As the saying goes, a tired dog is a happy dog. We are firm believers that our dogs are much happier when they’ve had their fill of fun activities that they like to do throughout the day. Whether it’s going for their daily walks or looking for lizards to chase at our local park, even though Kokoro and Chibi are already 6 and 7 years old, they still require a good amount of effort to tire out! Because of this, we’re constantly on the lookout for the next best chew or toy to keep our dogs busy. If you have a young dog with a lot of energy or a working breed like Chibi, it can be tricky to find a fun, mentally stimulating activity for them that lasts longer than 5 minutes! Many edible chews out there are expensive and don’t hold up to the strong chew power of most pups. Throughout the years, we’ve tried probably every dog treat, chew, and puzzle toy out there in an effort to find the best option that lasts the longest.

Many edible chews out there are expensive and don’t hold up to the strong chew power of most pups. Throughout the years, we’ve tried probably every dog treat, chew, and puzzle toy out there in an effort to find the best option that lasts the longest.

LET’S GET INTO THE HACK!

We’ve been on the hunt for a toy that could wrap around a bully stick, like a casing of sorts, that still allows the dog see, smell, and work on the chew. We’ve found that with chews, dogs like to feel like they’re making progress. Otherwise, they give up and lose interest in the chew.

When we came across the JW Pet Hol-ee Bone, it looked like the perfect toy to wrap around a bully stick to make it last longer! Make sure you get the Small/Medium size (not Large).

With this toy, the holes are large enough that our dogs can still reach the bully stick from multiple angles and make progress on wearing it down.

The hack is very simple. Just insert the bully stick and thread it through the holes in the toy! Adding this simple “casing” to the bully stick increases the lifespan of the bully stick from about 15 minutes to up to an hour.

Of course, how long this contraption lasts totally depends on your dog’s chew strength and size. Either way, this hack should make your bully stick last longer than if you just gave it to your pup straight up!

After a few chew sessions, the rubber on the toy may start to rip or come apart. At this point, we toss the toy since it can no longer fully encase the bully stick, and we don’t want the dogs to accidentally swallow any rubber pieces.

WHAT ABOUT A BULLY STICK HOLDER?

Yes, there are definitely toys out there made specifically to hold bully sticks, like this one by Westpaw. I was so excited when I found this toy and quickly ordered one to test it out with the dogs, but unfortunately it didn’t do the trick for us.

The good thing is that the inside of the toy holds on to an average sized bully stick very tightly. This makes it challenging for the dog and they cannot simply pull the bully stick out.

This is also a bit of the downfall of this toy. If you fully insert the bully stick, it makes it almost impossible for the dog to do any real damage to the chew because it’s mostly wrapped and it’s hard for them to access any part of the chew. We’ve found that this actually causes the pups to lose interest and leave the toy alone once they’ve given up. If you give the chew to them with the stick not fully inserted, then it’s quite easy for them to pull out.

Sometimes when you’re busy working or just need an extra hour to yourself, giving your pup a long-lasting chew or toy is the perfect way to keep them occupied and happy while you do your thing!