Chew Toys, Bones etc.

My new puppy loves her Kong. She has had it for a month and hasn't chewed it up at all. She loves the challenge of the treat inside. She is a black lab. I would have never given this toy to our previous black lab because he thought all toys were meant to be destroyed and digested immediately. I believe it depends on the dog and their habit. The Kongs, I have since been told, have varying strengths depending on the color. The red is the softest, blue is stronger and black is strongest. I've only been putting Milk Bones in it because she loves it so much, but have been told Peanut Butter is a lot of fun, too (and Nigel will be able to smell the peanut butter!) Just keep an eye on the toy. If he starts taking chunks out of it, I would take it away. Good luck! Toys are a tough one, especially for a persistent chewer.

Oh, we know ALL about kongs... We fill them with PB and a bit of kibble (closing up the hole with more PB) and freeze them. it is FANTASTIC and keeps him busy for a bit.

Not only is he persistent, but he's picky - he won't touch nyla bones or any of the "good" stuff the vet recommends.

He LOVES to chew bones, especially the hooves. i'm looking at bully sticks, but they are expensive!

I haven't heard that from the vet, but I've been trying to cut my dog down on the rawhides. He'll go thru one of those in about half an hour. I've been trying to keep him otherwise occupied at his usual chewing times (he really wants to chew in the mornings and when I get home from work). I like to take him out for a walk (or run) at about those times now. Then, when we get back, if I feed him his meals (I like to feed him twice a day instead of just once). That usually gets him thru his chewing time. Then, if he gets wound up later, I'll play ball with him.

I've got to share something amazing. When we fostered Dayzee, she could chew through ANY toy so quick it would make your head spin. I finally found Tuff toys and West Paw were the only ones she couldn't chew up. She even chewed up a black giant Kong! She only weighs 25 #s! We walked her, took her hiking and swimiming, and to the dog park at times. Since we got adopted, they jog/walk her every day and usually a couple of times a day. Her chewing has totally stopped! We used to put all the toys up when we would dog sit her but in May she didn't act like she even wanted to chew anything. So this last time, we left all the fuzzy/squeaky toys out and she didn't even touch them! I am so amazed how different she is. Apparently our exercise wasn't enough for her and she was using that nervous energy to chew everything. her new owners confirmed that she is no longer the chewing beast she was. So I guess my suggestions is more difficult exercise. It seems to work wonders.

Do rawhides count as bones? They aren't terribly hard, especially once you start chewing them. Our vet told us they were good for our teeth and we really do love them.

Have you given him raw bones? Those are actually very good for their teeth, but, of course, you have to remove them if they are splintering. I agree that he may be gnawing so hard on bones/hooves because he hasn't gotten all his ya-ya's out via strenuous exercise. Sydney is a pretty good chewer and they don't seem to have done any damage to her teeth, in fact, I think they have been good for removing the tartar. I only give her one about twice a week though.

Where would I buy raw bones? Can I just go to the butcher?

He's not a super chewer - like an obsessive chewer, its just when he finds something (stinky ie cow hooves) he likes, he chews... Mostly its in the evening when we are watching TV. I don't think he chews much during the day, and I don't think he's hyperactive - we take a 45 minute walk in the morning, a shorter (20 minute) walk when my husband gets home and another 45 minute walk in the evening, so especially with this heat he's pretty pooped. Plus, he gets to go swimming about 3X/week.

I buy them at Pet Supplies Plus. They are in the refrigerator in the back of the store. We like the bison bones.

Thanks! Do they last a long time? and from a house cleaning standpoint is this something i can have on the carpet or should i confine him to the yard/wood floor when we chew?

We might have to try those for the babes. I'm sure they would love em! We do the nylabone and kong thing. We stick a nylabone in the kong and they go to town. We also do the PB or yogurt or broth or whatever and freeze in the kong. We get our kongs and nylabones at Tractor Supply, the nylabones are 7 bucks for the "giant" ones opposed to 12 or 13 bucks at Petco or Petsmart. Same with the kongs, they're half the price at TS.

He gets to go swimming 3 times a week? Woof! I am one jealous lab right now!

I tried nylabones when he was little, but maybe i got the wrong ones... do they have smelly ones?

Where's this Tractor Supply place? I'm a sucker for a discount - its why i love costco so much. :)

Hey Porter, you're welcome to join me any time!! You look like my kind of dog :)

My grandma and grandpa live on a little pond/lake in broad ripple so I get to go there and swim! It is the BEST - especially fetching the tennis ball. There's a big log out in the water that kind of freaks me out, but maybe with a swimming buddy, I'd be braver and wouldn't have to swim wayaaay around it???

Yep, ya gotta watch out for them logs! I was swimming at Eagle Creek last summer and bumped into one! I thought and alligator had me for sure!! I just swam straight to dad's arms and just stopped swimming. I figured he was a bigger meal for the alligator than me!