I feed my miniature schnauzer kibble, and he rarely has any meat or 'natural' products in his diet. I dislike giving him rawhide as it smells, has no nutritional value, and gets all stuck in his schnauzery beard, yuk. He also has a sensitive stomach, so I'm always reluctant to give him anything that may be too rich.

I saw these stagbars in my local branch of Jolleyes and they seemed ideal. I do feel guilty that Sawyer only has kibble, so I wanted to give him something natural to chew on.

THE PRODUCT AND COMPANY
Stagbars are sold by a company named Pure Dog, who use only ethical methods. You can view their website by going to http://www.puredog.co.uk/.

The stagbars are parts of real antlers that deer have shed naturally. I like this aspect very much as it means that no deer have been harmed and these are completely natural.

APPEARANCE AND SMELL
These really just look like brown coloured bones, or even bits of hard bark. Because they are 100% natural, they come in various shapes and sizes - some are straight whereas some have prongs. They are very hard and dry. The core of each stagbar has marrow inside it, but until the dog starts to extract it with its teeth, this is also dry.

There is not really any smell to these - once the dog starts chewing it and the marrow inside becomes moist, I can detect a sort of 'earthy' smell to them, but it's nothing too unpleasant and smells better than rawhide does.

SIZES AVAILABLE AND PRICES
These come in 5 different sizes:
Small Stagbar (toy dogs) £3.98
Medium Stagbar (small to medium dogs) £5.99
Large Stagbar (medium to large bars) £8.99
Extra large Stagbar (giant breeds or dogs with strong jaws) £10.99
Jumbo Stagbar ('really big dogs and very strong chewers') £12.98

I got Sawyer the medium stagbar which is a perfect size for him.

GIVING THEM TO A DOG
Obviously you should not leave your dog unattended with a product like this. Sawyer didn't really know what to do with it at first - he just threw it up and down the living room. I'd estimate it took about 10 minutes or so before he realised he could chew it. Because the stagbar is hard, it is great for cleaning dogs teeth and scraping any plaque off (and therefore preventing doggy breath!) The first time I gave this to Sawyer, he chewed and chewed at it for around 3 hours without a break - and he hardly made a dent in it. Therefore these are fantastic value for money because they will last for absolutely ages. He goes mad when I take it out of the drawer and he doesn't show any signs whatsoever of getting bored of this.

Now that Sawyer has gotten to the marrow in the core of the stagbar, I have noticed that his beard smells a bit - but that's the occupational hazard of owning a dog with a beard! It's worth it to see how much he enjoys it, not to mention that when I give him this, I get peace and quiet for a few hours.

MESSY?
Nope, not really. Unlike rawhide they don't go sticky. They aren't greasy either. I have a wooden floor but I wouldn't have a problem letting Sawyer chew these on a carpet as they won't leave any residue. Because they are hard and brittle on the outside, I do find that tiny bits can chip off, but it's no big deal as they are easily cleared up with a dustpan and brush.

AVAILABILITY
You can buy these in Jolleyes, Pets At Home, and on the Pure Dog website. I hope they become more widely available as they are a great idea.

MAIN ADVANTAGES
- Ethical and natural aspect.
- Not very messy.
- Dog is entertained for hours.
- Healthy and low fat for dogs.
- Helps keep teeth clean.
- Cheap and long lasting.

DISADVANTAGES
None, really.

WOULD I RECOMMEND?
Absolutely. Your dog will love these.