My lab is now 14 weeks and in the last week or two I've noticed she has really started to chew through toys like crazy. Are Labradors considered power chewers? I'm wondering if this is normal. If I give her a plush toy, she will very intensely focus on an ear or a tail and chew through it until I'm pulling bits of fabric and stuffing out of her mouth. She is still not able to make a dent in some of the stronger nylon/rubber tows but doesn't show much interest in those yet. The fake (non splinter) wood toys seem to be my only saving grace right now. I'm just surprised her bite has developed so fast (glad she's not biting me anymore, at least not much). Again, just curious, is this normal for a lab?
Try the black kong with a smear of peanut butter round the inside/wet food/banana etc. The scent of the food will encourage the chewing of hard rubber rather than fabric toys they like to rip apart.
They are indeed power chewers. Coopers delight is destroying plush toys. We get two a month in a Bark Box, and they only last a couple of days. Fortunately she just tears them up, and does not eat them. Tilly was the same way and Ginger to a lesser degree. Heavy knotted ropes are pretty durable, and also stuffed toys made by Tuffy. We have a couple of the rings from Tuffy and they are the only soft toy that has never been destroyed. The black Kongs are pretty much indestructible also, but Cooper also thinks they are boring.
Oh yeah. And you’re in the beginning of the teething stretch. I started my lab early on “directed destruction.” I fed a lot of meals in empty cereal boxes, paper sacks, paper towel rolls with the ends closed up, boxes filled with packing paper (wrap the kibble up in it), cardboard egg cartons, catalogues with kibble sprinkled in ash page, etc. If it was safe for him to chew on I let him go for it. I watched carefully to make sure I could catch it if he started swallowing, but he really didn’t try to actually eat it. He got to shred, rip, and make a giant mess, which seemed to fill some need he has. We also do a ton of puzzle toys for meals and snacks (he hasn’t eaten out of a regular bowl since about 10 weeks old), and started doing nose work games regularly. Keeping him mentally stimulated and finding positive ways to indulge his destructo-dog impulses has meant he doesn’t destroy toys or my things, despite those jaws being fully capable of it.
Mine is now 9 months but just relentless with chewing- they all sound like good ideas and shoukd I start even though older. He is being really cheeky and runs of with anything of mine, gloves, hates, dressing gown cord. I do alot of training and regular walks but do work so when I'm off he is usually relaxed and sleeps by me throughout the day and lovely company.
The good news is if she rips a chunk of a toy, I can remove it from her jaws without any real objections (just lots of squirming as she tries to hold on to it). First time I had to do that I wasn't sure if I was going to lose a digit, but she was great about it. I have a puppy grade kong that she isn't able to destroy yet but I think it's just from lack of trying. She will push a kong around to get to the kibble but if it's stuffed then she just gives up.
