Raw Hide

Question
Hi Nancy,

I have a chihuahua mix and a min pin mix. Whenever I give them raw hide to chew, the chihuahua always tend to not chew it unless it has been chewed up by the other dog. When I give it to them, the chihuahua would sniff at it and not chew it. So what I usually do is when the min pin kind of "broken in" with the raw hide so to speak, i would exchange each other's raw hide. Once I do that, my chihuahua would haven no issue chewing it. I know it is not a dental issue because they just saw the vet and had their annual dental exam. Is there a way to fix this problem?

Also, whenever I give my chihuahua his meal, he would just sniff it, look at me, and slowly eat it. He acts as if he doesn't like the food. In fact, he would only eat it, when I don't look at him. What do you think?  thanks



Jackie

Answer
There is nothing wrong except that the bite of some dogs is not as strong as the bite of others.  The Chihuahua, probably doesn't like the pressure he has to use to wear down a rawhide.  Raw hide is not the best choice because it is not digestible.  You might want to try pig ears instead.  The same with his meal, the hinge in his jaw probably feels pressure when he eats.  
nancy