Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Help your dog handle a new school year: Jones Natural Chews review + giveaway

UPDATE: Just to make it clear, to be qualified to enter, you MUST leave a comment in the comment section at the end of the blog AND enter the Rafflecopter widget by confirming that you left a comment. I see some people have entered the Rafflecopter widget by saying they left a comment... but didn't leave a comment. Please do so.

It's tough to imagine the summer is almost over and children are going back to school.

That means a rush of shopping, getting kids back to a bed routine, maybe a doctor visit or two, maybe even one last trip somewhere fun. 

But dogs are creatures of habit. And after a relaxing summer with their best friends, the new school year up-ends their peaceful existence. So lets help them adjust!

And one way is to use long-lasting chews that they can keep busy and relieve stress with. That's why we're partnering with Jones Natural Chews to help.

A bone can help your dog adjust to the kids going back to school.

We're giving 2 people a set of great Jones Natural Chews center bones to get you started.

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Jones Natural Chews. But all of the opinions and information are our own.

"All... by... my... self...."

So imagine having your child in a structured environment for months, and then they suddenly have nothing to do, no one to interact with, no where to go.

What would they do? My guess is they would find something to do -- and you may not like it.

A bored, lonely dog is liable to get into trouble. Get them used to being home alone.
Your dog is used to having their friends to hang with all day. And now they're going back to school.
Your dog is the same as your child, in more ways than one. If no one is home for hours at a time, suddenly, they will take to finding things to chew on -- like shoes, or kids' toys. They might get into garbage cans, or rip up pillows and blankets.  

They can get even more destructive too. To say nothing of possible bathroom accidents, or even just barking and howling.

It's not just boredom though. It can be stress or depression. Where are there friends? Where did they go? Are they ever coming home?

Get your dog ready for school too

So now is a great time to help your pets get used to the kids not being home. 

It's time to start leaving your dog home for short periods every day. Start with an hour or so. Then, each day, gradually add time. This gets them used to being alone.
  • In the mornings, be sure to take the dog on a long walk. A good 20 to 30 minutes at least, depending on the dog. If you don't want to do a walk, exercise them in the yard. Remember -- a tired dog is a happy dog.
  • Try to have everything prepared for the school day the night before. A lot of rushing around will be stressful, and the dog will sense your stress.
  • If you walk your kid to the bus stop or take them to school, consider taking your dog with you.
  • Either way, whenever you leave the house, or come back, don't make a big deal about it. No excitement in your voice, no crazy petting, no acknowledging them when they jump up or get crazy. Make it seem perfectly normal. 
  • Be sure to take them for a walk when you get home, and later on include some play time and cuddle time.
And finally, be sure to leave your dog with things to keep them busy -- like a Jones Natural Chews bone.

REVIEW: Jones Natural Chews Center Bones

We are big fans of Jones Natural Chews. They are a family-owned business that uses animal parts from livestock sourced all over the U.S. The Jones family itself comes from generations of meat cutters, so they know what to do to get the best quality product, and they've been doing it since the 70s.

A Jones Natural Chews 7-inch bone is great for medium-large dogs and aggressive chewers.
Lulu shows of the Jones Natural Chews 7-inch Center Bone.
Lulu and Jasmine have tried many of Jones products. We love the knee caps and pig ears, but one of my favorites for long lasting use is the Center Bone.

The Center Bone comes in several sizes.

The Jones Natural Chews Center Bone comes in several sizes.

The 1-inch, 2-inch and 4-inch Center bones are great for small dogs. They work for smaller mouths.

The 1-inch Center Bones are perfect for small dogs like dachshunds.
Mom's dachshund, Cappy, enjoys a 1-inch Center Bone.
They can work for medium-sized dogs too, but be sure the dog is not an aggressive chewer. For them, go with the 7-inch bone, which works for large dogs too. 

The bones are beef tibia or femur bones, often with marrow in the middle of the bone and plenty of meat and tendon still on the bone. The bones are dipped in Liquid Smoke and then slow-roasted. That's it. 

Don't want the Liquid Smoke? Jones makes natural 4-inch and 7-inch bones without it.

The Jones Natural Chews Bandit's Bone is stuffed with beef.
Jasmine and the Jones Natural Chews Bandit's Bone.
Then there's Bandit's Bone, a white bare bone filled with a mixture of beef and molasses, which the dogs can lick out for hours. It lasts a long time! 

Jasmine can get her tongue inside a Bandit's Bone and lick it up!
The best part about these bones is they are reusable. Simply fill them with your pet's favorite treat -- peanut butter, pumpkin or canned dog food, anything else you can think of. 

Some things to remember

The only thing Jones says is don't clean the bone with water or chill it in a fridge or freezer. It's already sealed from the cooking process, and if you introduce moisture into it, you'll promote the growth of bacteria or mold.

If they take the bone outside, you may want to leave it out there, of course.

Lulu loves to tear the meat off the Center bone, but if she starts breaking it, I have to take it away.
And if the bone splinters, take it away, but that's another great reason to use the center bones -- there's a low chance of splintering, so you can leave your dog with the bone. But as your dog wears the bone down, they may splinter. 

Remember, bones are for gnawing, not consuming.

You can find Jones Natural Chews  in your area by using the Store Locator on the Jones website. Tractor Supply sells the bones, as do some Pet Supermarkets and boutique retailers. You can also buy through Amazon.com.



Win some Jones Natural Chews bones for yourself!

Now -- here's your chance to win some for your dogs.

Two people will win two bones from Jones Natural Chews. Lets us know what size dog and what bones you want and the company will send them to you!

The winners must be 18 years or older and must live in the United States. 

To enter to win, answer this question in the comments section:

How do you get your dog relax and entertain themselves when you are busy or not at home?

Then, be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter widget below, otherwise your comment won't count!

You can also get extra entries if you:


You have until August 28 to enter! Good luck.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 comments :

  1. My girl loves to nap when we aren't home. I'm sure she's exploring in areas that she doesn't belong, but you'd never know it when we get home!

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  2. Mom Kim here - When I'm not home, Lady Shasta my senior Beagle loves to just nap away the time on the sofa - it's like me time for her and she isn't pestered by her new younger sissy, Miss Maizie. MM - not quite a year old Beagle has only been here since 5/1/17 so for now, she stays in her crate where she loves to stay - sometimes I just have to get her blanket ready and put a couple squeekerless toys in her crate and she just walks in on her own. Or all I do is say 'kennel' followed by tossing in a couple of treats and in she goes. I cover it with a blanket so it is dark - she goes in, curls up and lays down.

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  3. i have lots of toys, i mean lots of toys, for them to play with. they also have a very large bed in the living room. however, my youngest sometimes prefers the furniture, it is ok it is covered. they also have big windows to watch what is going on outside. i can tell they spend a lot of time at the windows from the window seals being all scratched up. they have torn down the curtains and ripped them when they were barking at the deer outside.

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  4. These look like they would keep most pups entertained for a good long while,xx Speedy

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  5. chew bones, like bully sticks or frozen bison bones and toys. we would love to try these Jones bones!

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  6. During the summertime My Kobe and choo choo are very busy out and about with me and the family. But when they're home alone they rearrange stuff just so it makes him feel close to everyone. So I have to give them a big bone just to keep them busy until we come home cuz they're not comfortable by themselves they will not fall asleep.

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  7. I use toys and chews to get my dogs to relax at home when I'm not there

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  8. I leave the radio on for her and she has all her toys to play with

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  9. I love natural chews but never leave my dogs with a bone while I'm not home. Just in case of splintering. Also, my dogs tend to resource guard. We have a lot of wildlife so I leave all the blinds open for the dogs to watch.

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  10. Ivi and Rylie have bones (Jones, of course) and puzzle toys to keep them busy. :)

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  11. We have nanny cams that we talk to our dog through - we also have a lot of toys around the house!

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  12. I have 1 beagle (since she was a puppy), I have 1 beagle who we adopted 2 years ago as a stray with heartworms, I have a 3rd beagle who is a forever foster (he was an owner surrender with chronic breathing issues), then last but not least, I am fostering a little basset/jack russell/dachshund/Heinz 57 24 lb love bug who needs a forever family, so they (I) could definitely use the bones to keep them occupied. Plus, beagles being the insatiable pig dogs they are, it would certainly pacify them between meals (which they believe should be served to them every half hour, of course!)

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