My 9 month old lab is quite the serious chewer and has destroyed every toy he's ever been given with the exception of Kongs. I'm looking for toy recommendations that will keep him interested (potentially something he THINKS he could destroy but can't actually, if that makes sense?) and won't fall to pieces the first time I let him at them.
I don't encourage my dogs to chew toys - unless they are chew toys (e.g. kongs or similar). Toys are for playing games with, and games involve humans. Well, my older dog likes carrying toys around but even then he likes a human admire him do it. So, chews are for chewing, toys are not for chewing. Betsy has some of Charlie's old toys, and they are still going strong. And Charlie is just waiting for chewing to become an Olympic sport so he can finally achieve the recognition that is rightfully due to him...
Hmmm, ok! I think we are way past that point by now because we've always given him his toys as chew toys, so I'm not sure what to do from here lol :/ We are first time dog owners (as in raising from a puppy ourselves) and are doing our best but it seems like there's so much that we've missed along the way!
Give him chew toys? Lol. You can give him fabric toys to chew, and try to find toys that are tough enough to withstand the chewing, but if he's a real power chewer, than not much but pretty robust rubber will stand up for long.
Some members have wonderful things to say about chew/anco roots. I would love to try one but NZ has the strictest biosecurity laws in the world so they're off limits to us. I give Xena a bone from the butcher to chew on, but shin/cannon bones have their own risks and I know a lot of the members here would never give one to their pups.
Many of us are and many of us have,so don't worry,it's all part of the roller coaster! I've read quite a lot of these threads recently ,I'm noticing that because I'm banging on about my old favourite the cardboard box quite a lot My dog was/is a very determined chewer...soft toys last seconds ,he cannot help himself but to disembowel them immediately so I turned to cardboard tubes and boxes.I used to put bits of food in them and hide the box so he got the double entertainment of finding it then chewing it to bits to get the food! He probably ate a bit of the cardboard but it wasn't the end of the world. Apple packaging and Amazon delivery is what you really need to get your hands on,they are really tough and buy you quite some chewing time! I put out an SOS for IPad /iPhone boxes when my boy was recovering from an operation .
Confession that I've never had a Lab nor have I ever had a chewer! However, I had a Jolly Ball (really tough football/US soccer-sized ball with or without a handle) that I bought for my first Rottie and it never, ever wore out through 15 years of being left outside and the attentions of 20 foster dogs. Apparently they also use these things in zoos for lions and elephants. They aren't chew toys (I think it is possible to eventually chew the handle off if you get the handle version) but darn, are they tough and my dogs loved playing with them.
I have toys for playing with - which I keep out of reach unless I'm interacting with the pup. The other toys are for chewing, playing with on their own etc. Bruce is brilliant at playing on his own and has a really soft mouth. Twiglet was a toy destroyer and it was trail and error which ones survived her teeth - Kongs usually did well, especially Kong snakes. This giant nylabones is a great hit with all the pups
Coco is a toy chewer. He does have a Jolly Ball, but very quickly chewed the handle off, and chewed the ball - but it still bounces & provides loads of entertainment. I'd recommend the rubber Kong toys, particularly the black ones, for determined chewers.
That's hysterical! My Jolly Ball didn't look like that even after 2 Rottweilers, a pit bull and many, many foster dogs. These Labs really are land sharks!
Mine used to love those Nylabone Galileo versions and they lasted forever. Do you need to wait to give Nylabones to older puppies? I used to give them to my foster puppies (the smaller softer ones) and never had a single issue, but now that I myself have become a little more "earth mother/bio/all natural", I might worry a bit more. Though I have to say that I didn't have any dogs who swallowed the plastic bits (they'd leave a little pile of shavings behind after a chew session). What's the general consensus of using them?
GD pups are allowed nylabones from day 1, mine especially like the keys when tiny., but have all sorts available. Some they totally ignore, others they take to. Tatze no longer chews unless there is food involved! But there isn't a consensus - some people think all bones are too hard for their teeth. Ours have smoked bones, sterilised bones and nylabones. None of mine, so far, have chewed them for long spaces of time.
Thanks! I just thought I'd ask, especially as how I just answered a thread about doing the whole natural home made food thing while at the same time essentially admitting here to giving the same dogs plastic to chew on. It just made me think... um, maybe my thinking is a little outdated on the whole Nylabone thing. I've not had a dog who had any interest in them for years, so it's not like I've thought about it much. But man, oh, man, were they life savers with foster puppies and with Brogan for about the first 5 years. And if they are still in the "safe stuff" category I'll happily use them again. And yeah, I admit to finding those little key sets pretty adorable for the tiny pups!
I get a supply of rice bones in for the tiny pups. After 12 weeks old they are useless - but great for the crocapup stage!
