Looking for some indestructible dog toys for my Dobe/Rott who lives to destroy toys! Nothing makes it more than 5 minutes with her… she shreds and guts anything remotely soft as fast as she possibly can (loves to disembowel and pull the guts out of her prey!). Best thing I’ve found for her are those huge Nylabones that are made for powerful chewers… she loves them but they aren’t great as interactive toys (loves to play tug of war and chase balls but she shreds tug toys and balls and, if I am not watching, will consume all the rubber and then puke it all over the floor! Yeck and dangerous at the same time!). Any ideas for TOUGH toys that she can chew on longterm, and some for interactive play too?
The only thing I’ve found for my destructive lab and hound, is a length of nylon lead rope (I only use cotton, ended up with some nylon in a box of tack I bought) with knots. It’s been going strong for 6 months now. I melt the ends with a lighter.
Oh, and the heavy duty kong ball and the original kong. That’s it.
Please do not buy Nylabones. Many dogs actually experience lacarations in the intestines and stomach, leading to bleeding and internal damage. This cannot be seen on x-ray because of the Nylabone material, and often when the pet is finally ill enough to notice the damage, it is too late. Go online and do a little research, it’s very scary. (Used to give them to my Boxer… never again!!!)
Honestly, a GREAT natural and durable chew is a deer antler. They do not shard like a rawhide or Nylabone so there is a very reduced risk of choaking. The marrow is healthy, and the antler does not stain carpet or fur. If I give my Boxer a toy that lasts a week, a thick antler section will last a month or longer. Great for oral health too. Not really a “play toy” for tug-o-war or such games, but they are really awesome otherwise. Elk antler tend to be a little softer than the deer, so if you have the option choose deer!
You should try TUFFY or MIGHTY dog toys at mydogtoy.com. They have lots of durable soft dog toys all kinds of shapes. They also havea dog toy tester program that allows you to get a discount of some sort, and you can test the toys and give them feedback.
Remeber if your dog wants to chew you need to something natural and digestable. Toys are for playtime. So many people use dog toys as a baby sitter, and then are surprised when the toys are destroyed.
Everlasting treat ball. I love them. My pyrenees has yet to destroy it. He has gone thru Kongs like they were jello.
Petsmart and PetCo carry them and you can get them on line.
ditto the nylabones being dangerous- lots of reports of dogs dying mysteriously, or occasionally saved, with chunks of can’t-see-it-on-the-xray nylabone fragments blocking the gut. Eating plastic just isn’t good for dogs.
Rule of thumb: anything you give your dog to chew on WILL get ingested and therefore isn’t safe if the dog can’t digest it.
bully sticks, compressed tripe bones, and raw bones (DO NOT buy smoked bones at the pet store) are all quite safe, and digestible.
From my informal “polls” more than 50% of dogs have zero interest in chewing on the expensive deer antler chews they sell.
Toys are a different story- if your dog destroys toys, and/or may ingest a toy, simply don’t let the dog have the toy unless you are actively playing with the dog (even then the dog may damage the toy, in which case you can toss it before the dog eats it). The leather or jute tugs they sell for protection/police/shutzhund dogs are designed to withstand the hard biting tugger. Orbee balls, timberwolf balls, visionsmart balls, and buddy glow balls are all quite sturdy.
Bumi!
http://www.westpawdesign.com/catalog/dogs/dog-toys/eco-friendly-dog-toys/eco-friendly-products/bumi
Hard Boiled Softies:
http://www.jefferspet.com/hard-boiled-softies/p/KE-7A/cn/100221/
Anything made of fire hose! I’ve bought two different brands (Four Paws, and Toy Shoppe) which are basically a tube of fire hose with an empty, crushable plastic bottle inside. I’ve yet to meet a dog that didn’t covet a plastic bottle! My lab has been playing and chewing on these things daily for the past 3 or 4 months - they both still look brand new! My lab shreds anything stuffed within seconds and he is pretty tough on any type of toy.
