Become a chew expert

The Chew Guide

Practical, honest guides on natural chews — sizing, safety, and what actually keeps dogs busy.

A puppy approaches a stationary bully stick for a first supervised sniff.

The First Chew: How to Introduce a Puppy to a Bully Stick

Sit on the floor, hold one end of a short stick, and stop at five minutes. The first-session sequence, plus what to do when your puppy won't touch it.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

Lamb Tripe vs Beef Tripe: Why Lamb Is the Milder Tripe

Raw beef tripe is stronger; lamb is the milder tripe at the source. Where the difference is made, and why our dried lamb tripe sticks are odor free.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A generic diagram outlines cleaning, stretching, drying and sorting as separate steps.

How a Bully Stick Is Made, Step by Step

Bully sticks are made by cleaning one beef pizzle, stretching it straight and drying it until the water is gone. Every step, and how to read the drying.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

An adult calmly watches a dog resting on the other side of a pet gate.

Do Bully Sticks Make Dogs Aggressive? Resource Guarding Explained

No, a bully stick cannot make a dog aggressive. It can be valuable enough to trigger resource guarding, and the research says worth is the variable.

Aug 27, 2026 6 min read

A growing puppy eats a normal meal while an adult watches.

Can Puppies Eat Lamb? Yes, and the Chew Is a Separate Question

Yes — lamb is behind about 5% of confirmed canine food allergy cases. Whether a lamb chew fits your puppy is a separate question; ours start at six inches.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

An educational illustration contrasts a developing canine tooth's open root apex with a mature root.

Rawhide and Puppies: Why the Answer Is Different Before 12 Months

Foodiepaws doesn't sell rawhide. It's the wrong chew for a puppy under about twelve months: adult teeth are up by six months, the roots under them are not.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A supervised dog nudges a blanket corner toward a bully stick on its mat.

Why Does My Dog Cry When I Give Him a Bully Stick?

Crying with a bully stick is usually about storing it, not pain: a house gives a dog nowhere to bury a valuable chew. How to tell that from a mouth problem.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

Close-up of a pale knotted rawhide chew beside a folded sheet of hide on a dark surface.

What Rawhide Is Made Of, and What Is Done to the Hide

Rawhide is the inner layer of an animal hide, stripped with lime and other chemicals and dried into a chew. We don't sell it. Here is the full process.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A dog takes a normal drink from a stainless water bowl.

Do Bully Sticks Make Dogs Thirsty? Yes, and Salt Is Not Why

Yes, plenty of dogs drink after a bully stick. It is a dried chew plus fifteen minutes of jaw work, not salt. A normal day of water, in cups.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

An owner observes an adult dog's body shape from above on a dark non-slip floor.

Are Bully Sticks Fattening? Running the Numbers on One Chew a Day

A 6-inch stick a day is about 9% of a 50-pound dog's daily calories and 30% of a 10-pound dog's. The arithmetic by weight, and what to give instead.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A handler prepares one short bully chew after packing up a training session.

Short Chew Pieces: What They Are For and Who Should Skip Them

Bully stick bites are short pieces of the same dried beef as a full stick, cut for a reward, not a session. Who they suit and who should skip them.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read

A supervised puppy explores a broad soft rubber toy on the grass.

Puppy Teething and Chewing, Month by Month

A puppy's 28 baby teeth are in by six weeks, start shedding at twelve weeks, and become 42 adult teeth by five to seven months. What to give at each stage.

Aug 27, 2026 7 min read