Archive for September 2008

Beef Trachea Spirals

We are proud to announce yet another Best Bully Sticks exclusive product, the Spiral Beef Trachea.  This is a new take on an old favorite and is sure to be enjoyed by small and large dogs alike!  This is a 10" long piece of trachea that has been cut to have a spiral shape like our curly bully sticks.

Beef Trachea is an excellent dog chew because it aids in dogs joint health.  Glucosamine and Chondroitin are naturally occuring in the cartilage of the beef trachea.  This dog chew should be easier for smaller dogs to eat because they can get a better grip on it.

Please make sure to keep reading the blog often and let us know if there are any other products you would like to see!

The growing trend in dog ownership is the purchase or adoption of designer dogs – those dogs that have been deliberately bred from two purebred dogs with an expected result.  While I would never discourage the adoption of any dog, designer or otherwise, there are certain pros and cons that come with giving a home to a Designer Dog.

Pros

The pros to giving a home to a Designer Dog (besides the obvious good karma of giving a home to a dog in need) typically relate to the health of the dog in question.  While many purebred dogs are prone to health problems related to the lack of genetic difference between one generation and the next, Designer Dogs, much like mutts, bypass many of the health problems that purebreds are known for.  The difference between the Designer Dog and the mutt is that while a mutts heritage isn't know, Designer Dogs often have papers stating what their heritage is, including the breeds and history of both parents.

Along with avoiding many of the health issues associated with purebred dogs, Designer Dogs are often bred to combine favored traits of two breeds, such as a lack of shedding and the size of one dog with the playful nature and affection of another.  The hope with Designer Dogs is that the penchant that one of the breeds may have for chewing on your shoes will be countered by the penchant the other breed has for eating dog treats from your hands.

Cons

The cons to bringing home any dog of mixed parentage is that you never really know what to expect.  You can breed two of the most affectionate, loving dogs, and at the end of the day you might still get a Designer Dog that sees your slippers and thinks chew toy.  Temperament and size are very hard to judge with Designer Dogs, especially those that come from two dogs of largely varying sizes (you might end up with a Labrador/Dachshund mix that is either the size of the Dachshund, the Labrador, or somewhere in the middle).  Poodle Designer Dogs are known to exhibit many of the Poodle's often aggressive nature, in spite of being bred with a more docile breed.  While giving you hope having a Boxer mixed with a Chihuahua will curb its need to chew on things better than giving it bully sticks, at the end of the day, you can't know what you will get from the dog until you've spent time with it and tried to train it.

Don't Go in With Any Expectations

When bringing home your Designer Dog, remember not to have any expectations.  You may bring home the most perfect puppy that will be easy to train, have all the best traits of both their breeds, and be a ray of sunshine in you and your family's lives.  Or you may bring home a little terror that will drive you all insane…just like any other puppy.  Don't assume that the new trend in Designer Dogs means that you don't have to put in the time to properly train your dog.  Good genes are no replacement for proper training and love.

About the Author

Avrum Elmakis is the owner of Best Bully Sticks, a leading provider of dog treats, bully sticks, and lamb treats for dogs.  They can be found online at:  http://www.bestbullysticks.com .

Bully Stick Frisbee

Wow, is all we can really say about this product.  We are the only place on the net or in stores to find this new and exciting interactive dog chew.  These bully stick rings are a full 7" in internal diameter.  These rings can be used for tug-o-war or playing a game of catch with your dogs.  The only problem with these rings is that once you throw it to your dog it will likely not be coming back.

This is the start of some interactive dog chews that we plan on releasing in the second half of 2008 which will all be exclusive items to Best Bully Sticks.  This all started with one of our customers suggesting we manufacture some items that owners and their dogs could use together.  This is an ideal product for being able to enjoy spending time with your dog and their favorite treat/chew.

Please stay up to date with our blog as this is where all of our new product releases will be announced.  As always, thank you for your business and be sure to check out our ever growing list of dog chews and treats.

Is Rawhide Safe For Dogs

We are often asked why we do not carry rawhide on the website.  The answer to this question is very easy.  Although rawhide is reasonably priced and accessible, it is not safe for dogs!  We can not tell you how many customers of ours started buying bully sticks from us because at one time or another they ended up in the animal hospital. The reasons varied from dogs that had choked on rawhide or got a piece lodged in their body somewhere and needed to be operated on.

Rawhide is made of the hide (skin) of animals, much like the shoes we wear.  Unlike bully sticks, rawhide is not digestible.  This means that if your dog swallows a piece of rawhide (like all of them do), you are taking a chance that that rawhide could sit in their body undigested until it makes its way through their body to be passed.  In addition, rawhide expands at an alarming rate which is why dogs may not have problems when they initially swallow a piece but several hours later after it expands the symptoms present themselves.  To test this for yourself place a piece of pressed on regular rawhide in a bowl of water for a day or two and watch what happens!

In addition, rawhide is typically bleached to rid it of any odors and make it aesthetically pleasing to the eye.  One question comes to mind:  Would we eat anything ourselves that has been bleached?  There are several alternatives to rawhide that will still consume your dog’s time and keep them entertained without the risks associated with rawhide.  Bully Sticks are often called the rawhide alternative and are not only natural, but 100% digestible.  There are also some great other treats including trachea, tendons, Sam’s Yams, and others which will offer similar characteristics to rawhide, but will give you piece of mind that you are giving your dog a safe treat.

Greatest American Dog Finale

Wow the show is finally over...I don't know how many of you stayed with it the whole time but our interest did wane after the first few episodes!  The show's last three contestants were Travis and Presley, JD and Galaxy, and Laurie and Andrew.  For the final show there were a lot of interviews between owners and judges.  I thought that of the three owners interviews Laurie and Travis definitely did the best job.  JD's attitude was one of superiority throughout the interviews and we got the impression that he felt as though he learned nothing at canine academy; I think that the judges agreed with him!

In any case, the last two teams standing were Laurie and Andew and Travis and Presley.  Travis and Presley ended up winning the whole thing ($250,000) and plenty of advertising and publicity. Congratulations to both Travis and Presley  I am sure that they are both ecstatic right now!

I wonder how successful the show ended up being for CBS and whether or not there will be a season 2. What do you all think?

Make sure to check out our ever growing selection of dog chews and treats... especially the internet's largest selection of bully sticks !