Dog Toy Destruction

**FrankZappa** · 06-25-2008, 04:54 PM

jeez buzzw, I wasn't talkin chicken bones. I talkin like... leg of elk or bull, ya know? good stuff.

I never had a dog get jacked up from good ones, and they all lasted well into thier teens.

**tigerstripe40** · 06-25-2008, 04:55 PM

I used to have a cocker spaniel that would shred any dog toy he could get a hold of.
After spending months trying to find a good dog toy that he couldn't shread in under 10 seconds, we decided to do something else.

So we would go to the Deseret Industries (a local thrift store 'chain') and get a big toy pack for $4. That had about 10-15 plush toys in it. We would remove hard plastic pieces like eyes so the dog wouldn't choke, but that would take a couple of minutes with a pair of scissors. When we noticed that his toy was destroyed, we'd throw him a new one.

I miss that dog...

HTH

**Art Shirk** · 06-25-2008, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

My golden is implementing a fairly successful de-forestation program in in my woodland back yard.

Having stripped what grass there ever was he spends his outside time collecting sticks, ripping branches from the trees, or even uprooting small trees and carefully stacking them in a large pile on the dirt patch. When he gets bored of this manual labor he'll take a break for a few hours digging for rocks.

I have always wondered why my parents' last two goldens had such a penchant for wood as well.

In looking for a pic of the two pups playing together, I think I found the perfect toy for her...Bocce Balls

**crackboy** · 06-25-2008, 05:01 PM

we had bought one of those firehose toys when our pup was younger and she tore an end off of it, it still is around but she just tries to eat it. we used to buy the smoked bones from petco and those would last forever. We also would give her the retriever roll rawhides from costco. the are like 10 inches long and 2 inches wide, but they don't really break into large pieces, so as long as you take it away before it gets to the end and can break off into larger pieces its great.

i have heard of people giving bones from the butcher and have not really heard naything bad about that except if they have sensitive stomachs the marrow get cause some bad things.
like with any toy you need to keep an eye on em

we can't give our dog bones/rawhides anymore due to IBD, but luckily she doesn't destroy squeeky toys anymore so she gets those. she would eat ropes

**Buzzworthy** · 06-25-2008, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by FrankZappa

jeez buzzw, I wasn't talkin chicken bones. I talkin like... leg of elk or bull, ya know? good stuff.

I never had a dog get jacked up from good ones, and they all lasted well into thier teens.

came off harsh, not intended at all

None of my dogs got jacked from bones, but a 100+lb Choc. lab we knew ate a huge bone and died from stomach puncture. Don't remember what kind of bone though. Sucked to see the dog in agony.

**Buzzworthy** · 06-25-2008, 05:04 PM

Time to head home to walk said doggers.

**P_McPoser** · 06-25-2008, 05:08 PM

My pitbull has destroyed in hours every toy I have ever bought her except for a canvasish football referee I got at Petsmart. It is just now looking ready for the trash after 2 years or so.

**gatorboy** · 06-25-2008, 06:36 PM

My wife and I are laughing our asses off right now with all this talk about Golden's. We thought our Daisy was the only tree-shredding, rock-finding pup (only 19 months old). The one toy she hasn't wrecked yet is the Jolly ball with a handle. I even seen them big enough for horses.

**Woodlandclown** · 06-25-2008, 07:35 PM

Originally Posted by lemon boy

Probably it's too close to rubber but ours friggin love the hard plastic jolly balls
http://www.dogtoys.com/teaserball.html

Our little dog did destroy one but it took him 4 days of concerted effort, so they're not indestructible but they are very durable.

Or go to the fire station and ask for a length of old hose.

Even our big dog that isn't usually into destroying toys will take out any of the fabric based toys in minutes, especially those that claim to be extra durable.

jolly balls rock! i have never seen my dog so freakin stoked as when he gets a new jolly ball. he goes nuts.

as for non rubber toys--i'll think about it. i cant think of anything non rubber that i have had over the last ten years that wasnt destroyed. billy has some plush toys he rips and i fix. nylabone stuff??

**Woodlandclown** · 06-25-2008, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by commonlaw

A rope was also very recently consumed. That white mess was a rope, and could now be used as a wig.

Thanks for the ideas. I am spending so much money on toys that I may as well let her eat the couch...it would be cheaper as long as it took her about 7 months to finish it off.

There is a fire station just next door and I will stop in there. I find it amusing but educational that one of the best options for my pooch would be city purchased property.

give her the daamned couch--she is too cute!

doughboyshredder · 06-25-2008, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by Buzzworthy

Nope, spot on, at least most bones. Splinters.

Tens of thousands of dog lovers would disagree with you wholeheartedly. Dogs have little to no issues with raw bones. Cooked bones are the problem.

**gravitylover** · 06-25-2008, 08:42 PM

Our new dog loves to chew on stuff. She's already gone through the couch cushions much to my wifes chagrin, but I do like the new ones better so... The dog has also done a number on the picnic table in the yard and the base of one of the trees. The bigger issue is that she loves to dig. I've had to line most of the fences in the yard with railroad ties so we can let her out without being there all the time. Most of the trees have rather large holes dug around the bases too, one in particular I think she has a real beef against. It's probably just a matter of time before it comes down on her.

**scoober** · 06-25-2008, 08:42 PM

Our dog is similarly medium sized, and similarly innocent looking. She can, however destroy any toy. Fabric, no matter what they claim will be destroyed. She can turn a Kong into chunks in about 2 days (even the black super tough ones.) Eventually we would find chunks of Kong in her poop months later (not good).

Our solution has been the BIG Nylabones, they come in cardboard packaging that is printed to look like steel plates. She is currently working on one we got her for xmas, 5 months later still going strong, the smaller end is a nub, but there is plenty of material left.

http://www.petco.com/product/9991/Ny...-Big-Dogs.aspx

**BmillsSkier** · 06-25-2008, 09:05 PM

Commonlaw, not to get too off topic, but I belive the answer is training. If I recall your pup is part Border Collie (aka neruotic, too smart for their own good dogs). My Border Collie (now 1 yr old) used to destroy anything and everything like your first picture shows. After getting him trained he stopped destroying toys and started simply playing with them. He also stopped chewing my wife's wardrobe much to my wallet's (and sanity's) pleasing. He wasn't trained to not chew or destroy things, but to respect the "human" things in the house, which came with obedience. 2 weeks at a boarding training kennel with one on one training goes a long, long way. Worth the investment for many reasons...

**hutash** · 06-26-2008, 09:40 AM

Second the Kong toy. Yes, it is rubber, but you stuff it with treats, so most dogs love them. Start by making the treats easy to get out, then make it progressively harder. Eventually stuff it with peanut butter, and throw it in the freezer. Works to keep puppy entertained for hours. If you can find them, get the blue ones. They show up on x-rays in case your pup is one of the few that can actually destroy a Kong.

Stay away from bones and rawhide, both potential causes of trouble.

**Doober** · 06-26-2008, 10:09 AM

My roommate has two pitbulls that will tear any toy apart in about ten minutes. He went to Petco and bought one of those "indestructible" toys. The dogs shredded it apart in about twenty minutes. The next day he took it back and they gave him a new one. He kept this up for about seven or eight times before they told him he had to contact the company who makes them.

**Pinner** · 06-26-2008, 10:23 AM

I'm sure your local shelter has plenty of cats. Give him something to chew on that actually has a will to live.

**TeleHoar** · 06-26-2008, 10:30 AM

Be sure to get their teeth checked every now and then!!

**rehabit** · 06-26-2008, 10:44 AM

this thread is cracking me up!

Who could not give a dog a bone anyway? Smoked, boiled, raw frozen beef bones whate.ver. They keep on going and going and you're dog will love you for it. If you're buying the smoked ones, just be sure to open them up and smell test it before you leave the store. I got a hold of a rotten one once, and it wasn't pretty.

btw, my dogs destroyed that exact same toy in about 2 days. Better than the area rug I suppose

as a local suggestion, hit up Mud Bay next to the vet's office on Phinney. They gots lots o raw bones (and food) in the freezer.

**Art Shirk** · 06-26-2008, 11:17 AM

Bmills, I was wondering when training would be proposed. I whole-heartedly agree with you, and am trying to get her to be less destructive. She is in fact part Aussie Shepard and smart as all hell. I think some extra dilligence on my part would go quite far.

Pinner, funny you mention that. That is exactly, verbatim, what I told the gf the other day. And although it is funny, I am actually considering it. It will be Annapurna's cat, not ours, and I will train the dog to care for the cat and feed it. I'm tellin you, she could too. You know how you get one of those pesky itches on your body somewhere that need a good scratch...I have already trained the dog to scratch where I point. commonlaw's trick recommendation of the day.

And rehabit, I stopped in there after an appointment the other day but didn't browse the treats/toys offerings. I will check it out soon as she needs a booster. Thanks again for the recommendation on a Vet, they have turned out to be wonderful.

**PNWbrit** · 06-26-2008, 11:30 AM

There were early warning signs that Gus was going to be obsessive about toys.

Except, that is when he was being too easily distracted by other shit going on

**daPig** · 06-26-2008, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by scoober

Our solution has been the BIG Nylabones, they come in cardboard packaging that is printed to look like steel plates. She is currently working on one we got her for xmas, 5 months later still going strong, the smaller end is a nub, but there is plenty of material left.

http://www.petco.com/product/9991/Ny...-Big-Dogs.aspx

Seconded. Nylabones are the only thing that last with my dog. The only problem with the big ones is that occasionally the dog will drop it on your foot, it does not feel good.

**Cruiser** · 06-26-2008, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by commonlaw

If I could successfully design a toy it would have the following characteristics:
- long lasting
- not rubber (purely my pooch's perogative)
- enticing (maybe an internal bacon scent)
- safe, if and when it is destroyed

Funny, those are virtually identical to the requirements I had for a girlfriend during college. Never found one with the coveted internal bacon scent though...

**thommy21** · 06-26-2008, 01:26 PM

Big Nylabones are one of the only non-rubber toys that seem to last with my lab. Nylabone makes the one in the picture, but he eats the green soft part(mint or chicken smell) quickly. The black plastic underneath is hanging in there though. It does take a while for the Kongs, but he's not picky about rubber toys. I gave up on rope and even Jollyballs. He chews the handle right off a Jolly ball in about an hour. It seems that once they find a weak spot in a toy they just keep digging at it till it's destroyed.

**Buzzworthy** · 06-26-2008, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by doughboyshredder

Tens of thousands of dog lovers would disagree with you wholeheartedly. Dogs have little to no issues with raw bones. Cooked bones are the problem.

Hundred's of thousands of people disagree with me wholeheatedly on a hell of a lot of stuff.

I stick by what I said and add in, depends on the breed of dog.

I am a Dane person. That is all I know about really and I know they can have issues with real bones. Had a Dane since 19. Any vet I have ever talked to including our last one who mainly worked with large breeds and horses told us no bones.

So that is my story and you know the rest.