There are lots of beef bones out there – but which are the best?  Which ones give you the most bang for your buck?  Which ones are good for dogs of all ages?  For dogs both large and small?  Funny you should ask…..

We recommend beef neck bones and beef rib bones for your all around dog bone needs.  Both are relatively soft (when compared to recreational bones) and pretty much completely edible.  This means that they make great bones for growing puppies.  Recreational bones like marrow bones and knuckle bones are just TOO hard for baby teeth.  Rib bones are the least meaty of the two and make a great busy toy for your puppy.  If they ingest and eat it, no problem.  If they just strip the ligaments and fat off of them, no problem.  They are soft enough so that they really can’t cause damage to growing teeth which is the most important thing!  Rib bones are also great for older dogs.  They can make up the bony part of any meal as they are completely edible.  If you purchase rib bones from the butcher or grocery store with all the rib meat still attached, they can be a meal in and of themselves.

Beef neck bones (and the necks of many other animals like hogs, lamb or deer) tend to be a bit more meaty and with the addition of a little extra meat can be the basis for a great dinner for your dog.  They are a great bone to give at any time though – just to give your pup a little something to do!  All neck bones are relatively soft, perhaps even softer than the rib bones, and as such make a great medium sized bone for puppies as well.  If you consider the fact that they are getting not only the bone but the meaty that covers it and it becomes a very nutritional snack indeed!

Both types of bones are great for hard chewers as well.  If your dog is one who obsesses over bones, chewing as hard as they possibly can in an attempt to break off bits than ribs and neck bones probably should be your bone of choice.  Recreational bones, while great fun for many dogs, have a reputation for breaking teeth when gnawed on by a determined canine.  You know your dog best – if he destroys indestructible toys with alarming regularity, chances are a marrow bone might cause him some issues!  Try necks or ribs instead, let him destroy them without worry.  Just remember that you need to take into consideration the amount of bone he eats in a given day when feeding him meals.  Simply adjust by feeding a little more meat and a little less overall since he’s already had what amounts to a partial meal (we don’t want ANY fat dogs!)

All in all, rib bones and neck bones are a optimal way to give your dog something healthy to chew on and a nutritious snack all in one.  Don’t worry about what you can give your baby puppy – either one of these bones will do the trick and give him much needed jaw exercise as well as keep him busy!  Whether used as a boredom buster or as part of a meal, you can’t go wrong when these are your bones of choice!