Best tough, entertaining, long-lasting dog toy?

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Hello insightful PSers.

I have a 9 month old lab mix. She is a craaaazy strong chewer... Plush dog toys are ruined in 2-5 minutes & she breaks off portions of all Nylabones except the "Strong Chewer" one. We avoid rawhide bones but do give her bully sticks.

Today she pulled up my linoleum kitchen floor. The apartment management company will not be pleased. I am not pleased.

This could be a puppy-management issue. I was reading and not keeping a close eye on her. BUT- she had a partially-stuffed Kong and a vast array of toys to play with. Even "challenging" toys like a hollow ball that you hide treats in. And a Bento ball, though she knows how to get the Bento-treats out in about 5 minutes. We also spent 1.5 hours at the dog park and THEN went on a 2 mile hike. She''s sleeping at my feet as I type this.

Surprisingly, I''m not ANGRY with her- I mean... she''s a pup. But I am frustrated & don''t know how to keep her entertained.

Do you own any challenging or "smart" toys for your dogs that stand up to chewing? Something that really keeps ''em busy? Something that they continually play with and don''t grow tired of? I''m worried that this was a result of her being bored, but the bottom line is, I can''t play with her 24 hours a day. My trips to Petsmart leave me unfulfilled- nothing seems *that* great or entertaining or durable. She gets between two & three hours of running/jogging/brisk walking exercise a day-- maybe we need to increase this? That''s hard to do during the work week

TIA! (Photo of Zoey asleep in her crate after destroying her THIRD dog bed, for laughs

)

 

[mayachel]

Another playmate? maybe a slightly older dog? OR a neighbor''s kid who will take her to the park?

 

[exoticisabella]

My boys LOVE those natural bones ... not the white fake ones but the real smoked cow bones. they''re a bit messy at first but all the crumbs get eaten quickly! Plus they last a long time

. They even last a couple months with Tank, my rottweiler (and they have STRONG jaws)

 

[neatfreak]

Honestly, there is really nothing out there that is challenging and really durable. We have strong chewers too (lab mix and golden mix) and the only toys we have that last are kongs (we do have a kong ball that you can put treats in that lasts) and the nylabones for heavy chewers.

Don''t waste your money on the "fire hose" or other "indestructible" toys. They are not. They might last a few hours or days instead of minutes like the plush toys-but they will be chewed very quickly IMO.

Best thing we ever did was get a second dog-they wear each other out.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Thanks for insight, all.

Maybe dog #2 is a good idea, but not feasible right now. In the meantime our two kitties will be Zoey''s only furry companions

I''ll definitely look into the natural bones. I can deal with a mess- that''s for sure- espeically if it keeps Zoey happy for more than 20 minutes!

 

[TooPatient]

Got one of them at home too.

There is NOTHING she can''t chew through. I thought we had found it. It was a tire toy. Made of nice sturdy rubber. Solid all the way through. And big enough she could barely fit it in her mouth.
B left her alone with it for 5 minutes and I walked in to find bits of tire everywhere.

Anything she can''t shred into bits, she sees as a challenge. The result is her mouth bleeding all over.

We''ve tried the big bones. She manages to break chunks off and then tries to eat the chunks. (we don''t give her these anymore -- especially if she is alone -- because I''m afraid she''ll choke (again)).


All of our neighbors have dogs and she can see them through the fence. They spend the day outside running together. There are four yards that meet in one spot. (picture big square divided into 4). Each yard has dogs.


That helps entertain our dog, but I''m still looking for a better solution. (we aren''t in a good position to adopt another dog right now)


I think if you can get another dog it will help keep your puppy entertained. Good luck.
If your neighbors have dogs, would they be up for letting your puppy run in their yard with the dogs? Or maybe their dogs could run in your yard?

 

[kenny]

I strongly agree that two dogs are better than one.

This is not exactly a toy but our dogs LOVE these chew bones.
They last a long time, but keep in mind our dogs are only 11 pounds each.

They seem to be made of some unappealing synthetic material, have no smell, but our dogs go nuts for them.
After they chew them for a while they get a sandpaper-like texture.
I have no idea why the dogs love them.

 

[Gleam]

My 55 pound dog is also a powerful chewer! I''ve found that the more expensive stuffed toys made by the American Kennel Club last *considerably* longer than other plush toys. He''s only been able to rip one apart, and all the others are intact.

Thick, large rope toys also make great chews since they tend not to fall apart as easily. I''ve found generally that the more expensive toys really do seem longer lasting.

Some dogs also really love Kongs, which come in different varieties for different chewing strengths.

 

[lulu]

Louie, our black lab, also shreds every toy he gets. The only thing he can''t destroy is big beef bones. He eats all the crispy crud off until they''re hollow. Don''t do pork bones- they tend to splinter.

I would love to find something that would keep him entertained in the house, but he''s 6 and it hasn''t happened. Sorry.

 

[Mara]

we only have a small dog but she is a fairly aggressive toy/treat chewer for a smaller breed. we would get her large braided bully sticks...they are expensive but they lasted the longest. also for a toy... i don't know if you have seen these balls but we call them the 'devil balls'..they are i think called 'good cuz' and 'bad cuz' and the bad one has devil horns. they have little feet. they come in all sizes (they have HUGE ones for big dogs which are sooo hard to squeak), and have a really high squeaker. we have 3 of these in the small size for our dog and she LOVES LOVES LOVES them. she will dig in her toy bin to pull out a devil ball.

also for bully sticks, i have found them online for cheapest, there is a place in NYC, nyc pet supply store online i think, that i found them in bulk for the cheapest prices. good luck!!

 

[rainwood]

We have a Labrador and they are typically aggressive chewers. We used to give her Nylabones, which would last longer than anything else, but they can be really hard on the teeth. She actually broke several teeth on the Nylabones so we stopped giving them to her and wish we'd never started. The toy that has lasted the longest is also one of the simplest. It's a great big thick white rope (thick like for mooring ships) that is knotted on both ends. We probably got it at Petco. She's managed to chew off individual strings but the rope itself is still intact probably 5 years later. She was just chewing on it tonight. Kongs are also long lasting, but our dog never liked chewing on them. We used to put peanut butter in one of the smaller sized ones and she'd spend half an hour trying to lick it out.

Oh, and Orvis has dog beds designed for aggressive chewers that are supposed to be hard to destroy. You might want to check those out.

ETA: Yeah! Someone else also recommended the rope toys too. They really do hold up. Watch out with puppies that they don't swallow too much of the string though. Our dog used to eat it, but now just rips it off and spits it out.

 

[Scarabnight]

I also have a lab mix puppy who can basically destroy anything that she can reach. I also have the Kong and power chewer nylabones, but the best toy to keep her occupied is a Kong ball that is completely solid and made of the red kong rubber. It's indestructible (so far

) and it has a little bit of bounce to it, so I can throw it while I'm reading and Bella will spring after it. It may seem entirely lazy, but it is effective.

Hope this helps

 

[omieluv]

Kong, Kong and Kong!! I just made a batch of pumpkin treats for my dog and stuffed them into her Kong. She loves them!

I have a nearly 10 month pit/lab mix and OMG, I can totally feel your pain! I stuff the heck out of her Kongs, which seem to keep her occupied. Additionally, I found a squeaky toy made by Ruffians that she loves to play with. The rubber is not as durable as Kong, but, she likes to play with it as a squeaky toy, thus does not destroy it. Don't get me wrong, its rubber is tough though. http://www.dogtoys.com/ruffiansdogtoy4.html

Another toy I have been considering is more along the lines of a puzzle toy...not sure if I want to fork over $20 bucks for it though. It is made by Canine Genuis and I found a seller on eBay for it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350147554353&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Check out Nylabone's Galileo Bone - in the Souper size http://www.amazon.com/Nylabone-Galileo-Bone-Souper/dp/B0010P0YVE
I have one of these for my girl and she loves it. It is super tough and it is quite a popular toy for pit-buls.

Regarding energy levels, my girl is very hyper during the afternoon. The only thing that wears her out is playing with other dogs. I am seriously going to look into getting her a backpack to help wear her out. This one from REI looks good: http://www.rei.com/product/700069#
Additionally, we are going to get a treadmill and teach her to run on it for Winter.

Bullysticks also keep her busy. I order them through this company: http://www.walkinthebark.com/cart.html
They stock nothing but natural dog treats and they are a pleasure to deal with! Be careful though, bullysticks are quite rich, so you might want to limit to 1 per day. The nice thing is that they do not break off in chunks, so they are much safer than rawhide.


Oh yeah, don't feel bad about your dog destroying things. My dog tore apart over $100 in dog bedding a month ago...

 

[sba771]

exoticisabella your min pin is precious!!!

Pils- maybe try a buster cube? They are pretty strong and very very entertaining. http://www.bustercube.com/

 

[bee*]

I''ve found that the kongs are the only toys that last as well-they keep Amber occupied for hours.

 

[gemgirl]

We have found the Nylabone pliables last the longest. The Nylabone hard bones can break a tooth in small dogs, but I wouldn''t worry about that since your dog is a strong breed with big healthy teeth. Our older dog is a Yellow Lab/Miniature Pointer mix and she has chewed through literally everything including my walls and molding. Thank God the puppy days are behind us.

That Nylabone wishbone that Kenny posted is their favorite. That''s small but they have very large versions of that.

For some reason, neither of my dogs were ever attracted to Kong toys. We have them, they just don''t play with them. I think it''s the smell of the rubber.

 

[Tuckins1]

Buy a Kong. My friend has 2 Pitbulls and they destroy EVERYTHING within minutes of getting it... It took them a while to destroy the Kong, so I think it would be a safe bet for other non- Pitbull doggies.
Linky

 

[Haven]

Bailee is a pitbull mix with an extremely strong jaw. The only toys she doesn't tear apart immediately are Kongs and Planet Dog Tuff Bones. Her Planet Dog bone was mint scented for about 8 months, which was nice, too.

As for tearing things apart, Bailee does this when we don't exercise her properly, I imagine that your little guy is high energy, too, and just needs a lot of exercise. We usually take her for two 30+ minute walks a day, and spend as much time playing in the backyard or at the dog park as we can, at least an hour. (If it's nasty out we play indoors, too.) When she doesn't get enough exercise, she murders my seasonal decor or tears books apart when we leave the house. We see a direct correlation between walks and the state of our house when we come home.

Two to three hours sounds like a lot of exercise time, hmmmm. Maybe you just have a super high energy pup.

Have you thought of taking her to agility classes? That would wear her out physically and mentally.
Are you training her? We find that the mental exhaustion of going through training is even better for wearing Bailee out than running at the dog park.
When we leave Bailee home for a long period of time we give her a kong filled with frozen pumpkin puree, she loves it and it takes her some time because it's frozen.

Good luck!

ETA: Bailee also loves those giant bones made out of hundreds of tied strings. She tears them apart eventually, but she whips them around and plays with them throughout the entire house. She *could* tear them apart immediately, but maybe you could try a couple different toys to see if she really takes to one.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Thanks to EVERYONE for the advice, suggestion, and links! And an extra big thanks for letting me know I''m not the only person with a wonderful but destructive dog. We''re already laughing about the ruined linoleum- I''ll never forget my little white pup rounding the corner with a huge chunk of what looked like cardboard in her mouth & thinking, "What on earth is that???" Hopefully it won''t happen again!

TooPatient: Sorry the tire toy didn''t last

We''re currently in an apartment and will be until June, so there is no yard for her to run in. The best we can do is visit our local dog parks and take her on jogs and walks. I can''t wait for a house with a fenced yard!!!


Kenny: We have a tough Nylabone but I haven''t seen the one you posted... maybe that shape would be more fun for Zoey.


Gleam: Thanks for the AKC toy recommendation!


Lulu: Do you pick up the beef bones at a local or natural pet food store or a chain? I''m always wary of pet-chain products.


Mara: My pup has a ''devil ball'' as well! And she hasn''t destroyed it, either... Though she chewed the feet off of one.

The squeek noise is incredible and LOUD. Dogs must really love that, eh?


Rainwood: I''m gonna check out Orvis beds in a little while... thanks! We also have a rope toy, and it''s one of 4 toys that she hasn''t destroyed. She tries to shred the string but is pretty unsuccessful.

Scarabnight: Kong ball, eh?

I will look into it!


Omieluv: Ah! Wonderful! Thanks for the links!! Any chance you may share the doggie pumpkin treat recipe??

sba: We have something very similar to a Buster Cube. It''s a hard orange ball with what looks like multiple holes... but only one hole goes to the hollow center where food & treats are stored. She looks like a soccer player when she *sometimes* plays with it. But for whatever reason she only plays with it if we initiate play & she stays interested for all of 4 minutes

It was an expensive little thing, too.

Bee: Does Amber play with it even when it''s not filled with goodies? Zoey is only interested in hers when food is involved.

Gemgirl: She chewed chunks off of a pliable Nylabone, but I hadn''t considered her breaking a tooth

That definitely has me worried now.

Haven:

I saw that a few days back and was too horrified to respond... Poor little woodland creatures

I''m glad to know there are other somewhat-destructive dogs that are otherwise AMAZING companions. And what you said about the direct correlation between activity & destructive behavior is so true! Zoey sleeps a lot. She always seems physically worn out. I''m really thinking this was a mental thing. She wasn''t bouncing off the walls or running around- she was just curious and a bit bored. She recently completed obedience school, and while we practice old commands, we haven''t been teaching her anything new. Maybe it''s time to add some new commands and tricks to the repertoire? And thanks for the pumpkin puree idea- I''m headed out to the store to grab some... and maybe I''ll make some pumpkin muffins for the humans in our home, as well

 

[jet2ks]

Agree with the Kong recommendations. One thing, look at the black Kongs--they are designed for aggresive chewers and are even tougher than the red ones.

 

[lulu]

Actually I get the beef bones at Walmart. Lou eats the crunchy stuff off in an evening and then they last forever. You can even put peanut butter inside them.

They cost about $5 each.

Kongs are tough. It took Lou months to wreck it.

My stepson''s lab runs on the treadmill but Lou has no interest. The thing that really wears him out is chasing tennis balls I hit with a racket to send them very far.

 

[trishy]

actually if you go to leerburg.com its a great dog website. they have alot about working dogs, and sell a ton of good chew toys. they only sell stuff that has passed the test of being able to stand up to their own german shepherds, malinois, etc... big dogs with a high prey drive, that like to chew.

they also have video reviews of the toys... which was pretty helpful to me.

my dog is little, but he was chewing through EVERYTHING! i bought several toys from them and they have worked GREAT!! they are also toys they have to think about. very cool for any bored pooch!! i can give you more detailed links on the site if you need.

the toys they have are fabulous and fun and durable for sure.

hope this helps

 

[MonkeyPants]

Oo I had/still have this very same problem. We bought the appropriate sized Kong balls and stuffed them with rehydrated dry dog kibble (you can use canned wet food too, but reconstituded dry kibble is more cost effective). Then wrapped them in saran wrap and threw them into the freezer. Once frozen we let our dogs go at ''em. Our dogs scarf down their food if it''s just dumped into a bowl so this was a good way to slow down their eating and keep them occupied for a good hour or so. It''s also a good way to stimulate their minds (how am i going to get this frozen food out of this little hole?) and it tires them out by working their jaw muscles. It was the best tip I got from our dog trainer and the Kongs are super durable.

see what they look like here

The black ones are the "extreme" for "extreme" chewers.

Good luck!

 

[bee*]

Date: 10/18/2009 12:30:28 PM
Author: PilsnPinkysMom


Bee: Does Amber play with it even when it''s not filled with goodies? Zoey is only interested in hers when food is involved.

It depends-if the cat is around she will as she doesn''t want him going anywhere near her toy. Maybe try and get the kong paste that they sell-Amber isn''t too keen on the taste of it but it''s far harder for her to lick all the paste out then it is to get any food that I put in there.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

We have a chow chow who loves to destroy chew toys and eviscerate stuffed animals. We''ve discovered the only thing we can give him are kong balls for extra strong chewers. We also have a kong on a rope that he really likes.

 

[anchor31]

Ditto on the Kong toy! My sister''s dog has had hers forever and she still loves it.

 

[Amandine]

I, too, have a couple of strong chewers at my house. Boomer, my 11 mo bernese mtn dog mix (we think, anyway!) goes through a lot of toys. He really seems to like the rope toys. The favorite so far has the knots on the end but also a series of knots in the middle, too. It seems to last longer then the ones with just the knots on the ends.