# Pig ears



## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm not a fan of them. I don't like the processed/dried ones for various reasons: gas, weird stomach noises, the whole processing treatment, etc. and the fresh ones are gobbled up in about two seconds flat.

There are good chews out there for pups! I found little peanut butter and honey ones for my little foster pup in the summer. She liked them better than bully sticks since she could actually make a dent in them, yet they still lasted her close to an hour. The only (minor) problem was that she thought they were super high value so the first time she got one, she ran away whenever someone came close! That only took a few hours to fix, though.

Depending on how old your pup is, you can check out raw marrow bones, too. Scoop out some of the marrow first so your Chester doesn't get the runs (marrow is super rich) and then freeze it for a few hours (if he's older). They can be very high value, though.

Have you tried antlers? sometimes dogs like them if they've been 'started' by another dog. Ranger routinely chews on all the antlers, then they get donated to my brother's dog. Brother's dog won't touch them until Ranger has softened them up a little bit.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

My dogs chomp on almost anything. I don't give pigs ears often because they are so greasy and the dogs eat their snacks indoors. Just bought two beef hooves and both dogs like them a lot. They've lasted, too. Also cheap. 

Ranger -- what are the honey-PB treats you found? Is there a brand? I'm always looking for new long-lasting treats!


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

My Lucky LOVED piggy ears. He got one almost everyday. He would go to his area and chew them. The yorkies share and rotate the piggy ears between them. I takes them over a week to eat one. Buddy will lick them a few times and then walks away. He seems to only like treats he can eat within a few minutes. If it takes longer he losses interest. 

I am going to try the Raw marrow bones when it gets warmer so I can fully separate him from the yorkies without the fussing that he has something they don't and just in case he does see it as a High value treat. 

The yorkies put their heads in his bowl while he eats and he seems to eat better with them around. I am literally 2 feet away whenever I feed him just to be safe. No food, treat, or toy possession behavior as of yet.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Mine unfortunately won't eat deer antlers or hooves I have tried several times. The yorkies will chew the nylabones but take from each other- None are possessive ivermectin them.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

I wouldn't give pig ears, either. My vet advises against it as they can be a choking hazard (as can rawhides).


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## becky101803 (Dec 1, 2011)

Our breeder said no pigs ears or nylabones


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Wyatt gets the pig skin twists with liver inside. LOVES them! Never had a problem with them.


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## janababy (Jan 2, 2012)

I found with our dog that the pig ears went straight through him. They didn't seem to sit well with him.


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## Casey and Samson's Mom (Sep 24, 2011)

If they eat them inside, the whole house stink of them...that's why I find alternatives.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Casey and Samson's Mom said:


> If they eat them inside, the whole house stink of them...that's why I find alternatives.


Just wanted to say I love your avatar. That pic is beautiful!


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## golden_eclipse (Apr 1, 2011)

becky101803 said:


> Our breeder said no pigs ears or nylabones


Did your breeder give a reason for no nylabones? Just curious, I am constantly trying to find a safe chew bone for my fast chewer, and nylabone has been the best so far.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

We tried pig ears when Maggie was young, she would puke after eating them, I guess from the grease, and they stink, so we stopped giving them. I've never given any to Hank.


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## becky101803 (Dec 1, 2011)

kdowningxc said:


> Did your breeder give a reason for no nylabones? Just curious, I am constantly trying to find a safe chew bone for my fast chewer, and nylabone has been the best so far.


I believe it was that little pieces of the material can be ingested and cut up their intestines or something like that.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Not a fan of pig ears or rawhide either. They are a choking hazard,intestinal obstruction hazard and sometimes they are not cured right,stink and will give the dogs a major stomach upset. My dogs don't even like either. My brother in law tried to be nice one christmas and brought the above chew treats for the dogs, they did not even chew on them and I threw them away once brother in law had gone home, lol. 
I give my boys nylabones and they seem contend with them. Just don't throw them as a toy, they can chip teeth colliding with them.


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## ozzy'smom (Jun 18, 2011)

Our last dog LOVED pigs ears but would practically swallow them whole so we stopped giving them to her.


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## jluke (Nov 18, 2011)

*Resource Guarding*

My very gentle rescued GR Sadie -- who left us about 18 months ago at about 14 -- only ever guarded, and once growled, over a pig's ear. So, I haven't offered them to Maisie. I feel like there are really good alternatives. She loves antlers -- chewed the first down small enough that I worried she might choke on it so I got a second one. And sterilized bones for a big treat. She also loves cow tails and will do anything for one so I cut them in half and use them as major rewards.


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

I highly recommend these to people who are bringing home our puppies. You want to make sure that you get ones that are smoked well and they won't be quite as greasy and don't smell then.

We give them to our puppies as part of our bed time routine with them when getting a litter ready to go home. We put them in their crates, give them their pig ears and turn out the lights. It makes the transition going home so much simpler for the puppies.

There are several reasons that I recommend them.
1. Baby puppies will only chew on something they are getting something from. They don't have the jaw strength to chew on something super hard and so will lose interest in it rather quickly.

2. They are wonderful because there isn't a choking hazard. You can leave them in the crate with baby and not worry about choking. They will get small pieces from them and when they get wet, they look almost like wet cardboard.

3. They make a great "pacifier"!!

I don't recommend them past the age of 3-4 months though as then they just become like a bisquit and are gone in a flash. For older puppies, I recommend bully sticks, raw bones, Pedigree jumbones, Pork Twists and Dingo Chip Mix. Bullies and raw bones can be given for life, but the others are great for when the teething really starts and the puppies do well with them until about 7-8 months.

We have been using Nylabone products for years!!!! I don't recommend Greenie type treats and you need to make sure that you are getting the proper size for the dog or the dog will destroy them. I also don't like the edible Nylabones but the others will live here at our house for months before they need to be replaced.


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## Golden Oliver (Dec 18, 2011)

Oliver had his first pigs ear a couple nights ago. He got a pigs ear and a huge bag of rawhides from relatives for Christmas. 2 things that I didn't think I'd ever give him even though my last dog had both regularly without incident. I opted for nylabones and bully sticks this time but since we had these rawhides and a pigs ear, I decided to let him try them. I've now let Oliver chew on the raw hide for 30 - 45 minutes at a time before easily taking it away from him, but with the pigs ear, he wouldn't let me near him. When I did try to get close, it almost sounded like he growled but I'm not totally sure he did. He does a similar noise when he is excited and I've never heard a mean growl from him so I don't quite know what the noise meant. I won't be giving him another pigs ear though as I didn't like the reaction from him -- seemed that he liked it just too much!


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