Chew Toys

tdlabrie

My buddy Max is no longer a puppy, but he still loves to chew on toys. Unfortunately, as he is a lab/spaniel mix about a year old, his jaws are strong and his teeth are perfect. Consequently, he can destroy many chew toys within an hour.

When we first got him a little over a month ago, we got him some flimsy toys. What a hoot! He polished them all off in minutes. Then we got him very hard plastic chew toys, the kind with some rubber coating with little teeth. Well, the plastic being brittle, this too didn't last very long.

Sorry, I don't remember all the brand names. But next we got him a very hard rubber, nearly as hard as the plastic. This was a bone with a hole through it for treats. Same thing, chewed into it within a couple days.

As we got smarter, we tried to get chew toys that were basically very hard rubber but with a little give to them. He had a bone made of this material, and two solid red balls slightly smaller than tennis balls. He also has one ball made out of pretty hard rubber, about the size of a softball but hollow inside so he can squish it as he chews.

Amazingly, he still has the hollow ball, the rubber bone, and one of the red balls. As I'm working this morning (and, of course, surfing this forum! ) I see he has destroyed the other red ball.

Well, clearly I don't like paying $4 to sometimes $10 or more for a toy that gets destroyed in hours, or even days. Plus, I'm concerned that Max will eat the bits of rubber and other material he breaks up and I don't know, but it seems to me that might be pretty bad for him.

So can anybody suggest some things that: a) will last; b) are good for him; and c) something that would be fun for him?

Thanks.

cshellenberger

If you go to Walmart, they have a fire hydrant toy that is made of hard rubber. I had one for my Mastiff who had VERY strong jaws and for my English Bulldog, also a breed with powerful jaws. They lasted over a year befor the started breaking apart and they can be stuffed with treats if you like.

briteday

Try some mail order catalogs. I like Jeffers Pet and Pet Edge. They have quite a selection for aggressive chewers.

netsirk

www.petsupplies4less.com has some awesome kong toys. To make them even more fun, you can fill them with canned dog food and freeze them overnight. When your dog chews on it, it will take him a while to clear out all of the frozen canned food, thus putting less strain on the toy itself.

RonE

I'd recommend a miniature schnauzer. They are immensely fun to chew on and sometimes they chew back.

Otherwise, I've had the best luck with Nylabone band toys: the bones and the Rinocone have both held up very well with my aggressive chewer.

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