Bully sticks might be the most requested chew in our store. Dogs go wild for them, they last longer than most soft treats, and owners like that the ingredient list has exactly one item on it. But if you have ever searched for bully sticks in Canada, you know the market is flooded with imports of wildly different quality, and the sizing advice on most packages is vague at best.
This guide covers what we tell customers at the counter: how bully sticks are made, how to size them properly, when puppies can start, and what separates a good Canadian stick from a cheap imported one.
What is a bully stick, exactly?
A bully stick is a dried beef pizzle. That is the polite term for a bull's penis muscle, and yes, every dog owner does a double take the first time they learn this. The muscle is cleaned, stretched and slow dried until it becomes a firm, chewy stick that softens gradually as your dog works on it.
What makes bully sticks special among chews is the combination of three things. They are a single ingredient with nothing added. They are fully digestible, unlike some harder chews where swallowed pieces can cause trouble. And they are protein dense while staying relatively low in fat.
Veal bully sticks: the version most Canadians have not tried
Most bully sticks on Canadian shelves come from mature cattle, and most of those are imported from South America or overseas. Our veal bully sticks are different in two ways that matter.
First, they come from younger animals, which makes the stick slightly softer and easier on teeth while still lasting a satisfying amount of time. That makes veal sticks a great fit for puppies, seniors and moderate chewers who find standard bully sticks too hard at the start.
Second, ours are 100 percent Canadian sourced and slow dried right here, with no artificial additives at any step. A single ingredient, from a Canadian farm, prepared in Canada. That is the entire supply chain.
How to size a bully stick for your dog
Sizing is where most owners guess, and guessing usually means buying a stick that disappears in ten minutes or one your dog cannot get started on. Here is the breakdown we use in store, based on our three sizes.
- 4 to 6 inch sticks suit puppies, toy breeds and small dogs up to about 25 pounds. Short enough to manage, thin enough for smaller jaws.
- 9 inch sticks are the all-rounder for medium dogs in the 25 to 60 pound range. This is our best seller by a wide margin.
- 16 inch sticks are for large breeds, powerful chewers and dogs who have humbled you by finishing a 9 inch stick in one sitting.
One rule beats all others: the stick should always be longer than your dog's muzzle is wide, with enough left over that they cannot fit the whole thing in their mouth. When a stick wears down to a nub of two inches or so, take it away and replace it. The nub is the only real choking risk a bully stick has.
Can puppies have bully sticks?
Yes, and this is one of the most common questions we get. Once a puppy is around 12 weeks old and chewing everything in sight, a properly sized bully stick is one of the safest outlets you can offer. A few guidelines make it work:
- Start with the 4 to 6 inch size regardless of breed. A puppy does not need a big stick, just a manageable one.
- Softer sticks are kinder to baby teeth, which is exactly why we point puppy owners to veal. It gives without being flimsy.
- Limit sessions to ten or fifteen minutes at first. Rich protein is new to a young stomach.
- Supervise every session. This applies to dogs of any age, but doubly so for puppies still figuring out how to chew.
Teething puppies in particular do better with a bully stick in the house. Every minute spent on the stick is a minute not spent on your baseboards. For training rewards between chew sessions, our duck treats are softer and portion into small pieces.
What to watch for with imported bully sticks
We are obviously biased toward Canadian sourcing, but there are concrete reasons behind the bias.
Odour is the giveaway. That infamous bully stick smell comes mostly from how the pizzle was cleaned and how fast it was dried. Sticks that travel across an ocean are often dried fast at high heat or treated to survive months in a shipping container, and the smell shows it. A properly slow dried stick has a mild smell dogs love and owners can live with.
Traceability is the other issue. With imports, you rarely know the farm, the feed or the handling standards behind the stick. With a Canadian sourced stick, the supply chain is short enough to actually verify. For a treat your dog will spend hours with in their mouth, that is worth something.
Price per hour of chewing tells the real story too. Cheap imported sticks are often thin and finish fast. A denser, properly dried stick costs a little more upfront and lasts noticeably longer.
How often can dogs have bully sticks?
For most dogs, two or three bully stick sessions a week is a healthy rhythm. They are calorie dense, roughly 9 to 20 calories per inch depending on thickness, so factor them into the daily food budget, especially for small dogs. If your dog is watching their weight, trade a bit of kibble for stick time rather than stacking one on top of the other.
Store spare sticks in a dry container at room temperature. If a stick gets slobbery and you want to save it for later, let it air dry fully before it goes back in the container.
Bully sticks vs other chews
Compared to rawhide bones, bully sticks are fully digestible and single ingredient, though they do not last quite as long. Compared to cow hooves and the rest of our natural dog bones, they are much easier on teeth and safe for enthusiastic chompers, but pricier per hour of chewing. Compared to soft jerky treats, they are in a different league for lasting power. Most households do best keeping two or three types in rotation, and if you want the full comparison we cover rawhide safety and cow hooves in their own guides. And if you would rather get a bit of everything in one order, our guide to dog treat boxes in Canada covers the easiest way to build a rotation.
Where to buy bully sticks in Canada
Our veal bully sticks ship across Canada in all three sizes: 4 to 6 inch for puppies and small dogs, the 9 inch standard for medium dogs, and the 16 inch for big chewers. Canadian sourced, slow dried, one ingredient. They sit alongside the rest of our natural dog bones and chews if you want to browse the wider range.
Quick answers
Are bully sticks safe for dogs? Yes, for nearly all dogs. Supervise chewing and take away the last small nub.
What age can a puppy have a bully stick? Around 12 weeks, once they are actively chewing. Start with the smallest size and keep sessions short.
Why do bully sticks smell? Fast dried or poorly cleaned sticks smell strongest. Slow dried Canadian sticks have a much milder odour.
How long does a bully stick last? Anywhere from 20 minutes for a power chewer on a thin stick to several sessions across days for a moderate chewer on a thick one.
Not sure which size fits your dog? Send us a message with their breed and weight and we will point you to the right stick. We have matched a lot of dogs to a lot of chews, and we are happy to add yours to the list.
Veal Bully Sticks
100 percent Canadian sourced, slow dried, one ingredient. Three sizes, from puppies to power chewers.
Shop bully sticks