Looking for indestructable dog toys

[Roxy's Run]

Ok, I have two dogs, Roxy and TJ. Roxy is a 45 lbs. German Shepard/Terrier mix and TJ is a Jack Russell. Well, my little TJ (JRT) has been telling me that he wants something to play with these past two days. Last night, we brought home new glasses for my boyfriend, and the hard case for the glasses was placed on the coffee table. Well, TJ scooped the eyeglass case off the table and started to bat it around playing. When we took that way from him, he started playing with my slippers. He played with an empty water gallon jug but once he crushed it, he was done with it. Thank God he doesn't destroy important stuff in the house like furniture, pillows, etc.

Tonight he is sitting here staring at me wanting to play. So I played flash light with him. He LOVES to chase the light beam and goes just nuts over that but he seems to want something to chew on and destroy. My mother bought him a braided rope for tug of war for Christmas but he immediately started pulling all the little strings apart and I'm afraid of him swallowing the thread pieces. I've tried the nyla-bones but he breaks tiny little pieces off of these and they are sharp so that went in the trash. Stuffed animals he just guts and eats the insides. Rubber toys he again gets little tiny pieces off. I haven't tried a Cong yet, but they are rubber and I'm afraid he will manage his shredding with that also. I tried regular rawhide bones but he starts to chew a bit then gets bored with them and walks away. These I have to watch Roxy with also, as she cannot have anything made with or comes from beef. It makes her sick. Pigs ears are out of the question as these have totally ruined Roxy's pancreas and now she needs special medicine for life because her pancreas does not work thanks to the fat in the pig's ears. Both do go out and play and get daily exercise but TJ seems to want a toy. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Linda

Roxy's Run Miniatures

 

[CrescentMinis]

Only 2 things that have been tough enough to last with my boxers have been Kongs and then their favorite, real fresh uncooked beef knuckle and marrow bones. I'm afraid to give them processed animal parts (rawhide, pig's ears, bully stcks, etc.) because of obstruction risk, but had not heard of the pancreas problem. Scary!

 

[Marty]

Let me know when you come up with something.

Amy not only ate my bathroom floor, she has eaten such things as rocks, pieces of concrete, Dan's razor blades, trees, Dan's carharts, Dan's boots, Dan's books, part of his bumper, (can you tell Dan doesn't keep his stuff picked up?) my piano, anything metal or steel, and her latest is Jerry's needlenose pliars. (sigh) Oh, she eats food sometimes on occasion OH!

Yes, that includes an entire bag of Jolly Ranchers Jerry left on the table in the candy dish, plastic wrappers and all. She went zooooooom for the better part of the day and into the night. Maybe I should hot wire the kitchen table and counters???

My vet suggested I should invest in my own X Ray machine....

Would be cheaper than using his every five minutes.

 

[mininik]

As mentioned in another post, RAW recreational bones (weight bearing bones, a.k.a. "wreck" bones for their tendancy to break teeth) can provide a good workout. I feed a raw prey model diet, so our dogs get plenty of chewing time every day when they eat smaller raw meaty bones. Black Kongs are intended for power chewers, and the special blue Kongs are made to show up in Xrays should your dog end up with an obstruction. You could also try some supervised play, including games of tug with a braided fleece toy or something similar, intermingled with games of fetch or chase. Our dogs love the flirt pole I constructed out of a 7' piece of electrical conduate and 15' of nylong rope with a dog toy attached at the end. We use it almost every day, much like this:

 

[DrivinTime]

The ONLY dog toy we've found that they can't trash is a really heavy-duty ring (they make bone shapes too) made of some kind of fabric (kevlar, maybe?) and my schipperke loves it. You can see their website here but I bought mine at a local pet store.

These are kinda heavy, so I try not to play catch with them (I have small dogs) but they are great for fetch and tug-o-war, and they really do last - our first one is still functional and we've had it for 3 years or so. They have squeakers and rattles too, for added interest...

Amended: They haven't eaten the Kong toys yet, but they aren't as good for playing tug-o-war with...

 

[Alex]

Those TUFFIES that DrivinTime posted are seriously INDESTRUCTABLE!!! My chocolate lab ( 80lbs) has had his for like 2 years and hasnt even torn it up. They are great!

 

[Charlene]

i've only seen a kong destroyed a time or two. so far, they're the best toys i've found. i stuff them with a variety of things...peanut butter, cream cheese, chunks of hot dog...they keep my furkids busy for hours.

 

[anoki]

Don't waste the money on a Tuffy if they are power chewers....seriously....miss Moxie (the CORGI) has destroyed 2 of them! I haven't had much luck with toys for her either. She completely destorys EVERYTHING that I buy for her. Stuffed toys she guts in about 30 secs after I give it to her (though she does enjoy playing with the 'skins' OH! ). I have tried everything, and I mean EVERYTHING with this girl. Orca toys didn't work, she wrecked that in about 30 secs. Tuffies, like I said, she's destroyed. She won't play or chew on any of the nylabone products (except the puppy bones, which apparently she loves

she stole them from the pups!) Kong's she licks the stuff out of them that I put in, but that's it (though I'm not too impressed with the Kong's as the PUPS have ripped into a few of the red ones). If I stuff too much stuff in them, she gets what she can and leaves it. She won't work to get it all out

She loves, loves, loves to play ball....tennis balls I can't leave down with her after play or she starts skinning them and splits them apart. You name it, I've bought it....with no success. The ONLY thing that I found that was worth the money is a product called 'Tarter Busters' (not sure what they are called in the US). It looks like a knee cap maybe, and they chew down to nothing! The dogs LOVE them! Or knuckle bones, etc. There are a lot of good chewing bones out there....I just don't know what the companies are in the US. I buy them bulk up here.

~kathryn

 

[sundancer]

I have the same problem with my jack russell too. He destroys everything I have bought him. Tucker has started to move on to my things!!! I can't find a toy that lasts. I am so afraid of him getting a hold of something he shouldnt and have to take a trip to the emergency ward! He has torn apart way too many slippers, boots, he has finally given up on eating the newspaper before anyone gets to read it! The only positive thing is everyone at the house picks up their stuff or its gone!

 

[Sterling]

Lakota is a poweful chewer...all 135 lbs. of lean muscle. Huge head...powerful jaws. She has Kongs. I too stuff them with p-nut butter, squeeze cheese or break biscuits and stuff it that way and she loves to roll it around and as the bits fall out she gets a treat...this keeps her occupied for a bit. I've given her those sterile bones that are filled from Pet Smart, but lately this last year she's split them...so I've quit giving her them. I have 2 marrow bones in the freezer waiting the spring so I can bake or boil them and let her and her sister have them outside. (Always, always I supervise my girls when they are having a chew time with bones.) I tried the Nylabones...altho the little bits that come off are suppose to be like grains of rice that go right thru them.....I was not comfortable with the fact that she gets so into it. With the Kong she tends to take the smaller one in her mouth and use it as a gum exerciser. She'll carry both around the house just cuz she can.

 

[Marty]

Does anyone happen to have an extra reclyner Amy can have? I"m sure she'd like the springs inside it.

 

[Chpmnk1]

 

[Sixstardanes]

Some inexpenive toys that we've used here are big bottles (milk, apple juice,soda - all w/o the cap)

and the outside of a bicycle tire.

We've had this tire for years in and out of freezing temps and ice & snow and its still in great shape but then again we don't have mega chewers here.

 

[Kendra]

We have a rottie cross who is a toy destroyer, and though she's on her second Kong, they definitely do last really well!! The first one got a little ragged after a couple years, but she does play with it every single day.

We went to the pet store and asked for the toughest toys they had one day, they gave us this toy made out of firehose, said it was indestructable .... took Dixie about an hour to make a hole in it! Also got her a rubber "rock" though, which she loves and though she's had it since Christmas still looks as good as new!

 

[Roxy's Run]

Thanks everyone! Well, I went to the store and checked out all the toys and bones. The toys that they had I knew TJ would massacre with no problem so I settled on a Jumbone made by Pedigree. Of course, I bought two of the small ones - one for TJ and one for Roxy. Well, let me tell you - they both LOVED it! Of course, Roxy just ate her down in no time as usual. TJ worked on his for over an hour and enjoyed every lick. It also cleaned his teeth really well which I'm happy about.

But I still need to find a toy as bones are nice but I don't agree with giving them one every night. Actually, they are both standing next to me as I write this begging for one.

I looked at the Kongs but they didn't impress me much. Plus they seem real "heavy" and I can just see Roxy picking it up and tossing it into the TV screen or something.

As an outside toy, fine, but not in a small place like we have. I can just picture Roxy throwing the Kong all over. I will try some other stores this weekend and look at some that have been mentioned. Thanks again.

Linda

Roxy's Run Miniatures

 

[lilmiraclesfarm]

The only toys that I have found that withstood our dobermans are the kongs, Jolly Balls and those round tire toys.

 

[DrivinTime]

Hey, those little jolly balls are a good idea for tug-o-war and stuff! (I've been coming back to read this post to see what other toy ideas come up. I'm always on the lookout for stuff for The Destructo Dogs.) Our Shiba plays with the horses' (medium size) jolly ball out in the pen; she's such a rugged girl.

My little guys like stuffed toys, though, and it really is hard to find something like a stuffed toy that they can't wreck in 5 seconds...

Keep those ideas coming!

 

[anoki]

You can get tiny dog size jolly balls...I have one that I gave the corgi pups when they first started playing. The only problem with jolly balls......if you have power chewers, they will chew the handle off....and keep going!!!! I should take a picture of Moxie's barn 'ball'. It just looks like a piece of rubber now, and it was a med sized jolly ball!!!!

~kathryn