this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2024
1 points (100.0% liked)

Dogs

3758 readers
3 users here now

All about dogs - dog breeds, dog training and behavior, news affecting dog owners or handlers, puppy pics, etc.

Rules (Will be refined later on).

  1. Don't be a dick. This should cover most things, just keep in mind that everyone started somewhere and try to be helpful rather than rude or judgmental.

  2. No personal attacks based on training style or tools.
    Discussion of balanced training including proper use of aversives is allowed here.

  3. All breeds and mixes are welcome. You can criticize backyard breeding practices but don't pile on people because they own a specific breed or prefer purebreds or mixed breeds.

  4. Do not support backyard breeders or puppy mills. Please do not link to or suggest buying from high volume breeders or those with an obvious lack of standards and testing.

  5. Do not help or support fake service animals. Please do not encourage people to buy fake service dog vest or ESA letters to get around rental or other restrictions & do not give advice on how to misrepresent a dog as a service or support animal.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I have a 40 lb Samoyed who is a specific type of aggressive chewer. It isn’t so much she destroys any toy I give her because of how hard she chews, but rather she is like a sniper. She finds the weak point in a toy and carefully chews it until the toy is destroyed. I had to stop giving her stuffed toys as she stripes the fur off of them and eats it. While nylon bones work, she will go through them in a few days. And I don’t want to give her toys so hard they will wreck her teeth.

The problem is when I go to pet stores, all the toys labeled for “aggressive chewers”, she finds the weak spot and destroys the toy within one day (sometimes within an hour).

I just recently got a tuffy ring and I was hopeful but she is chewing the ends and eating the fabric off of it.

Does anyone else have a dog like this and if so, what toys have worked for you?

top 20 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 weeks ago

I've also got a tough chewer who also happens to be completely disinterested in toys that are hard. Raw bones and nylon bones keep him entertained for a while but he loves playing with/chewing on plush toys. Of course most plush toys couldn't last 5 min with him, so one day I went to the pet store and grabbed any plush toys that looked fairly durable but still plushie and tried to rip it myself. I could feel/hear whenever a stitch would start to give way.

The toy that withstood my strength and has so far lasted nearly a year of tug of war and chewing was Smart Pet Love Tender Tuffs (specifically, the beaver in their nature line). I definitely recommend giving them a try (as a bonus, you'd be supporting a small business)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

My dog is the same. We get these fake sticks. They are made out of wood but they don’t splinter and they aren’t as hard as Nylon toys. The pet store sells them in various brands.

I’ve also had good luck with some extra durable fabric toys but I still have to watch him. I don’t mind if he shreds them, as long as he doesn’t eat them. The key with those is the shape of the toy. It can’t have ears or small bits dangling off the side. He chews those right off then pulls the stuffing out.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

We got the kong ball for our toy-destroying dingus. It's lasted months https://a.co/d/1q55QPw

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

The dingus: 1000000553

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

Kongs are basically indestructible from what I've seen. We used to have a pittie with separation anxiety and a kong frozen full of peanut butter was good for hours.

Himalayan yak cheese/milk chew things - really durable, moreso than some of the bones we get. Our dog really isn't into antlers, but my theory is that she likes the yak chews because they have an intrinsic flavor, and do actually wear down and give eventually. The only downside is that she likes to leave them in main walkways on light flooring, so I'm pretty sure I'm gonna die tripping over one, one day.

We also used to get chew rolls made from rawhide-alternative in bulk from Costco. They lasted a while, but we stopped getting them once we found the yak stuff, they get real gross.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

My experience is the dog may need more exercise.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

Have you considered raw bones? I don't give my Sammy most chews because he just destroys them in seconds. A pork femur will last him 30 minutes.

Beef is harder than pork, but I'd start with pork and see how it goes.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

Seconding antlers which someone mentioned, great for chewing. Otherwise it's mostly various plastic toys unfortunately. Rope toys are nice as well, because we got more mileage from them. Once he chewed through them, he ended up with two smaller toys which usually survived a bit longer though.

Stuffed toys are useless, lobotomied in minutes. Which is a shame because second dog would enjoy having them :(

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

You don't need stronger toys. You need more entertainment and enrichment. If the dog is picking apart the toys it's because they're bored. With that said, natural hemp rope is great. You can buy 40 ft of it and make a whole bunch of chew toys and pull toys.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

Simply not true. Some dogs really just enjoy pulling things apart. Our old girl - a golden retriever - could bite through a “super tough” kong in 10 minutes. She had no other interest in her toys beyond breaking them.

I would not recommend rope toys to a dog that enjoys destroying toys. They’ll end up swallowing it.

We found the “safe” wood chews worked best. You go through them quickly but they’re supposed to be destroyed by design. In Australia they’re called “coffee wood chews” but names no doubt vary from country to country.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I can understand this assumption, but this is just how she approaches any toy I give her. I have plenty of puzzle toys (food based) that I use and of course she is high energy so she gets plenty of exercise and play. But when it comes to non food toys, she just wrecks them.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm not saying that you're not providing things to do. I'm just saying your dog is enjoying ripping the toys apart because it's challenging. They're going to pick apart the rope too. But that shouldn't cause any problems.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

Yea. I think the hemp rope is a good idea. I got one with tennis balls on it but she chews the tennis ball fuzz of it when we aren’t playing tug. Just a rope might work though, so thank you for the suggestion!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Kong toys are just about the only things that I have gotten that truly are indestructible. Too bad my dogs seem to be offended by the odor or texture and only ever touch the one you can put peanut butter in (and only when there is peanut butter in it).

Bark Boxes are the only kind of "subscription service for a monthly box of crap" I find actually worth it because I get plenty of toys they do like and it doesn't matter that they get ruined because I'll just be getting more anyway.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yea, she destroyed two Kongs so far. I got the strongest kong toy for peanut butter, and she hasn’t wrecked that yet.

I’ll check out the bark boxes.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

My sons dog bites through tennis balls immediately. I got her the super chewer barkbox and it was good. Lots of their toys have a cover they can rip off and then have a chewy you underneath.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

This might not be what you’re looking for, but my dogs are super chewers and anything that isn’t Nylabone or similar nylon bone they destroy so quickly.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Pig ears and antlers have always worked well for me. You can buy sizable bags of them for pretty cheap, so it's not a big deal if they burn through them quickly.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

Similarly buffalo horn, it's almost completely solid all the way through, so it's more solid than other chew toys which can break apart.