Happy International Dog Day
Today is all about celebrating the dogs who make every day better.
From the first tail wag of the morning to those big eyes asking for *just one more chew* — they give us their whole day, every day, and ask for remarkably little in return.
International Dog Day falls on 26 August each year. It was founded in 2004 to encourage adoption and to recognise what dogs do for people: guiding, searching, detecting, comforting, and simply being there when the house would otherwise be quiet.
But most of us do not need a date in the calendar to know what our dogs are worth. What the day is useful for is stopping long enough to notice it.
What Your Dog Actually Gives You
It is easy to describe a dog as a pet and leave it there. The reality is measurable.
They are not just pets. They are family, and most owners would say the household would not function without them.
So Give Them Something That Actually Earns the Word "Treat"
Here is the honest problem with most dog treats: they are gone in seconds. A biscuit is a moment. A dog swallows it, looks up, and the event is over.
A chew is different, because chewing is not really about food at all.
Chewing releases endorphins and engages the parasympathetic nervous system — the same system responsible for rest and recovery. A dog settled into a long chew is not just occupied. They are genuinely calmer afterwards. It is one of the few things you can give a dog that works on their nervous system rather than just their stomach.
That is the difference between feeding a dog and giving them something to do.
What Makes a Himalayan Yak Chew Different
A Highland Yak Chew is made from three ingredients: yak and cow milk, a little lime juice, and a pinch of salt.
That is the complete list. No preservatives, no additives, no grains, no artificial flavours, and nothing that needs explaining on the back of a packet.
The milk is boiled, curdled with lime juice, pressed into blocks, and then slow-dried and smoked over several weeks in the mountains. It is a preservation method that predates refrigeration by centuries — Himalayan communities made these to feed themselves through winter long before anyone thought to give one to a dog.
What that traditional process produces:
And when it is worn down to a stump too small to chew safely, you do not throw it away. Forty-five seconds in the microwave turns it into a puffy, crunchy treat — which also neatly removes the choking hazard that every other long-lasting chew leaves you managing.
Matching the Chew to the Dog
Getting the size right matters more than most owners expect. Too small is a choking risk; too large can put a smaller dog off entirely.
| Your dog's weight | Size to choose |
|---|---|
| 5–10kg | Small |
| 10–25kg | Medium |
| Over 25kg | Large |
If your dog is a determined chewer, size up rather than down. A chew that lasts is the entire point.
Chewing Is Not a Luxury
It is worth saying plainly: chewing is a behavioural need, not an indulgence.
Dogs who are not given something appropriate to chew will find something inappropriate — skirting boards, shoes, furniture legs. This is not naughtiness. It is a normal dog doing a normal dog thing without a suitable outlet.
Regular chewing also does real work on dental health, helping to reduce plaque and tartar through the mechanical action of chewing itself. For a dog who will not tolerate a toothbrush, and most will not, that is not a small thing.
So the "treat" is doing three jobs at once: it satisfies an instinct, it calms the nervous system, and it looks after their teeth.
Happy International Dog Day
Whether your dog is a puppy still working out what feet are for, a steady middle-aged companion who knows exactly when dinner is, or an old friend who has slowed down but still finds the energy for the door — today is theirs.
Give them the extra-big treat. They have more than earned it.
Happy International Dog Day from all of us at Highland Yak Chew. 🐾
Browse our range of natural yak milk chews and find the right size for your best friend.
