BoneZone® Structural Feeding™ Canine Enrichment Apparatus & Chewing Station
A smarter way to present the foods your dog has to work for
BoneZone® is a modular Structural Feeding™ canine enrichment apparatus and chewing station. A complete system that secures appropriately selected bones, substantially intact / structured whole foods and long-duration chews to a stable physical structure. The food retains structure, and that structure provides function, while BoneZone® supplies controlled external resistance against which the dog can perform a broad functional feeding repertoire by sniffing, licking, gripping, pulling, tearing, stripping, scraping, slicing, gnawing, puncturing, chewing, crushing, crunching, and manipulating the item.
At the same time, the owner retains greater control over location, height, movement, environmental contact, hygiene management, supervision, removal and cleanup.
BoneZone® is not a diet and it is not a claim that every dog should eat bones. It is an engineered physical layer between the dog, an appropriate substantial feeding item and the modern environment - preserving useful structure where suitable, supplying controlled resistance, and giving the owner greater control over the feeding event.
At its simplest, BoneZone® turns a loose feeding item into a defined physical feeding event. Instead of the item sliding, rolling, being carried away, buried, wedged against furniture or dragged through the house and yard, it remains positioned against a deliberate resistance point while the dog works on the accessible material.
But the significance is not simply that the food stays put.
Physical structure enables mechanical function.
A substantial food item can engage more of the dog's feeding repertoire than the same material reduced to small, soft, loose or pre-portioned pieces. Shape, scale, resistance, attachment and accessibility all influence what the dog physically has to do with the item.
Where that structure is appropriate for the individual dog, BoneZone® allows the food to retain more of its functional form while providing the counterforce required for the dog to work against it. The dog can change grip, alter angle, pull, strip, scrape, tear, lick, gnaw, chew and manipulate the accessible material without the entire item simply travelling with each movement.
That is an important distinction.
We are not making feeding difficult for the sake of difficulty, and we are not arguing that every calorie should require work. We are preserving an opportunity for a broader functional feeding repertoire where it makes sense, while transferring much of the environmental control back to the owner.
The dog still supplies the force.
BoneZone® supplies the counterforce.
The food can retain useful structure.
And the owner gains a much more manageable feeding environment.
We call this Structural Feeding™ - our term for the physical presentation and engineering layer between the dog, an appropriate substantial feeding item and the modern environment - preserving useful structure and function of the food, supplying controlled resistance against a stable structure, and giving the owner greater control over a structured feeding event.
The word structural is deliberate because it describes three connected parts of the system.
The feeding item can retain useful physical structure instead of automatically being reduced to small, freely available pieces.
BoneZone® provides the stable physical structure against which the dog can apply force.
And together they create a more structured feeding event in which the owner can better control location, height, movement, environmental contact, supervision, removal and cleanup.
Structural Feeding™ therefore concerns more than simply holding a bone still. It describes the physical architecture of the feeding interaction itself.
BoneZone® does not tell you what to feed your dog.
It gives you another way to present it.
WILD MECHANICS. DOMESTIC CONTROL™
BoneZone® brings together two things that have traditionally been difficult to reconcile.
The dog retains access to the gripping, pulling, tearing, stripping, scraping, licking, gnawing, chewing and manipulation that substantial foods can permit.
The owner gains control over where that activity happens and what the item can do within the environment.
We are not trying to remove the mechanics from feeding.
We are engineering a better place for those mechanics to happen.
ONE STATION TO SECURE THEM ALL™
Bones were the beginning, not the boundary.
BoneZone® can secure a wide range of appropriately selected substantial feeding items and long-duration chews whose physical form benefits from stable restraint.
Different shapes, sizes and structures call for different contact points, which is why the system was designed around adjustable positioning and rotating multi-face jaws rather than a single fixed groove or one-purpose holder.
The objective is simple:
Secure the item. Preserve useful structure. Supply resistance. Let the dog work.
Please take some time to explore our resource page, where we are building an extensive body of information around BoneZone®, Structural Feeding™, canine feeding mechanics, agency, opportunity, chewing, bones, substantially structured whole foods, enrichment, product development and the research that runs alongside this work.
Explore the Petelli / BoneZone® Resource Hub
The current production system is built around a precision-engineered 700 mm / 27.5" Clamp-Post, twin adjustable jaw assemblies with five selectable contact faces, modular mounting options and 6063-T5 extruded aluminium alloy structural components.
Warranty
BoneZone® 3-Year Structural Component Warranty
BoneZone® is built to be a serious dog enrichment system, not a disposable pet toy. We have designed it for strength, outdoor use, repeated setup, and real-world chewing environments where dogs, bones, weather, dirt, slobber, and daily use are part of the job.
That said, no product used around dogs is indestructible in every situation. This warranty is designed to give you genuine confidence that we stand behind the working structure of BoneZone®, while also being clear about what is normal wear, cosmetic marking, misuse, or damage outside our control.
View Full Warranty
Why BoneZone® exists
BoneZone® began with a very ordinary problem.
Give a dog a substantial bone, whole-food section or long-duration chew and, once it is loose, the dog decides where the feeding event happens.
Across the lawn. Through the dirt. Under furniture. Against a wall. Buried in the garden. Braced beneath the paws. Carried somewhere more useful because the dog needs leverage.
So we built a way to hold the bloody thing still.
That solved the obvious problem, but it also exposed the bigger one.
Once the item stopped travelling, the dog did not stop working. It could still grip, pull, tear, strip, scrape, slice, lick, gnaw, chew, crush and manipulate the accessible material. The difference was that the resistance was now being supplied deliberately by the apparatus instead of improvised from paws, ground, furniture or whatever else happened to be nearby.
That was the turning point.
The loose-bone problem led us to a feeding-mechanics problem.
BoneZone® now gives owners a way to preserve useful physical structure and much of the dog's functional feeding repertoire while bringing the event into a defined, controllable location.
First we held the bone. Then we understood what holding it allowed the dog to do.
Image generated with AI
Image generated with AI
What BoneZone® helps with
BoneZone® introduces control at the point where substantial foods and chews normally become difficult to manage.
It can help:
- secure appropriately selected bones, substantial whole foods and long-duration chews in one defined location
- provide deliberate external counterforce for gripping, pulling, tearing and stripping
- preserve access to a broader functional feeding repertoire
- reduce carrying, dragging, hiding and burying
- reduce unnecessary contact with soil, grass, flooring, furniture and other surrounding surfaces
- reduce the need for the dog's paws and forelegs to act as the primary restraint system
- make working height adjustable to the dog and feeding item
- make supervision easier because the item remains where you expect it to be
- create a clear point at which the item can be repositioned, inspected or removed
- simplify management of residue and clean-up around a known feeding area
- support separate positions or heights in suitable multi-dog configurations
- turn an awkward loose feeding object into a repeatable, managed feeding event
The underlying principle is simple:
Control the environment without engineering the mechanics out of the food.
Built for real-world dog use
BoneZone® was not designed as a novelty feeder.
It was developed around slobber, fat, meat residue, weather, dirt, leverage, repeated loading, enthusiastic dogs and the reality that anything used around substantial foods eventually needs to be inspected and cleaned.
The system is deliberately mechanical and serviceable.
Structural components are manufactured from 6063-T5 extruded aluminium alloy. Hardware is accessible. Major components are modular. Individual parts can be inspected, maintained and replaced rather than requiring the entire apparatus to be discarded because one component has worn or been damaged.
The triangular Clamp-Post gives the system a strong, indexed structural backbone while the jaw assemblies, rotating contact faces and mounting components can be repositioned around the job being performed.
This is feeding infrastructure.
It is meant to be used, cleaned, adjusted, maintained and used again.
Phoenix enjoying a structured meal - Turkey thigh - 20 mins and he was finished, and walked away satisfied.
Image generated with AI
Dog-first, but not dog-only
BoneZone® was designed around dogs, but the mechanical principle is not uniquely canine.
Any suitable animal that benefits from having an appropriate substantial feeding item stabilised may potentially benefit from controlled presentation.
For cats, a low-mounted BoneZone® can secure appropriately selected meaty sections, bone-in foods or suitable chews so the animal can pull, tear, lick and work at the item without simply carrying it through the house or garden.
The scale changes.
The feeding item changes.
The physical principle does not.
The item retains useful structure. The animal supplies force. BoneZone® supplies the resistance.
Selection should always be based on the individual animal and the actual characteristics of the feeding item being offered.
Modular by design
BoneZone® was designed as a system, not as a single fixed stand.
At its centre is the 700 mm / 27.5" triangular Clamp-Post. Around that structure sit adjustable jaw assemblies, five selectable jaw faces, indexed height adjustment and a growing family of mounting options.
That modular architecture matters because dogs, feeding items and environments are not standardised.
A lamb section does not have the same geometry as a poultry frame.
A small dog does not work at the same height as a Belgian Malinois.
A timber post does not require the same mounting solution as a wall, tree, round pole or purpose-built base.
BoneZone® lets the hardware adapt around those variables rather than forcing every feeding situation into one fixed configuration.
The five-face rotating jaw system exists for exactly that reason:
Natural food does not arrive in a standard shape. The hardware should not expect it to.
And because the system is modular, individual components can be replaced or expanded as requirements change.
real product imagery
A passerby at the local, stopped for a chew. We are careful to ensure our friends dont chew on the extremely hard cortical shell. These large cut bones are mostly marketing, to highlight function.
For pets who need more than a bowl
Modern feeding has become exceptionally good at delivering nutrition efficiently.
But nutritional delivery and the physical act of feeding are not the same thing.
Reduce food to small, soft, minced, diced or freely available portions and much of the mechanical problem has already been solved before the dog reaches it.
There is less need to anchor.
Less need to pull.
Less need to tear.
Less need to strip.
Less need to manipulate a large irregular structure while applying force from different directions.
That does not make convenient food inherently wrong. It demonstrates that food form changes what the animal physically has to do with it.
BoneZone® gives owners another option.
Where an appropriate substantial feeding item is selected, its physical structure can remain part of the experience rather than automatically being processed away for convenience.
The result is access to a broader feeding repertoire inside a much more controlled domestic environment.
WILD MECHANICS. DOMESTIC CONTROL.
How BoneZone Works
BoneZone® creates a stable external resistance point around which the dog can work an appropriately selected substantial feeding item.
The principle is simple:
The food retains structure. The dog applies force. BoneZone® supplies the counterforce.
1. Mount the system
Install the Clamp-Post using the BoneZone® mounting arrangement appropriate to the location.
The modular system allows the same core feeding apparatus to be used across different environments rather than tying Structural Feeding™ to one fixed stand or feeding position.
2. Set the working height
Position the jaw assembly at a practical height for the individual dog and the feeding item.
Height changes more than convenience. It influences how the dog approaches the item, how the head, neck and body interact with it, and the directions from which force can be applied.
3. Match the jaws to the item
Natural foods are irregular.
That is why each BoneZone® jaw wheel provides five selectable contact faces rather than relying on one fixed groove.
Rotate the jaws to find the best face-match for the part of the item being secured.
4. Secure the item
Position an appropriate section between the jaws and tighten the compression system until it is firmly restrained.
The objective is not to immobilise every edible part.
It is to anchor the feeding item strongly enough that the accessible portion can be worked against.
5. Let the dog use its feeding repertoire
Once secured, the dog can approach the item from different angles and perform the functional movements the food structure permits.
Grip. Pull. Tear. Strip. Scrape. Slice. Lick. Gnaw. Chew. Crush. Manipulate.
BoneZone® does not perform those mechanics for the dog.
It provides the structure those mechanics can work against.
6. Reposition, expose or remove
As the item changes, BoneZone® gives the owner a defined point from which it can be inspected, rotated, repositioned, exposed differently or removed.
This is one of the important differences between Structural Feeding™ and simply putting a substantial item on the ground.
The feeding item retains useful structure and the dog retains access to its feeding mechanics, while the owner gains substantially more control over the event surrounding them.
This is Structural Feeding™
BoneZone® is the hardware.
Structural Feeding™ is the larger physical feeding model behind it.
We use the term to describe the engineering and presentation layer between the animal, a substantial feeding item and the modern environment: retaining useful food structure and function, providing controlled resistance, and creating a more manageable physical feeding event.
For the full explanation of Structural Feeding™, including the principles, terminology and thinking behind the concept:
Visit the Structural Feeding™ Education Hub
and.....
For the deeper research, educational material, feeding mechanics, evidence, articles and developing knowledge base behind the concept:
and....
We Built the Hardware then Found the Literature
and....
BoneZone® gives Structural Feeding™ a physical structure to happen against.
Phoenix - spoiled for choice with this tasty lamb shank. He takes approx 20mins to complete the experience, compared to less than 2 minutes with a bowl.
real life images - montage using Ai
Mounting Options
The BoneZone® Clamp-Post is the common structural core.
What changes is how you anchor it to the environment.
The modular system supports a wide range of installations, including suitable:
- walls
- timber posts
- structural fence posts
- trees
- round poles using purpose-designed mounting hardware
- benches and purpose-built feeding platforms
- timber or concrete BaseMount installations
- kennel and daycare environments
- temporary outdoor or camping arrangements
- dedicated feeding-station builds
Height can then be adjusted independently on the Clamp-Post to suit the animal and feeding item.
This separation between mounting structure and feeding position is one of BoneZone®'s key advantages.
You choose where the station belongs.
Then you configure the feeding point around the dog.
Why Dogs Love It
Because BoneZone® gives them something substantial to actually work against.
When an item is loose, part of the dog's effort is spent trying to stabilise it. It moves. Rolls. Slides. Gets pinned beneath the paws. Gets carried somewhere better. Gets wedged against whatever provides leverage.
BoneZone® supplies that leverage from the start.
The item stays anchored while the dog can change its grip, alter its head position, pull in a different direction, strip tissue, scrape accessible surfaces, gnaw an edge, lick into cavities or manipulate whatever part of the feeding item remains available.
The apparatus does not perform the feeding mechanics for the dog.
It gives those mechanics something to act against.
For dogs that engage strongly with substantial foods and chews, that creates a very different physical experience from simply picking up a loose object and carrying it away.
Phoenix using the multi-dog arrangement
Pete & Phoenix - the inseparable duo
Why Owners Love It
Because the owner finally gets a say in where the feeding event happens.
A loose substantial food item can create a chain of secondary problems that have nothing to do with its nutritional value.
It travels, contacts whatever is underneath it, gets dragged through the yard, gets taken onto flooring or furniture, it disappears, gets buried, and gets retrieved later.
The dog's paws and forelegs can become part of the holding system and carry residue elsewhere afterwards.
BoneZone® changes that relationship by controlling the object, not the dog.
You choose the location, You choose the working height, You can limit uncontrolled movement, You can observe the item while it is being worked, You can reposition it, You can remove it.
And because the feeding event stays around a known location, environmental management and clean-up become far more deliberate.
More control for the owner without requiring less from the dog.
An open letter to scientists, veterinary professionals and animal-welfare organisations
To those studying how dogs live, learn, feed and experience the environments we create for them:
I have a working piece of hardware, nearly three years of development behind it, and observations that deserve a more rigorous examination than I can give them alone.
I am looking for people who recognise a research opportunity in that combination.
The starting point is straightforward. We are not asking what a dog gets to eat, We are asking what a dog gets to do?
A dog can grip, pull, tear, strip, gnaw and manipulate a substantial feeding item. When it pulls, something must supply the opposing force. With a loose item, that resistance may come from its paws, the ground, a corner, furniture or the weight of the item itself.
What changes when a purpose-built structure supplies that counterforce instead?
Important safety note
BoneZone® controls presentation and resistance.
It does not decide whether a particular feeding item is suitable for a particular animal.
That remains a separate judgement.
We do not reduce food or bone selection to blanket slogans based on a single characteristic. Suitability depends on the actual item and the individual dog, including variables such as:
- species and anatomical section
- size and geometry
- density and hardness
- preparation method
- condition of the item
- accessible edible material
- the dog's size and jaw mechanics
- dental condition
- feeding style
- previous experience
- and how the item changes during use
BoneZone® should be configured so the dog works the feeding item, not the apparatus. It is not a tug toy, and the clamp hardware is not intended to become a chewing surface.
Supervision allows the owner to observe how both the dog and item are behaving and to reposition or remove the item when required.
The important distinction is straightforward:
BoneZone® manages the feeding environment. Appropriate item selection remains part of responsible feeding.
Image partially generated with AI
generated with AI - not the real BZ system in image
The BoneZone® value
BoneZone® is not a disposable chew toy.
It is a modular piece of feeding infrastructure designed to remain useful across different foods, dogs, mounting locations and stages of ownership.
At $349 AUD, the purchase price equates to approximately:
- $116 per year over 3 years
- 32 cents per day over 3 years
- 14 cents per day over 7 years
And unlike a consumable enrichment product, the core system remains.
Change the food.
Change the height.
Change the mounting location.
Replace an individual component if required.
Add another jaw assembly or compatible accessory.
Move the same system into another feeding arrangement.
The value is not simply that BoneZone® holds a bone.
It creates a reusable physical feeding platform around which an enormous range of Structural Feeding™ experiences can be built.
A note about product images, prototypes, and AI-assisted visuals
BoneZone® has passed through years of sketches, CAD development, 3D-printed prototypes, test assemblies, manufacturing revisions and real-world use before arriving at the current production system.
That history appears throughout this website.
Some images show early coloured prototype components.
Some show raw aluminium pre-production parts.
Some demonstrate proposed mounting arrangements or feeding scenarios.
Some promotional images use AI-assisted composition to help illustrate an environment, application or concept that would otherwise be difficult to photograph.
These development images are part of the BoneZone® story, but they should not be confused with the final production specification.
The structural production components are manufactured from 6063-T5 extruded aluminium alloy, with black anodising used for the standard production finish.
Where exact geometry, finish, included components or current configuration matters, rely on the current product specifications and real product photography.
image #4 is AI generated
Born in Bundaberg
BoneZone® was born in the Bundaberg region of Queensland, Australia.
Not in a corporate innovation lab.
Not from a pet-industry product brief.
From a dog, a loose bone, a shed, CAD, prototypes, failed ideas, modified ideas, machining, 3D printing, aluminium extrusion and years of asking whether the problem could be solved better.
Bundaberg is known around the world for rum, ginger beer, sugar cane, the Southern Great Barrier Reef, Mon Repos and aviation pioneer Bert Hinkler.
But it is also a region of growers, tradespeople, manufacturers, fabricators and practical problem-solvers.
BoneZone® came from that same mentality.
See the problem, Build something, Test it, Break it, Improve it, then keep going until the answer becomes a product.
What began as a way to stop one Belgian Malinois moving a bone around a Queensland property became an entirely new piece of feeding infrastructure.
Designed in Bundaberg. Built for dogs everywhere.
| Loose Feeding Item | BoneZone® |
|---|---|
| The dog must create its own resistance using paws, ground, furniture, body weight or whatever else prevents the item moving. | BoneZone® supplies a deliberate external resistance point for the dog to work against. |
| The feeding item can slide, roll, rotate, be carried away or migrate around the environment. | The item remains centred around a defined feeding location. |
| The dog chooses where the feeding event ultimately happens. | The owner chooses where the feeding event begins and where the secured item remains. |
| Substantial foods are often pinned beneath the paws or braced against surrounding objects to create leverage. | The apparatus provides the restraint, reducing the need for the dog to become its own clamp. |
| The item may be dragged through soil, grass, flooring, furniture or other surrounding surfaces. | Uncontrolled movement and unnecessary environmental contact can be substantially reduced. |
| The dog can grip, pull, tear and chew, but part of its effort may be spent simply trying to stop the entire item moving. | Stable counterforce allows the dog's effort to be directed into the accessible food through gripping, pulling, tearing, stripping, scraping, licking, gnawing, chewing and manipulation. |
| A loose item can be carried out of sight, buried, hidden or abandoned elsewhere. | The feeding item remains at a known station where it can be observed and managed. |
| Repositioning or ending the session can mean first recovering the item from wherever the dog has taken it. | The owner has a defined point from which the item can be inspected, loosened, rotated, repositioned or removed. |
| Residue, fats and food material can follow the item wherever it travels. | The feeding event is concentrated around a more defined area, making environmental management and cleanup more practical. |
| Each substantial feeding item becomes an individually improvised interaction between the dog, the food and the surroundings. | BoneZone® provides repeatable feeding infrastructure around which different substantial foods and Structural Feeding™ arrangements can be built. |
THE STRUCTURE IS THE FEATURE. THE FEEDING MECHANICS ARE THE POINT.
BoneZone® - Structural Feeding™ support, with less uncontrolled movement and more owner control.
BoneZone FAQ
What exactly is BoneZone®?
BoneZone® is a modular Structural Feeding™ and chewing apparatus for dogs. It secures appropriate bones, substantial foods and long-duration chews to a stable physical structure, creating controlled resistance against which the dog can grip, pull, tear, strip, gnaw, chew and manipulate the item while the owner retains greater control over location, height, movement, environmental contact, supervision and removal.
At the simplest level, it can hold a dog's bone or chew in place. That remains a useful explanation of the obvious physical function, but it is no longer the complete description of what BoneZone® is or why it exists.
Isn't this really just a clamp for a dog's bone?
At its simplest, yes - a clamp holding a bone is the most immediately visible function. But that is only the first layer of the product.
BoneZone® secures an appropriate food or chew to a stable physical structure and supplies opposing force when the dog pulls, tears, strips, gnaws, chews or changes angle. That is why our current description is a modular Structural Feeding™ and chewing apparatus for dogs. "Bone holder" explains the obvious function; Structural Feeding™ apparatus explains the broader feeding mechanics.
What is Structural Feeding™?
Structural Feeding™ is Petelli/BoneZone® terminology for presenting an appropriate food or chew in a stable physical arrangement that allows the dog to work against resistance while the owner retains greater control over location, movement, height, environmental contact, supervision and removal.
"Structural" has a deliberate double meaning. First, where appropriate, the food or chew can retain useful physical structure instead of always being reduced to small pieces or mince. Second, BoneZone® secures that item to a physical structure that provides counterforce when the dog works against it.
The food has structure. The dog applies force. BoneZone® provides the counter-structure.
Structural Feeding™ is our category language. It is not presented as an established veterinary, nutritional or scientific term, and it is not a diet or prescription.
What's wrong with a bowl?
Nothing. A bowl is exceptionally efficient at delivering food and nutrition.
Structural Feeding™ asks a different question: what does the dog physically get to do while eating? Nutrition concerns what enters the animal; feeding can also have a physical and behavioural architecture involving gripping, pulling, tearing, chewing, repositioning and working against resistance.
Those are different jobs. A dog can continue eating its ordinary meal from a bowl and also be given an appropriate Structural Feeding™ opportunity when it suits that dog, food and circumstance.
Are you saying kibble is bad?
No. Structural Feeding™ is not an attack on kibble, bowls, fresh food, raw feeding, prepared diets or veterinary nutrition.
The question is narrower: where an appropriate substantial food or chew is being offered, can the dog also have an opportunity to physically work at it? BoneZone® does not require owners to abandon the food they already trust.
Keep the diet you have chosen. Add an appropriate physical feeding opportunity where it suits the dog.
Are you promoting raw feeding?
No. BoneZone® can make some forms of raw and structurally intact feeding easier to manage, but Structural Feeding™ is a feeding mode, not a diet.
We are interested in the physical form and presentation of an appropriate food or chew, not in prescribing its nutritional philosophy. Food selection, frequency, dental suitability, digestive tolerance and veterinary considerations remain individual decisions.
Why does food structure matter?
Because structure changes behaviour.
A substantial poultry section, rib section, raw meaty bone, connective-tissue-rich piece or appropriate long-duration chew presents a different mechanical problem from the same material reduced to small pieces or mince. Retained structure can permit gripping, pulling, tearing, stripping, gnawing, chewing, repositioning and manipulation.
That does not mean larger is automatically better. The food or chew must still be appropriate for the individual dog.
Why not just cut the food into smaller pieces?
Sometimes that is exactly the right thing to do. Cutting, grinding or portioning may be appropriate for the dog, food or circumstance.
But where preserving structure is appropriate, BoneZone® gives the owner another variable to control. Instead of necessarily removing the structure from the food because the larger item is awkward or mobile, the item can be secured and the environment managed around it.
Give the owner more control without requiring the dog to do less.
Is this supposed to replicate how a wild animal eats?
No. Domestic dogs live in human environments and that matters. BoneZone® is not an attempt to recreate a carcass in the lounge room or claim that modern dogs should be fed like wild animals.
We are looking at which useful mechanics - gripping, pulling, tearing, chewing and working against resistance - can be retained while still giving the owner modern levels of control.
Why does resistance matter?
Resistance is central to Structural Feeding™. When a dog pulls against a substantial food item, it needs counterforce. Without deliberate restraint, that counterforce may come from the dog's paws, the ground, furniture, a corner, another object or the dog's own body weight.
BoneZone® provides that counterforce through an engineered stable structure.
The structure supplies counterforce. The dog supplies force.
The item can remain positioned while the dog changes grip, pulls, tears, strips, gnaws, chews and re-approaches it.
Does BoneZone slow a dog down?
It can extend the physical interaction with some foods and chews because the dog may need to work, pull, tear and chew rather than simply carry the whole item away or swallow pre-cut portions. But BoneZone® is not sold as a guaranteed slow-feeder.
The duration of a session depends on the dog, the item, its size and structure, and how it is presented.
What types of foods, bones and chews can BoneZone hold?
Subject to suitability for the individual dog and the ability to secure the item correctly, BoneZone® can be used with appropriate bones, substantial foods and long-duration chews that benefit from stable restraint.
Examples may include suitable raw meaty bones, recreational bones, substantial poultry sections, rib sections, connective-tissue-rich pieces, certain whole or partial animal food items and long-duration natural chews.
Not every item is appropriate for every dog. BoneZone® supplies stable restraint and counterforce; it does not decide whether the food or chew itself is suitable.
Are bones safe for dogs?
There is no useful one-size-fits-all answer. Bone type, hardness, size, shape and condition matter, as do the dog's age, dental condition, jaw strength, chewing style, health and tendency to swallow pieces.
Very hard bones and chews can fracture teeth, while pieces from other items can create choking or gastrointestinal hazards. BoneZone® does not change those inherent properties. Choose the item for the individual dog, inspect it during use and seek veterinary guidance where appropriate.
Is BoneZone® safe, and does it make bones safe?
BoneZone® is designed to control a specific problem: an otherwise unsecured food or chew item moving around while the dog uses it. It mechanically restrains the item at a selected position and height and allows the owner to choose an appropriate installation.
It does not make an unsuitable bone suitable, alter the hardness or composition of a chew, eliminate tooth-fracture, choking or gastrointestinal risks, or replace supervision. We have completed a detailed BoneZone® Safety & Risk Assessment covering the equipment, installation, dog interaction, chew item, hygiene, foreseeable misuse and residual risk.
Does BoneZone prevent choking?
No. We do not claim that. BoneZone® can restrain the main body of a suitable chew while it remains securely clamped, but pieces can still be detached or swallowed.
Appropriate item selection, inspection and supervision remain essential, and the item should be removed when its size, condition or integrity makes continued use inappropriate.
Does BoneZone make raw feeding hygienic or sterilise the food?
No. BoneZone® is a Structural Feeding™ and chewing apparatus, not a sterilisation device. Raw animal material can carry microorganisms before it ever reaches the apparatus.
What BoneZone® can do is create a more defined feeding location and give the owner greater control over movement and environmental contact. Instead of the item being carried through dirt, buried, retrieved later or moved through the house, its location can be managed and the immediate area cleaned afterwards.
That is hygiene management, not a hygiene guarantee.
Why does BoneZone keep food off the ground?
Keeping a suitable food or chew restrained at a chosen height can reduce unnecessary contact with soil, dirt, faecal contamination, debris and other uncontrolled surfaces.
It also changes the mechanics of the session: instead of relying on the ground as the dog's main source of resistance, the system can hold the item while the dog works against it.
Can dogs pick up parasites from contaminated environments?
Yes. Some canine parasites have environmental transmission stages, and contaminated soil or faecal material can be an exposure pathway.
BoneZone® cannot remove parasites already present in food or the environment, but restraining the item in a defined location can help reduce unnecessary dragging, burying and repeated ground contact.
What about bacteria?
Raw animal products can carry microorganisms before they ever reach BoneZone®, and environmental surfaces can introduce additional contamination.
BoneZone® does not remove bacteria already present. Its role is to help control the movement and location of the item so normal food-handling, cleaning and disposal practices can be applied more consistently.
Is dirt itself dangerous?
Not every contact with dirt is a veterinary emergency, and we do not present ordinary soil as though it is poison. But environmental material is not automatically harmless either.
The practical point is simpler: if a raw or long-lasting food item does not need to be dragged through soil, mud, faecal contamination or other debris, BoneZone® gives the owner a way to reduce that unnecessary exposure.
Why not just put the bone on a mat?
A mat gives the dog another surface. BoneZone® provides mechanical restraint.
A mat may help define a cleaner area, but it does not stop the item being picked up, dragged away, buried or braced elsewhere. BoneZone® controls the position of the main item while it remains securely clamped.
What size dogs is BoneZone for?
BoneZone® is height-adjustable and can be configured for small dogs through to large working and giant breeds, provided the chew, installation and setup are appropriate for the individual animal.
Dog size alone is not the deciding factor. Jaw strength, chewing style, dental condition, the food or chew selected, mounting method and supervision all matter.
Will BoneZone work for strong breeds and power chewers?
Yes - strong dogs were part of the reason BoneZone® was developed. The system has been extensively used with Phoenix, our approximately 42 kg Belgian Malinois.
But "strong breed" does not mean every setup is automatically suitable. A powerful dog generates greater pulling, twisting and leverage forces, so the mounting method, stability, chew selection and clamping position need to match the dog.
Can multiple dogs use BoneZone?
Yes, but high-value food can create competition or resource guarding, and BoneZone® is not a behavioural control for that.
Multiple Jaw Assemblies or separate stations can create defined feeding positions, but dogs that guard food or compete over high-value items should be managed and separated appropriately. Do not assume that securing the food makes sharing safe.
Can I use BoneZone indoors?
Yes. BoneZone® was designed outdoor-first, but a controlled indoor installation can be practical on washable surfaces or in a defined feeding area.
Raw food hygiene, floor protection, mounting stability and supervision still matter. The advantage is that the main item can remain where you choose instead of touring the furniture.
How can BoneZone be mounted?
BoneZone® is modular. Depending on the kit and location, the Clamp-Post can be installed using mounting arrangements suited to trees, timber posts, suitable poles, walls or other appropriate fixed structures, or used with a BaseMount/freestanding configuration.
The mounting point is part of the safety system. Use a sound structure, install the hardware correctly and test the complete setup before giving the dog access.
Can BoneZone be used freestanding?
Yes, with an appropriate BaseMount and stable base configuration. Freestanding installations must be matched to the size, strength and behaviour of the dog.
Large or high-drive dogs can generate substantial pulling and tipping forces. If a freestanding station moves, lifts, slides or begins to tip during use, stop the session and correct the installation before continuing.
Can I adjust the Clamp-Post height?
Yes. The 700 mm Clamp-Post provides multiple height positions so the Jaw Assembly can be set for the dog and the item being presented.
Height should be selected as part of the setup before the dog resumes chewing. The objective is a comfortable working position that leaves useful food or chew material accessible without forcing the dog's mouth into the hardware.
Can I adjust BoneZone while my dog is actively chewing?
No. Do not try to loosen, reposition or height-adjust a loaded setup while the dog is actively pulling on the other end.
Pause the session, take control of the food or chew, loosen the clamp as required, make the adjustment, re-secure everything and manually check the setup before allowing the dog to continue.
Can I use two Jaw Assemblies on one Clamp-Post?
Yes. BoneZone® is modular and a second Jaw Assembly can be fitted to the same Clamp-Post for suitable configurations.
If two dogs are involved, spacing is only one consideration. Temperament, resource guarding, access and supervision still need to be managed. For some dogs, separate stations or physical separation will be the better choice.
Does the system have limitations?
Of course. BoneZone® is designed to restrain suitable foods and chews; it is not an indestructible tug-of-war machine.
Very large items, powerful dogs and poor mounting choices can generate substantial torque and leverage through the system. The setup should match the dog and intended use. If components move, loosen, deform or behave unexpectedly, stop using the system until the cause is corrected.
What if the chew pulls free from the clamp?
Stop the session and reassess the setup. The item may have changed shape, been clamped at a poor point, require a different jaw face, or simply be unsuitable for secure restraint.
Reinstall it only if you can obtain a firm, stable capture. If the item cannot be retained reliably, do not continue using it in that configuration.
How do I know the chew is clamped securely?
Before giving the dog access, give the item a firm manual pull and movement check. It should feel securely captured rather than merely balanced between the jaws.
Continue to inspect it during the session because edible items change shape as material is removed. If you can easily pull it free, your dog probably can too - reinstall it.
Does BoneZone stop dogs carrying or burying the main chew?
While the main item remains securely clamped, BoneZone® is specifically designed to keep it at the chosen station rather than allowing the dog to carry it around or bury it elsewhere.
That does not mean every fragment remains attached. Pieces can still be removed through chewing, so inspection, cleanup and supervision remain part of responsible use.
Is my dog meant to bite or chew the BoneZone clamp?
No. BoneZone® is a Structural Feeding™ and chewing apparatus, not a metal chew toy. The jaws are there to secure the appropriate food or chew to the structure while leaving useful material accessible for the dog to work on.
The dog's target should be the food or chew, not the aluminium hardware. If the dog persistently chooses the clamp or post instead of the intended item, stop the session and review the setup.
Could my dog accidentally hit its teeth on the aluminium jaws?
Incidental contact is possible with any hard object positioned near a dog's mouth, so we do not claim that tooth-to-hardware contact can never occur. Correct item size, clamping position and height are important because the aim is to leave substantial accessible material clear of the jaws.
Phoenix, our approximately 42 kg Belgian Malinois, has used versions of BoneZone® for close to three years without us observing a mouth or tooth injury from the hardware. That real-world history is useful, but it is not a guarantee for every dog.
How should I position a chew to minimise mouth-to-hardware contact?
Choose a secure clamping point that leaves enough useful food or chew exposed on the side or sides the dog will work on. Select the jaw face that captures that item properly and set the station at a comfortable height.
Do not keep using an item after it has been reduced to a size or shape that forces the dog's mouth into the clamp simply to reach what remains.
What if my dog deliberately targets the clamp or pole?
Stop the session and review the setup. Try a more appropriate item, alter the clamping point, jaw face or height, and make sure the food itself is the obvious target.
Some dogs deliberately chew non-food objects. If a dog persistently chooses the BoneZone® hardware instead of the intended food or chew, the system should not be used in that configuration.
Does BoneZone replace supervision?
No. BoneZone® gives the owner more control over the position of the food or chew; it does not remove the need to observe the dog.
Initial sessions should be closely supervised so you can see how the individual dog approaches the system. Ongoing supervision lets you intervene if the item loosens, changes shape, becomes too small, fragments unexpectedly, or the dog's behaviour changes.
How should BoneZone be cleaned after use?
Remove food remnants after the session and clean the components and surrounding feeding area using normal hygiene practices appropriate to the food you have used, particularly after raw animal products.
BoneZone® helps create a defined feeding location, but the owner still needs to manage food handling, handwashing, surface cleaning and disposal of deteriorated material.
Is BoneZone a dog toy?
No. BoneZone® is a modular Structural Feeding™ and chewing apparatus for dogs. The apparatus itself is not intended to be chewed, fetched, carried or used as a tug toy.
The appropriate food or chew is what the dog works on. BoneZone® supplies the stable restraint, position and counterforce around that interaction.
Does BoneZone come with a warranty?
Yes. BoneZone® carries a 3-Year Structural Component Warranty. The apparatus is designed for repeated indoor/outdoor use and serviceability rather than as a disposable pet toy.
The warranty covers the structural components under the published terms and distinguishes genuine product defects from normal wear, cosmetic marking, misuse, unsuitable installation or damage outside our control. Full warranty terms are provided on the Petelli website.
How big is BoneZone and what should I expect for shipping?
The Clamp-Post is 700 mm (27.5 in) long. BoneZone® ships largely assembled in packaging approximately 750 mm L × 230 mm W × 130 mm H (29.5 × 9 × 5 in) and the packaged system is designed to remain under approximately 2.5 kg (5.5 lb).
International freight, taxes and duties vary by destination and provider. Any campaign shipping figures should be treated as the applicable Kickstarter estimate or confirmed rate for the destination shown at the time.
Does BoneZone come in different colours?
The launch options are anodised black or natural aluminium, as shown in our current product material.
Larger production numbers may make additional anodised colours practical in future. If campaign volume unlocks further options, we will announce them rather than promise colours before production quantities make them viable.
What is the BoneZone® Principle?
Preserve the structure where appropriate.
Control the environment where necessary.
Let the dog do more of the eating.
That is the simplest expression of the direction behind BoneZone® and Structural Feeding™.