Product Review: Nylabone Flavor Frenzy Dura Chew Birthday Bone

This completely innocent-looking bone is part of Nylabone's Flavor Frenzy product line. Made from their hard, firm Dura Chew material, it can really stand up to a lot of play. This cake-scented toy is crowned with a cupcake on the tip. Comes in two sizes.

Photo by Erin Koski

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a blotchy purple chew toy shaped like a traditional dog bone at one end, and a cupcake on the other end. Nylabone is just trying out some new things. It's ok to experiment.

The Flavor Frenzy line contains a variety of new shapes, colors, and flavors to stimulate your dog's interest. Most are either food-shaped or bone-shaped, but the Birthday Bone combines both!

Photo by Erin Koski

I have no idea whether or not this bone actually tastes like birthday cake. It doesn't really smell like it, and Sisci showed it the same interest she does every chew toy.

Pros: Fun and festive! Super cute, and definitely doesn't look like anything other than a cake bone. Tough and durable.

Cons: The hard material can form sharp ridges when chewed. Looks more awkward than the Starmark Pickle Pocket when laying on the floor.

Bottom Line: There are several really fantastic people in Nylabone's product design and approval process. Good work, folks.

Product Review: The Benebone Bacon Flavored Wishbone Chew

Benebones are non-edible nylon chew toys infused with flavor. This bacon-flavored bone is made from nylon and bacon. Actual bacon. No, I have no idea how they did that. Benebones come in two additional flavors, chicken and peanut butter. The larger size is suitable for dogs under 70 pounds, the smaller size is for dogs under 30 pounds.

Photo by Erin Koski

I'm pretty sure this bacon-flavored Benebone arrived in one of our BarkBoxes, but I can't remember which one. It's been around for a while, and everyone but Ru has ignored it. Sisci adopted it soon after she arrived though, and now it gets toted all over the house and gnawed lovingly.

This is a pretty unique chew toy. I'm not really sure how they managed to infuse the nylon with real actual bacon. It certainly doesn't smell like anything. The shape is also unusual, our Nylabone wishbones are all flat, but the Benebone has a nice curve to it.

The biggest issue I see with this bone is that it is only for dogs under 70 pounds. That excludes a lot of labs, golden retrievers, and other very common breeds.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Non-toxic. Somehow made with actual bacon. Holds up well to light and moderate chewing. More enjoyable than a Nylabone.

Cons: Not for most large dogs or serious power chewers.

Bottom Line: I should probably buy a little one for Ru. He likes chewing this sort of this, but the Benebone is a bit big.

Product Review: Nylabones

Nylabones are synthetic non-edible chew bones, the company also makes edible bones. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

Photo by Erin Koski

Ru loves Nylabones like nothing else. He is an avid recreational chewer, and spends a decent amount of time each day happily gnawing these things. We have the full range of sizes around the house, but Brisbane won't chew anything that isn't edible, and Josie was equally unenthused. Ru has claimed all the Nylabones for himself.

We probably have well over a dozen of these things around the house, because Ru just isn't happy with a single Nylabone. He needs to have a pile of at least three or four, so he can lay atop them like a dragon on his hoard before he begins gnawing. He also enjoys burying them between the couch cushions, and they end up all over the house so I need to replenish his supply frequently.

Ru's Nylabone collection includes some opaque Daily Dental Durable bones, a Durachew textured ring bone, several spiky Dental bones, many clear Flexichew bones, and a pink Durable wishbone that is probably his favorite. Our foster chihuahua, Candy, was a much more powerful chewer and gnawed the knobs off a few of the Nylabones, but Ru doesn't chew pieces off them so I'm letting him keep them. The Durachew Ring bone hasn't gotten much love.

Nylabones claim to be flavored, some of them are supposed to taste like chicken, others like bacon. I haven't noticed any odor whatsoever, and even ventured a lick because I am ridiculous. They taste like nothing to me.

I wanted to get Ru a Nylabone Dental Dinosaur because I love dinosaurs, but there were so many Amazon reviews about dogs cracking teeth on them that I decided to pass.

Pros: Durable chews for dogs that love to gnaw. These come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and the petite chihuahua-sized ones are quite cheap. The harder ones were irresistible for my tiny power-chewing foster-uahuah. Other brands of durable chew bones are somehow not as compelling, it has to be a Nylabone.

Cons: Not all dogs like chewing plastic, or Nyla, or whatever these things are made of. I've heard stories of crazy dogs snapping them in half and eating them, so I would be careful to supervise a new dog with one. Nylabones are quite noisy when playing fetch on a hardwood floor.

Bottom Line: For dogs that love to chew for fun, nothing beats a Nylabone. They are cheap, easy to find, and appropriate for a wide range of dogs. I expect to be finding them in my couch for many years to come.