[hargyle]

Recently I have started a new job and I can not be home all day with Loki anymore. So we built him his own room where he can eat, play, chew and sleep. Never much of a chewer before, he is now ( I believe) to be bored - I would be too... and has begun to chew EVERYTHING. He only has toys and chews available to him so nothing to dangerous ... here's my question ,

What are some tuff, effective chew toys to use - that I am not going to spend a fortune on - on a weekly bases?

Routine : 5:15am , get up take him out, play a little, training.
6:00 goes in his room with his breakfast ( stuffed frozen kong, 2 feeder balls and a carrot)
Get home around 4:45.

Toys he has : Kong, Kong Wubba, feeder balls, nylabone, deer antler x2 , stuffing free soft toys and a pull rope.
In two days he has destroyed a rope, a nylabone and a stuffy.

I'm asking because, he is clearly board and I don't want him to be TOO board.

* I always check and remove anything he has started to get through to avoid disaster as much as possible. 5 months ... I'm pretty sure he has all of his adult teeth now maybe a couple in the front to lose.

 

[Roloni]

Nice!!!
Roxxie has a room with a view out the patio doors into the yard...The radio is on her favorite station...2 Marrow Bones..and a Rawhide...and she access to a mudroom for pp emergencies...a bowl of fresh water and a bowl of dry food...I always keep a light on in the house..and set thermostat to keep the house at 68 degrees .

 

[Bordermom]

He's a puppy and in the chew stage, so anything goes! Kilt has an old marrow bone and a kong in her crate, but the last few days has had the same with the indoor/outdoor run option. Before you leave you might want to take him for a little walk/run to burn off some energy, and then in the evening also do a longer walk or outing to get him out. Can you get a dogwalker to come partway through the day?

I also saw an idea where someone froze the toys in a bucket of water, so the dog had to sorta wait/lick to get at the goodies and they didn't just have them all right there - might be an option to do that then put the ice brick in a tote or something.

 

[Amaryllis]

I used to buy toys labeled "for heavy chewers" at petsmart for muggsy. He liked the tire and all of kong's power chewer line. They are initially expensive, but they last.

Look at online reviews and pay close attention to any review that mentions a pit bull. They are power chewers so if it pit bill owners are satisfied, you'll be happy, too.

 

[Roloni]

The chewing is from boredom as you already know.
Once again.
In my absence I try to keep my dogs comfortable in the home.
Marrow Bones and rawhide satisfy her chewing during the day. Being able to see outside and having a place to relive herself is also extremely helpful. Distractions like music can help to calm her during my absence.

 

[Nev Allen]

The large black kong is supposedly indistructible. I have given one to a GSD boarding with me and he has had it for 2 days now without a dent. Also give him things like the black pot plant things you buy plants in, or heavy duty black poly pipe cut into 20 inch lengths.
You should have some stuff that encourages him to use his brain.You can buy kibble dispensers that are small enough to fit into a holyroller. Fill it with smaller kibble - cat kibble is good.

 

[Willowy]

He destroyed a Nylabone that quickly? Wow! What size/shape was it? I found the knotted-rawhide-shaped bone and the Galileo/dino bone to be the toughest.

 

[Greater Swiss]

Caeda is a strong chewer too.
Don't go for the softer nylabones, the harder ones last way longer (we had a soft one...it lasted maybe 5 mins). The hard ones are lasting quite a while. The antlers are great, you could try Goughnutz, they're supposedly guaranteed. Caeda hasn't killed one of those yet and she's had them for months.
I know you've learned not rope toys, I'll repeat that! Once we realized that Caeda could destroy those we don't use them at all since we're worried she'll swallow the debris and get problems from it, she usually spits stuff out, but not always! Caeda can't have soft toys of any kind any more (even though she loves them), she destroys them, stuffed or not.
I also second putting a radio on (or leave a TV on), besides potentially being comforting background noise it can mask the odd noise from outside, potentially preventing barking fits.
I found the Kong Wobbler a pretty good treat dispensing toy, for kibble, treats or whatever. We've got the really big one and Caeda can't get a good enough grip on it to destroy it (um...yet?).

 

[Max and Me]

I have a couple of the new Bionic brand toys that are supposed to be indestructable. So far so good and Jake is a HEAVY chewer on his toys. The black kong is great too as is the knotted Nylabone.

 

[hargyle]

He destroyed a Nylabone that quickly? Wow! What size/shape was it? I found the knotted-rawhide-shaped bone and the Galileo/dino bone to be the toughest.

Yeah it was gone in a day; we got it for him when he was a pup and never showed much interest, it was the puppy chicken flavoured bone, one so thats probably why he got through it now that he has his big boy teeth!

Kongs he only seems to be interested in for the food for the time being, never really played or chewed on them.
I have a radio on for him, and the cats keep him on his toes too.
I really wish I could get a walker ... the only one what will return my calls wants $35 / half hour. which is outrageous in m opinion ... I am working with a friend to see if we can get her over throughout the day to take him out, or take him for the day to her house. But everyone has lives!



I have a Kong wobbler on order, to add to his feeding toys.
And I'm considering getting a knuckle bone from the butchers - but I always was under the assumption raw hides and marrows weren't good to leave them alone with ?

And we always go to the park after work for a good run/ play to burn off that pent up energy!

 

[Greater Swiss]

I won't use rawhides at all, the marrow bones are up in the air with us right now. Caeda is now a strong enough chewer that she will start destroying the bone if left to it, which is risking dental problems. Now we only leave her alone with it for maybe 10 minutes at a time, never all day, and only when its fairly fresh and she hasn't gotten beyond the odd meaty bits on the outside and the beginning of the marrow. My general rule is, marrow bones are for if I need to do stuff around the house, I need her from underfoot, I don't have to be 100% on top of her, but I am around and checking often.
I would try to do some exercising before you leave, and maybe consider a doggy daycare once or twice a week, ours is $15/day, way cheaper than the dog walker you are talking to! It would be ideal if you could set something up with your friend though!

 

[Nev Allen]

If your dog is that strong a chewer that she can split a marrow bone stop using them altogether. They will swallow a splinter and if it is sharp enough it will pierce the stomach. I am not being alarmist, ask your vet. They are dangerous if your dog can splinter them. And don't think that just because you are home with them you can watch them. It only takes a second for that bone to split and the dog to go yum.

 

[Roloni]

If your dog is that strong a chewer that she can split a marrow bone stop using them altogether. They will swallow a splinter and if it is sharp enough it will pierce the stomach. I am not being alarmist, ask your vet. They are dangerous if your dog can splinter them. And don't think that just because you are home with them you can watch them. It only takes a second for that bone to split and the dog to go yum.

For a real strong chewer like my dog..A very thick marrow bone is the only thing that works.
Take a marrow bone and cut off the ends with a saw.The bone has to be very thick. Fill it with peanut butter.
There is not one dog toy.. in any petstore.. that Roxxie cant destroy .