Please Help me find super tough toys!!!!

Evening All,

I'm in desperate need of some advice from you lovely staffy owners. My 9 month old terror is ripping all his toys to shreds the second he gets them. We have tried the kong extreame bone and the kong extreame traxx tyre thing and the tough range from Pets At Home and none of them last. He has one of the kong extreame black solid balls which he's not interested in because he can't seem to get his teeth through that. He only wants to play with things he can shred. Not only is it costing me an absolute fortune but I have to take things straight off him as he eats the rubber he bites off.

He's got numerour rope toys which he rips to bits and unwraps. They last the longest but bits of them are constantly scattered all over the house.

He's such a chewer that he has had bones and has snapped the very tip of a tooth off.

He likes the raw hide chews but I would like him to have more toys to play with but at the rate he's going through them at the minute it's a waste of time and money.

Any suggestions are very much appreciated!

He also has all of his adult teeth now if that's relevant.

Thanks.

The chewing, ripping and shredding does get better (slightly!) as the puppy matures, but at the moment it'll be one of his greatest joys!

I've found that an empty plastic lemonade (or similar) bottle, just slightly squished and then the cap screwed on tightly, is a great and cheap toy. Not only can you chuck it about for him to chase, but when he catches it it makes a lovely scrunchy noise.

Also, have a look at https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t19650-tough-toys-for-staffies for other ideas.

Have you thought about a stag bar?

http://www.antlerdogchews.co.uk/original-antler-dog-chews

P.S. Please don't give him rawhide - it is prepared by treating it with harsh bleaches/chemicals to strip the fur off & some of those chemicals are still present in the chews you buy. Plus, they swell in the stomach so if your dog chews off a largeish piece it could swell in his stomach and cause a potentially fatal blockage.

Yes Stag bars are great, though probably need to watch him with it.
The raw hide chews are a bit dangerous so best to keep him off them.  

Has he got a boomer ball, Darcy has a fallow dear antler which she loves, here's some links. Hope this helps

http://www.antlerdogchews.co.uk/speciality-chews

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/180592785902?lpid=83&device=t&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=83&ff19=0

Caryll wrote:P.S. Please don't give him rawhide - it is prepared by treating it with harsh bleaches/chemicals to strip the fur off & some of those chemicals are still present in the chews you buy. Plus, they swell in the stomach so if your dog chews off a largeish piece it could swell in his stomach and cause a potentially fatal blockage.

I didn't know this!! Thanks. I won't be buying them for Jasmine again...

Don't worry, we've all been there. Zeus will go through anything you give him the chance to but the following toys I've got last a while:

1) Stagbar/Deer antler - This is a must, it keeps Zeus busy for a few hours a day and the XL one lasts over a month.
2) Chuck it balls - I purchased mine from Amazon when Zeus was around 4 months old, he's nearly 2 now and apart from a bit of discoloration, they are still in top condition. And believe me, he's tried to chew through them but had no luck.
3) Boomer ball - Zeus isn't too interested in this but it's brilliant if you want to take it to a park. Beware though, it is a hard ball so don't try kicking it!
4) Rope toy - I only use rope toys with Zeus for playing tug of war, not for chewing, otherwise he'll go straight threw one.

and the best one out of them all, and by far the cheapest is the coconut ! Zeus loves his, he runs around with it, tries to play football with it and loves chewing it. Another definite recommendation.

these have a lifetime guarantee

http://www.dogsnaturally.co.uk/Pet+Shop+for+Dogs-Dog+Toys-GoughNuts+Toys/c8_13_349/index.html

Thanks everyone, there's some great ideas here. He's got an antler and a boomer ball. He doesn't bother with the boomer as he can't get his teeth through it lol. He is quite fond of the antler though. I'm going to have a look into the other ideas that you have all suggested now. God I really hope he eases off with age  

He's also got several rope toys but he just pulls them apart and scatters it all over the place.

I am shocked at the comments about the raw hide! It's frightening.

Hi we went through the same dilemma with Buster. Kongs lasted no time black and red. Nylabones are good and Stag bars, but like yours he only seems to like things he can destroy. We also got him a Goughnut they`re quite expensive but they will replace it with a new one if your dog manages to chew through it which Buster has`nt yet but he does`nt bother with it that much. By far the best toy he likes is the leg from an old pair of jens tied in a knot. He does eventually shred them but they are cheap to replace he likes to play tug with them and he tries for hours to get the knot out.

Great idea from Paul above, old clothes tied into knots are a fab and cheap way to keep them entertained, Rocky rips through everything but I put most of his toys away so they last and take them out when im around, then he has a few shirts ive knotted up and he loves them!

I'd be reluctant to give Douglas old clothes because how does he know what's old and what's new? What's discarded and what's current? Just to be on the safe side, I dont want him chewing my clothes or shoes in any shape or form, just so that there are no misunderstandings. Period. (This is not to say others here are wrong - everyone has their own methods for keeping their dog happy and busy, no criticism intended). As others have mentioned, an empty plastic bottle from time to time is good, but normally I will drop in a couple of treats before screwing tight the top. Shaking the bottle like a maraca before letting him have it sends him into a paroxysm of desire. Cheap for me, and a thrill for him. His big bony head never realises that if he just pops off the top and holds the bottle upside-down, the treats fall out like rain from heaven. No, he prefers to destroy the bottle the hard way to get at the prize - it can take ages. Douglas was not too fussed about the boomer ball and I took it away before long anyway as his industrial bite had scored sharp grooves in its surface. They cut my hands to the touch so i figured they could cut his gums as well and got rid of it. He didnt miss it. What he loves is the big solid rubber balls. It takes about a week of chucking for the ball to reduce from about 4 inch dia. to the size of a golf ball. He gets through two a week and they cost about a fiver each. I would love to be able to get a bulk supply of these, but havent been able to find anything reasonable anywhere on the internet.

yeahbut wrote:I'd be reluctant to give Douglas old clothes because how does he know what's old and what's new? What's discarded and what's current? Just to be on the safe side, I dont want him chewing my clothes or shoes in any shape or form, just so that there are no misunderstandings. Period. (This is not to say others here are wrong - everyone has their own methods for keeping their dog happy and busy, no criticism intended). As others have mentioned, an empty plastic bottle from time to time is good, but normally I will drop in a couple of treats before screwing tight the top. Shaking the bottle like a maraca before letting him have it sends him into a paroxysm of desire. Cheap for me, and a thrill for him. His big bony head never realises that if he just pops off the top and holds the bottle upside-down, the treats fall out like rain from heaven. No, he prefers to destroy the bottle the hard way to get at the prize - it can take ages. Douglas was not too fussed about the boomer ball and I took it away before long anyway as his industrial bite had scored sharp grooves in its surface. They cut my hands to the touch so i figured they could cut his gums as well and got rid of it. He didnt miss it. What he loves is the big solid rubber balls. It takes about a week of chucking for the ball to reduce from about 4 inch dia. to the size of a golf ball. He gets through two a week and they cost about a fiver each. I would love to be able to get a bulk supply of these, but havent been able to find anything reasonable anywhere on the internet.

we give harv old knotted socks and he has never shown any interest in ones we haven't given him, they aren't that daft!

Just a personal point of view. Nothing to do with the daftness (or not) of the dog.

i didn't literally mean the dogs daft, but they know what they can and cannot chew on, it's not hard to teach them, and old socks knotted up are a hell of lot cheaper then forever buying new toys that they destroy

Ok, I confess. It's not just my personal point of view:

"Dont give her a shoe to chew if you dont want her to chew other shoes - she cant tell a discarded shoe from your favourites." - Mark Elliott, MRCVS.

"Give your dog toys that are clearly distinguishable from household goods. Don't confuse him by offering shoes and socks as toys and then expecting him to distinguish between his shoe and yours." - The Humane Society of the United States.

"Encourage appropriate chewing. Provide appropriate chew toys for your dog to enjoy....Do not give toys that resemble inappropriate items; for example do not give your dog an old shoe to chew on because he will not know the difference between the old chew shoe and a brand new pair." - Dr Kristy Conn.

References available for all the above.

Of COURSE it's ok to give your dog an old sock if you want to, but it's just worth pointing out to the person looking for advice who started this thread that many of the experts recommend putting some clear blue water between things that are ok to chew and things that are verboten.

That means if you dont want him to chew socks.... dont give him a sock to chew. Experts can be wrong, of course - and we are all experts in our own way, with our own dogs. But it makes sense to me.

Yer put it this way i have very little faith in trainers/behaviourists/vets etc

Yes a dog CAN tell the difference in a shoe/sock you have given them and ones that you wear. You believe what you want, i'll believe what i SEE every day with my dogs

How about this Marley is the same if it can be destoyed it will be!! went to pets at home about two months ago and they had some bits in sale so gave in and brought marley a little monster teddy £2 in sale so not to bad if he rips it up....he shakes it pulls at it, chews at it does everything and its still in one piece i cant quite believe how as i spent £15 on a kong wooba and its had to go of to nannys five times to be fixed now and a £2 toy has survived????