tIf you follow our personal fostering instagram account, it’s not secret that we love Benebones (Although, I’ll admit, I have no idea what the correct pronunciation is! Bean bone? Ben-uh bone?) We first learned of these nylon chews infused with real flavor back in 2014, and since then every single dog that has lived in our home, without exception, has enjoyed many a chew session with these bones. We have a basket in our living room full of about 10 to 15 benebones (don’t judge) at any given time, and swap them out when they get worn down and small. Beau and our fosters seem to find them so irresistible, that I sometimes refer to them as “doggie crack.”
Given our dogs’ history as Benebone aficionados, when I saw on Benebone’s instagram that the company was releasing a new product this past December, I made sure to snag one (okay fine, two) as soon as it hit the shelves.
Source: Benebone blog (www.benebone.com/blog/introducing-pawplexer/)
Called “the Pawplexer,” this Benebone is a bit thicker than the jumbo sized wishbone, and ribbed. Most importantly, though, it has a circular rubber “star” in the middle made for shoving (key word, as you have to push really hard as the rubber is tough) a bully stick, antler, greenie, chew…or even another Benebone! Like the rest of Benebone’s products, the Pawplexer comes in different sizes depending on your dog’s size and chewing intensity. I bought the large size for 60 lb Beau and 50 lb Mama Julep (our current foster dog) – one peanut butter and one chicken.
I was really excited to see the dogs’ reactions when they opened these up on Christmas morning. I shoved a bully stick in each one and expected them to dive in right away. Mama Julep did just that (despite missing 12 teeth, she loves to chew and she especially loves bully sticks!) but Beau totally surprised me by being afraid of the Pawplexer! He was…dare I say it…pawplexed!
After about 20 minutes, Beau did eventually conquer his fears and chowed down on his bully stick plus Pawplexer, and now he seems to really enjoy it. I think partially because we stick bully sticks in our Pawplexers, they have become coveted, high-value toys that we reserve for crate time, when we’re leaving the house, or other times when a distraction is needed. As is the case with all of our Benebones, the chicken flavor is more desirable to the dogs than the peanut butter. (Our pet store was sold out of jumbo bacon, which is usually the favorite.)
Overall, I rate the Pawplexer 4 stars out of 5.
It boasts the durability and irresistibility that we have come to expect from Benebone’s reliable line of products, and when a thick bully stick is shoved in the rubber star it keeps our dogs (advanced chewers well-versed in puzzle games) occupied for about 30 minutes, which is a long time in our house! The only reason I knocked a point off my rating is that, at $20+ (depending on the store) this is an expensive chew, plus the price of the bully stick or other chew that you’ll be sticking inside the rubber star. (As my other half aptly noted, it’s kind of like expensive razor blades for a razor!)
Note: this is not a sponsored post – I purchased our Pawplexer’s from our local pet store and have reviewed it in the hopes of helping out other dog people.
