Why is Cato whimpering?

Maybe it injured one of his teeth or gums? Maybe he has a cavity and the constant chewing has irritated it? Did he swallow a big piece of it? That could cause irritation or blockage in his digestive tract.

Making short work of it is not good. Rawhide is not good for heavy chewers. Here’s some information: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/are-rawhide-chews-dangerous-for-dog/

Our dogs were heavy chewers and they would throw up the rawhide so we stopped giving it to them.

Beef marrow bone is much better and lasts for a very long time. Something like this: https://www.chewy.com/ultra-chewy-8-beef-marrow-bone-dog/dp/106699

He always has one of those @Jonsblond. We pick them up at the butcher. I’m just trying to give him different options so hopefully.he won’t chew on stuff he’s not supposed to chew on.

That’s what I looked for @seawulf575. I saw nothing. He only whimpered when it was in his mouth. Like I said, it seemed the same thing happened to Dakota.
He seems to be fine now.

Somebody send this to Longgone please.

It sounds to me like he knew it was broken, and he was expecting to be in trouble. When you saw the damage, and didn’t scold him, he was comforted.

Why on earth would I “scold” him for “breaking” that “bone”? That’s absured.

I assure you, it is not absurd. He doesn’t understand property the way you do. If he gets in trouble for knocking a lamp, or other fragile thing to the floor, and it gets broken, he will expect to be in trouble for other things he inadvertantly breaks. To a dog, there is no difference in value of one item to the next.

Dogs make linear associations.
Long ago, far away, I had a paper route which was quite spread out. One house was about a mile outside of town. They had a German Shepherd which was often left outside to roam. Everytime I delivered the paper he would chase my bike a solid run away from the house. I came to learn the way they disciplined him when he was in trouble, was to smack his face with the newspaper. I had a talk with them. The woman and I spent some time getting the dog to let me pet him. At one point I had her hold the paper as if she was going to hit him. I then held her wrist, and told her no. Of course she promised never to use the paper as a weapon any more.
He saw me stop her, so he was able to see I didn’t want him to be hit.
From that day on he greeted me like a friend.
I brought the thing they hit him with, so he thought it was my fault. There is no deep thinking involved.

I think two scenarios are most likely. It’s either pain, or frustration.

Can you look at his canines? Some dogs are born with fragile teeth. Are his canines still pointy? Are all his teeth clean and white?

Many dogs whine when they’re frustrated. This might be the case when the bone is too much of a challenge and just takes too long to chew into bits.

@Patty_Melt Dogs all over the world are chasing mailmen right this second. Many of them have never been hit with a newspaper and would chase even a pizza delivery guy. I think it’s much more likely that this dog you met was anxious around strangers. You took the time to get to know him, and then you became a friend. In any case, it’s nice that they stopped smacking him. Good for you.

If I get him another I’ll soak it in warm water for a bit to soften it up.
He is doing so well, with occasional bouts of skittishness that I’m working on.