Short answer: the best "bone" for a small dog usually isn't a bone at all. It's a single-ingredient, fully digestible natural chew sized to your dog's jaw — a thin or standard bully stick, a piece of beef trachea, or a cow ear. Hard weight-bearing bones (femurs, knuckle bones, anything cooked) crack small teeth and splinter, and the FDA has warned pet owners about exactly that.
I'm Preston Smith, co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. We've shipped a lot of chews to a lot of 8-pound dogs, and the sizing questions come up every week. Here's how I'd think about it.
Why not give a small dog a real bone?
Two reasons: teeth and stomachs.
Small breeds have small, comparatively fragile teeth crowded into a small jaw. A dense, weight-bearing beef or pork bone is harder than tooth enamel, and slab fractures of the upper premolars are a common result. Cooked bones are worse — cooking dries the bone out and makes it splinter into sharp fragments.
The FDA has published a consumer warning about processed "bone treats," citing reports of blockages, choking, rectal bleeding, and death (FDA: No Bones About It). None of that is worth the risk when better options exist.
What should a small dog chew instead?
Look for chews that are 100% natural, single-ingredient, and fully digestible — meaning if your dog swallows a piece, it breaks down in the stomach rather than sitting there. That rules out rawhide, which is a chemically processed hide byproduct, not meat. (We break down the difference in natural chews vs. rawhide.)
Good options for dogs under about 25 pounds:
- Thin or standard bully sticks (6") — 100% real meat, high protein, and firm enough to last without being tooth-breaking hard. This is the default recommendation for most small dogs.
- Beef trachea — soft, hollow, and easy on senior or small mouths. It also contains naturally occurring chondroitin. More on that in our guide to whether trachea chews are safe for dogs.
- Cow ears — thin, low-calorie relative to their size, and a good "quick win" chew for a dog that finishes things fast.
- Gullet sticks — softer than a bully stick, good for light chewers and older dogs with worn teeth.
What size chew does a small dog need?
The rule I give people: the chew should be longer than your dog's muzzle so they can't get the whole thing in their mouth, and thin enough that they can actually get their jaw around it. A 12" jumbo bully stick isn't safer for a Chihuahua — it's just frustrating, and she'll gnaw one end into a slick nub.
For most small dogs, a 6" thin or standard-thickness bully stick hits both marks. If your dog is a determined chewer who gets to the last two inches quickly, use a bully stick holder so the end can't be gulped. We go deeper on this in choosing the right size bully stick.
Are these chews good for a small dog's teeth?
Chewing helps. Mechanical abrasion from a firm chew scrapes soft plaque off the tooth surface before it mineralizes into tartar, and small breeds are especially prone to periodontal disease — it's one of the most common diagnoses in dogs by age three (VCA Animal Hospitals).
To be clear, a chew is not a substitute for brushing or a professional cleaning. It's a useful supplement that your dog actually enjoys, which is more than you can say for most dental routines.
How many calories are we talking about?
This matters more for small dogs than anyone expects. A 20-pound dog might only need 500 calories a day. A standard 6" bully stick runs roughly 80–90 calories, so that's a meaningful chunk of the daily budget. The AKC's general guidance is to keep treats under about 10% of daily calories (AKC).
Practically: for a small dog, one 6" bully stick every couple of days is reasonable. Daily is fine for larger dogs; for a 10-pounder, space them out or use thinner chews.
What about puppies?
Small-breed puppies can have bully sticks once they have their adult teeth coming in and are eating solid food comfortably — usually around 12 weeks — with supervision every time. Full details in can puppies have bully sticks.
Safety rules that apply to every chew
- Supervise. Every chew, every time. This is the single biggest safety factor.
- Take away the nub. When the chew gets small enough to swallow whole, trade it for something else.
- Fresh water nearby. Dried chews are dry work.
- Introduce one at a time. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, a new protein all at once is a bad idea.
- Know your source. Ours are ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms, with no additives, no chemicals, and no rawhide — and they're 100% high-quality guaranteed.
The bottom line
Skip the hard bones. For a small dog, a 6" thin or standard bully stick, a trachea piece, or a cow ear gives you the same chewing satisfaction with far less risk — 100% real meat, single-ingredient, and fully digestible. Size it to the muzzle, watch the calories, and stay in the room while they work on it.
This post was last updated at August 7, 2026 01:20
