# Making Nylabones more appealing



## Paige&Lily (Nov 4, 2010)

Any suggestions on how to get a dog to chew on a nylabone? None of the dogs I've had in the past ever had any interest in them unless they were the edible kind, but I thought Polly our new golden might be an exception, since she's a pretty aggressive chewer and destroys toys that are not as sturdy. But I bought a "chicken flavored" nylabone at Petsmart yesterday, and though she's carried it around a little, she doesn't seem too interested in chowing down on it. Any suggestions on how to peak her interest?


----------



## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

I really don't think there is a way to make it more appealing if she's just not interested. Our two Goldens love Nylabones, but our German Shepherd couldn't care less about them. It just depends on the dog.


----------



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Find a friend with a dog who likes them and let that dog "start" the bone for you. And/or when you go to offer it to her, act like she's not really supposed to have it. Extend it toward her... "Want it??? And then snatch it back and closely examine it... paying lots of attention to it. Offer it again... wiggle it around a little... and snatch it back. If she starts to show an interest (leans toward it, tries to paw at it, etc.) then offer it, snatch it one more time and then "accidentally" let her have it -- like fake-drop it and see if she'll pick it up... Or go ahead and hand it to her. But if she lies down with it and loses interest, run over and snatch it... treat it like it's the most important thing in the world and then put it away where she can't get it. Periodically take it out and examine it, sometimes dropping it, only to snatch it up again before putting it away. Try offering it to her (after some interest-building snatch sessions) the next day.

You're basically manufacturing a desire for it by making her think she it's forbidden fruit.


----------



## Paige&Lily (Nov 4, 2010)

Oh, I like the reverse psychology idea-I'll try that. I got her one of the edible souper ones and she really liked it, but it only lasted about a week, and I was hoping to find something that might last a little longer. Thanks for he suggestions!


----------



## Doug (Jul 17, 2010)

I think that you have a smart dog there! 
Nylabones do not have a safe reputation. They can splinter, cause bowel obstructions or get stuck in their mouths. 
Try deer antlers instead.


----------



## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

Tucker likes this kind. Supposedly it tastes like chicken... who knows. But he will gnaw on that thing for like 30 minutes at a time!! He has a smaller one that he only chews when he is really bored... and the edible ones, well, he just devours them so i dont buy em Walmart.com: Nylabone Gumabone Chicken Bone Dog Chew Toy: Dogs


----------



## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

Wow, if she's any aggressive chewer the Gumabone won't last long.. You probably need to go with durable (I think thats what you got!).. No advice for getting her to like it, since Summer loves hers and she has many!

What if you were to try a deer antler or raw marrow bone instead? Many dogs like the "real" smells better.. Summer rarely gets raw marrow bones, but she really cleans them up so I let them sit around the house as chew toys and she works on them too.. They last forever..


----------



## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

It totally depends on the pooch! Joey LOVES nylabones. He has a sensitive tummy so I can't give him any bones or anything. He only gets nylabones and antlers. Thankfully he likes the nylabones. There is one Joey hated.. it was a white chicken one. Lol So if thats the one you bought, try getting a different one. Joey has about 7 bumming around the house that he rotates.


----------



## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Jaro has never shown any interest in nylabones but he does really like the Bumi and the other zogoflex (maybe that isn't exactly the right word) from West Paw Design. And they will replace them one time if you dog destroys them.


----------



## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

A.B.C. Nylabones are the only kind Gibbs and our rainbow dog, Laura would chew. So... we'd let our Casey chew them until they were just right and then give him another new one for himself and the ABC (already been chewed) nylabone went to Laura. Gibbs is a bit SOL, since Casey has passed and we don't know too many other nylabone lovers here. He really likes the textured dinosaur one and has recently begun to chew it.


----------



## Paige&Lily (Nov 4, 2010)

She does like the smoked femur bones you can buy that have some dried meat still on them, but those go fast too and seem to get a bit splintery so I don't really care for them. Havn't tried the antlers-do they get gross like a rawhide after they are chewed or do they stay pretty dry like a bone? And do they last awhile? Do any of the pet stores carry them or do you have to order them? I don't recall seeing them in a store. Thanks for all the help everyone.


----------



## SylviaB (Jul 5, 2008)

This is what Tundra likes....
Marrow Dog Bones,Lowest Prices on Marrow Bones for Dogs-Sporn

I buy the jumbo one. It has a marrow strip down the middle and it lasts a long time. He's got a basket full of different nylabones, even the flavored ones, but this is his "go to" bone.


----------



## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

You can boil them in chicken or beef broth to get them to smell a little stronger, especially if they're not started. Sometimes it takes a different flavour to pique interest or a different design. Ranger loves the chicken or "natural" flavour, but doesn't like the liver flavoured ones.

For a strong chewer, definitely get the opaque ones NOT the flexi ones. I think nylabones get the bad history of being bad for dogs when owners buy the wrong sized or strength and run into trouble. Ranger once got a flexi/gummy one and in 2 mins had chewed off a hunk of it about 2 inches long! I grabbed it before he could swallow it, thank god, and since then we've stuck to just the extrs durable ones. 

These are his two favourites: 
The big knot in chicken BIG Chews for big dogs - Knot | Product Finder | My Dog Is | Large | Nylabone®

and the souper bone Dura Chew® Bone - Original | Product Finder | My Dog Is | Large | Nylabone®

I don't get the edible ones since he can chew off large chunks and I think they're a choke hazard. The regular looking bones like these: Dura Chew® Bone - Chicken | Product Finder | My Dog Is | Large | Nylabone® aren't much good either since he chews the ends down to shivs within a few weeks. I think his favourite is the Big Knot one, though. And when his friend comes over to visit, he always wants to chew on Ranger's bones even though he never chews on his own at home!


----------



## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

Ranger said:


> You can boil them in chicken or beef broth to get them to smell a little stronger, especially if they're not started. Sometimes it takes a different flavour to pique interest or a different design. Ranger loves the chicken or "natural" flavour, but doesn't like the liver flavoured ones.
> 
> For a strong chewer, definitely get the opaque ones NOT the flexi ones. I think nylabones get the bad history of being bad for dogs when owners buy the wrong sized or strength and run into trouble. Ranger once got a flexi/gummy one and in 2 mins had chewed off a hunk of it about 2 inches long! I grabbed it before he could swallow it, thank god, and since then we've stuck to just the extrs durable ones.
> 
> ...


Yep those are Joey's two favs! Especially the big knot one. He also has one thats bacon flavoured that is one of his all time favs. His morning routine is go crazy with wiggle butt, grab one of the bones near by, bring to me, my mom, my dad and bro then go lay down and chew for an hour. Every morning he does this! 

I second what Ranger said about boiling them.. I've never done it personally but i could imagine it too work. When Joey was 5 months old i bought him two different type of nylabones and he was not into them at ALL. He found them a week ago and he hasn't left them alone! Maybe that could be the case for your pup?


----------



## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

Diesel will only chew on them after Willow has started them off.


----------

