Dog toys for chewers!

[BatleyTownswomensGuild]

So we got our new dog recently. She's a lovely 2 year old girl who is very affectionate and much loved. She has settled in well but she's a mad chewer. I don't think it's anxiety chewing - more like the sheer unbridled joy of being able to totally rip something to pieces!

She's getting about 3 hours of walks a day. So we're doing what we can to burn off her energy. We've bought her a Kong, a tug rope, various soft/squeaky toys. However she doesn't show much interest in any of these - despite us trying to play with them. However, toilet rolls, unwashed pants, slippers and cushions are apparently irresistible!

Any idea how we can engage her in her toys? Or suggestions for chewy toys your dog loves? Was thinking about getting things like rawhide cigars etc - but have heard that the way they are made is not very hygienic.

Jolly balls are amazing. I have mastiffs, and keen French bulldogs, and have had the same jolly ball since my eldest mastiff was a pup.

I don’t like raw hide, they can’t digest it very well and just don’t last long enough. Perhaps try buffalo horn/antler (I prefer antler because they naturally shred these). Also try bones! Morrison’s do a pack of ‘meaty bones’ that are great. The same goes for any local butcher who usually just ask for a charitable donation. Don’t get load bearing bones, so any bones that would take weight. Tails/ribs are ideal.

Try puzzle games too! It’s fascinating for you to watch your dog try and work it out. Treat balls are quite good but the best ones are actual puzzles where they have to do multiple things to release the treat. You can find them anywhere, pets at home do good ones but they aren’t cheap.

If she’s getting three house walks she’s obviously high energy, have you thought about taking her to a class? Obedience or agility? Sometimes they need more ‘brain work’ than physical work to truly get the best out of them and get them to settle. YouTube would be a good resource for this as classes may be limited at the moment. You could also encourage her into choosing the correct toy by offering it as praise when she does something correctly. For example, if she goes over a ramp for agility meet her at the end with lots of fuss and a toy.

As far as engaging her in new toys is offer her a swap, so when she picks up something inappropriate get her all excited over the correct toy and give her that instead. This method depends on your dog, some are smart enough to recognise that the appropriate toy is the correct choice while others may think it’s praise for picking up something inappropriate.

My rescues never ‘got’ toys initially because they simply hadn’t had them. It just took time for them to understand, helped that they would see the other days playing with them.

Hope this helps somewhat, congratulations on your new dog!

We also don’t give rawhide as previous dog had several choking episodes involving me having to stick my fingers in and pull out soggy rawhide!

We’ve had some success with our SBT( I am honestly not a kong rep! ) who is a lean mean toy destroying machine with..

Kong knots teddy......squeaky, fluffy toy joy with rope inside for reinforcement.

Kong squeaky tennis balls! Also taught her find it. Loves this.

Kong jumbler, squeaky ball inside a ball.

Kong wubbas and a kong wobbler which we feed her breakfast from.

Edible wise....yak bars and stag bars.

She responds well to brain games, puzzle feeders, find it, teaching commands.

Oh wow! Thank you guys. (Skips off to google everything mentioned.)

Bloodycreateusername

Agility and training classes are definitely in the menu but they are booked solid in our area at the moment. Also, we expect her to be in season in late October so will probably have to wait until after that. (We decided not to get her spayed until after her season as she's still adjusting to family life at the moment. Seemed a bit harsh to rush her straight to the vet when she's still settling in.)