If you have a dog that loves to chew, you may be considering getting them a chew bone. The trouble is that many chew bones designed for large dogs are rawhide or actual bone, both of which can cause serious damage to your dog’s digestive system. Therefore, we compiled a list of reviews to help you find the best dog bones for large dogs that are safe. These bones will satisfy your dog’s chewing urges — and keep them from chewing things that they shouldn’t!
A Glance at Our Top Picks (2023)
Image Product Details
Best Overall
Pawstruck Bully Sticks Dog Treats
Last longer than most other bully sticks
Dogs love the taste
Single ingredient
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Best Value
Nylabone Edibles Natural Nubz Dog Chew
Chewy instead of hard
Help clean teeth
Affordable
Check Price
Premium Choice
Greenies Large Dental Dog Treats
Dogs love the flavor
Improves breath smell
Promotes clean teeth
Check Price
Best for Puppies
Benebone Maplestick Tough Puppy Chew Toy
Durable
Easy for puppies to grab
Maple flavored
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Earth Animal No-Hide Natural Dog Chews
Last longer than other chews
Limited ingredients
Dogs love the flavor
Check Price
The 10 Best Dog Bones for Large Dogs
Bully sticks are fantastic alternatives to rawhide. They last a long time and are super tasty, so your dog stays interested. The Pawstruck Braided Bully Sticks Dog Treats are made from three bully sticks twisted together. The pattern makes them ultra-durable, so they last longer for tough chewers. These qualities make them our recommendation as the best overall dog bones for large dogs.
Food Form: Bully stick
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: High protein, rawhide free
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While all bully sticks are made from beef pizzle, these are sourced from free-range, grass-fed cattle. The biggest complaint that owners have with bully sticks is the smell, as they do give off a unique aroma. However, this particular stick brand is low odor, so it’s not quite as offensive as many others.
Pros
Last longer than most other bully sticks
Dogs love the taste
Single ingredient
Low odor
Cons
Expensive
Various sizes in the package
If bully sticks are out of your budget range, Nylabone Edibles Natural Nubz Dog Chews are the best dog bones for large dogs for the money. These edible bones contain limited ingredients and are easily digested. The only downside is that they are consumed quicker than some other dog chews. While a bully stick might last your dog several days, these will probably only last an afternoon. However, they are still durable enough to keep your dog busy while you do chores or are away from home.
Last longer than most other bully sticks
Dogs love the taste
Single ingredient
Low odor
- Last longer than most other bully sticks
- Dogs love the taste
- Single ingredient
- Low odor
Expensive
Various sizes in the package
- Expensive
- Various sizes in the package
Food Form: Chew treat
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: All-natural
Pros
Chewy instead of hard
Help clean teeth
Affordable
Cons
Not as long-lasting as some other bones
Greenies is one of the most popular brands of dog chews because its products are specifically designed to help keep dogs’ teeth clean. These Greenies Large Dental Dog Treats are chewy and easy to digest. They are also healthy, so Greenies are recommended by the Veterinary Oral Health Council.
Chewy instead of hard
Help clean teeth
Affordable
- Chewy instead of hard
- Help clean teeth
- Affordable
Not as long-lasting as some other bones
- Not as long-lasting as some other bones
Food Form: Dental chew
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: Rawhide free
While a premium choice, Greenies dog bones are expensive. They are also consumed quite quickly. If your dog likes them, you may find that your “chew bone” acts more like a treat and disappears in a few minutes. Some dogs don’t even chew these bones, negating the beneficial aspect of cleaning their teeth.
Pros
Dogs love the flavor
Improves breath smell
Promotes clean teeth
Cons
Expensive
Doesn’t last long
For your puppy that chews everything, we recommend the Benebone Maplestick Tough Puppy Chew Toy. It’s made from durable nylon and is flavored like maple to make it extra attractive to your dog. This bone will quickly become your puppy’s best friend — and yours because your pup won’t be chewing your shoes!
Dogs love the flavor
Improves breath smell
Promotes clean teeth
- Dogs love the flavor
- Improves breath smell
- Promotes clean teeth
Expensive
Doesn’t last long
- Expensive
- Doesn’t last long
Food Form: Toy
Lifestage: Puppy
Special Diet: N/A
While there are tons of different puppy chew toys on the market, this one stands out because of its shape. It has points that are easy to grab onto at each end of the bone. Young pups will chew what they can easily get hold of, so this toy is an easy target.
Pros
Durable
Easy for puppies to grab
Maple flavored
Cons
Not an edible bone
- Earth Animal No-Hide Natural Dog Chews
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Food Form: Treats
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: High protein, grain free, rawhide free
If your dog loves to chew on rawhide, but you’d avoid that because of the dangers, try these. Earth Animal No-Hide Wild-Caught Salmon Stix Natural Dog Chews will look, smell, and taste exactly like rawhide to your dog, but they’re 100% rawhide free, so you can feel safe about what they’re chewing.
Durable
Easy for puppies to grab
Maple flavored
- Durable
- Easy for puppies to grab
- Maple flavored
Not an edible bone
- Not an edible bone
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Food Form: Treats
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: High protein, grain free, rawhide free
The biggest downside to Earth Animal bones is that they have a strong smell, which won’t appeal to some owners.
Pros
Last longer than other chews
Limited ingredients
Dogs love the flavor
Looks like rawhide to your dog
Cons
Strong odor
These handmade peaksNpaws Yak Milk X-Large Dog Chew Treats are fantastic alternatives to bully sticks or rawhide bones. They are limited-ingredient chews, making them ideal for large dogs with allergies. Yak Milk Chews also have no odor, so they aren’t as smelly as bully sticks.
Last longer than other chews
Limited ingredients
Dogs love the flavor
Looks like rawhide to your dog
- Last longer than other chews
- Limited ingredients
- Dogs love the flavor
- Looks like rawhide to your dog
Strong odor
- Strong odor
Food Form: Treats
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: Gluten free, high protein
Pros
Last longer than many other chews
Don’t splinter
No odor
Cons
Not liked by all dogs
Too small for large dogs
- Bones & Chews Elk Antler Dog Chew
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Food Form: Chew
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: Single ingredient
Elk antlers are popular choices as large dog chews. They are not appropriate for small dogs because they are too hard on their teeth, but they satisfy the chewing urges of large, strong chewers and can last for months. These Bones & Chews Elk Antler Dog Chews can withstand aggressive chewing, they’re hard to break, and you won’t have to replace them that often. They’re expensive but cost effective.
Last longer than many other chews
Don’t splinter
No odor
- Last longer than many other chews
- Don’t splinter
- No odor
Not liked by all dogs
Too small for large dogs
- Not liked by all dogs
- Too small for large dogs
Food Form: Chew
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: Single ingredient
For those concerned about antler sourcing, you can rest easy knowing that these dog chews are sustainably sourced. Elk drop their antlers every fall and regrow them in the spring. This is a natural process, and elk antler dog chews are made by collecting the dropped antlers. They are sterilized, cleaned, and polished, and no elk is harmed.
Pros
All natural
Sustainably sourced
Long-lasting
Tolerates aggressive chewing
Cons
Not for small dogs
Expensive
Rawhide chews can be dangerous for dogs due to the fact that they swell up when exposed to moisture. They also leave a huge mess when your dog is done chewing. Petstages NewHide Tough Dog Chew Toy chews attempt to solve this problem by combining rawhide with durable nylon.
All natural
Sustainably sourced
Long-lasting
Tolerates aggressive chewing
- All natural
- Sustainably sourced
- Long-lasting
- Tolerates aggressive chewing
Not for small dogs
Expensive
- Not for small dogs
- Expensive
Food Form: Treat
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: N/A
The rawhide provides flavor and makes the chew attractive to your dog, while the nylon adds strength and durability. Together, they make it difficult for your dog to actually consume this bone like a normal rawhide bone. Unfortunately, this chew still leaves a mess for you to clean up.
Pros
Difficult to consume this rawhide
Durable
Cons
Messy
Dogs love bones, but bones filled with peanut butter will be loved even more! Redbarn Large Peanut Butter Filled Bones Dog Treats are beef femur bones filled with peanut butter. These bones are also available with cheese, bacon, or beef filling. They encourage your dog to chew through to the filling, much like a KONG toy does, except the outside is edible.
Difficult to consume this rawhide
Durable
- Difficult to consume this rawhide
- Durable
Messy
- Messy
These bones are all natural, with no artificial flavoring. They last a long time and stand up to aggressive chewing. The only downside is that they are high in calories, so you’ll want to adjust your dog’s food intake accordingly.
Pros
Tasty
Long-lasting
All-natural ingredient
Cons
High in calories
If you’re concerned about the risks associated with dogs chewing rawhide bones, these SmartBones Large Peanut Butter Chew Bones Dog Treats are 100% rawhide free. They taste like peanut butter, so dogs love them. They also don’t hold any risk of splintering or choking, like many other bones.
Tasty
Long-lasting
All-natural ingredient
- Tasty
- Long-lasting
- All-natural ingredient
High in calories
- High in calories
Food Form: Treat
Lifestage: Adult
Special Diet: Rawhide free
If you have a small dog that just needs something to keep them busy, SmartBones may do the trick. For tough chewers, however, they don’t stand up. Despite the company’s claims that a large SmartBone will satisfy tough chewers, it can be completely consumed in just a few seconds. This is less than ideal if you want to satisfy your dog’s chewing urges and an expensive way to feed your dog treats.
Pros
Rawhide free
No risk of splintering
Peanut butter taste dogs love
Cons
Consumed quickly by large dogs
Doesn’t stand up to tough chewers
Rawhide free
No risk of splintering
Peanut butter taste dogs love
- Rawhide free
- No risk of splintering
- Peanut butter taste dogs love
Consumed quickly by large dogs
Doesn’t stand up to tough chewers
- Consumed quickly by large dogs
- Doesn’t stand up to tough chewers
Buyer’s Guide: Buying the Best Dog Bones for Large Dogs
What to Look For in Large Dog Bones
Whether you are searching for an edible bone or just need something for your dog to chew on, there are a few things to look for when you’re shopping for dog bones:
Any type of chew should be larger than your dog’s head. This prevents them from being able to swallow it whole.
The harder the bone, the more likely it is to break your dog’s teeth.
Stick to bones with healthy ingredients — avoid chews that are full of sugar or high in calories or have chemical processing.
Chews with dental benefits will help clean your dog’s teeth while they chew.
Why Do Dogs Like to Chew?
Chewing is a natural instinct for dogs. Whether it comes from their wild ancestors that chewed meat off the bones of their prey or it’s just a way to relieve stress and boredom, we’re not sure. What is known is that if you don’t adequately satisfy large dogs’ chewing instincts, they can quickly turn destructive. They will find something to chew on, and it will usually be something that you don’t like.
- Any type of chew should be larger than your dog’s head. This prevents them from being able to swallow it whole.
- The harder the bone, the more likely it is to break your dog’s teeth.
- Stick to bones with healthy ingredients — avoid chews that are full of sugar or high in calories or have chemical processing.
- Chews with dental benefits will help clean your dog’s teeth while they chew.
Making sure your dog has toys to chew on when they are unsupervised and bones and treats when you are around will prevent them from finding substitute chews, like your couch, shoes, or laundry.
What’s Wrong With Rawhide?
Dogs love to chew on rawhide, but it’s just not safe for them to do so. Rawhide can’t be digested, so it moves through your dog’s system as one large chunk. That chunk absorbs moisture and gets bigger as it travels through the digestive system and causes a risk of intestinal blockage. A ton of chemical processing also goes into making rawhide a “bone.” Given these risks, there are better things for your dog to chew on.
How Often Can You Give Your Dog Bones?
You can give your dog bones to chew on every day if you wish. The only thing to remember is that they do contain calories, so make sure to account for this when feeding your dog.
Conclusion
We recommend Pawstruck Braided Bully Sticks Dog Treats as the best overall dog bones for large dogs. Bully sticks are long-lasting, satisfying alternatives to rawhide bones that are sure to keep your dog busy for hours. The best value for the money is Nylabone Edibles Natural Nubz Dog Chews. These are inexpensive options for satisfying your dog’s natural chewing instincts.
See also:
- 10 Best Dog Treats for Large Dogs – Reviews & Top Picks
- 5 Benefits Dogs Get from Chewing Bones or Chews
