of the United States. (n.d.). Crate Training Your Dog. Retrieved from https://www.humanesociety.org
- Veterinary Partner. (n.d.). Chew Toys for Dogs: Making Safe Choices. Retrieved from https://veterinarypartner.vin.com
