Author Topic: In search of tough dog toys  (Read 2284 times)

J.J.

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In search of tough dog toys
« on: November 04, 2006, 05:35:31 PM »
I have a LARGE dog who loves to chew and play tug.  Bandit is  a 90lb Great Dane mix and he thinks that he is a little lap dog.


(As you can see he is big.  I am 240lbs if that helps give perspective)


OK here is the problem:  He can decimate normal toys.

Rope’s last 2 days tops I am talking about  36 inch 3 to 4 knot rope. 

The only toy that he has NOT chewed through is a KONG.   Thinking rubber is the trick I went searching various stores and finally settled on a product by JW Toys.  Invincible Chains.  They are a 6 inch rings that are interconnected and according to the package a “ Solid Rubber, Long-Lasting, Dog-Toy”.  Less than 10 minutes later one of the 3 rings has been completely chewed through.
Anyone have any recommendations for me?  I can NOT afford to buy a new rope every 2 or 3 days ( $8-$10 a pop.)

He loves to play tug so I need something.  The dog tries to make me play tug with a KONG, it doesn’t work so well just incase you were wondering.

gunsmith

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2006, 06:34:21 PM »
good luck! what a handsome pup!
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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2006, 07:45:38 PM »
We used to have a Malumute that had the same problem, the KONG was the only thing that we could get to last either. As far as tug-of-war we always seemed to end up playing it with articles our clothing (often as we were wearing them) and various scraps of fine bedding.

Ultimately we determined that the absolute best toy for a dog of that size is a slightly smaller dog of an energetic disposition (we had a black lab). They tend to keep each other tired enough to minimize furniture destruction.

AJ Dual

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2006, 05:37:57 AM »
Yep, Kong brand is about the only ones that will survive a hard chewing dog indefinately.

http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html

If you dril down into the dog products, they do make a tug.

Otherwise, stuff that lasts was very similar to Kong in construction. The secret is that the item is tough, but also has give so it deforms rather than rips, pierces, or breaks when the dog bites it.

One thing you may want to try is getting a large "Nylabone", drilling holes in each end, then threadding some tough polypropalene boating rope with melted knots through the ends in a loop, with a knot in the middle so it makes the classic figure 8 tug toy shape. Maybe thread a piece of 1" PVC pipe opposite the Bone for the human handle.

That's important so the dog can shake and twist his neck without straining himself.

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Hugh Damright

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2006, 08:55:25 AM »
Tennis balls? He might chew them up, but it would be great exercise, and they're cheap.

I used to have a neighbor with a doberman/dane mix and I taught it to chew on sticks. He could always find a stick to chew on.

J.J.

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2006, 03:46:51 PM »
AJ Dual:
The nylabone idea is good I think i will try that. I am not so sure the KONG tug will last, I looked at it closely and it just seems like my dog will tear it up.

C_yeager:
Yeah its not linens for us just my clothing, socks, shirts, boxers.  He loves my cloths.  I am defiantly his person.  He does have a play partner a sheltie mix of 30lbs.  She keeps him busy but he still loves to play tug....

Chuck Dye

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2006, 07:11:08 PM »
Not a chew toy, but several of my dogs and friends dogs have absolutely loved bowling balls.  They turn up cheap at thrift stores and, sometimes, free at dumps.  Virtually indestructible though they can be destructive when the critters get them rolling.

auschip

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2006, 04:59:56 AM »
Instead of tennis balls, pick up a lacrosse ball.  I have a ridgeback, and he likes to chew on them.

DrAmazon

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2006, 05:43:59 AM »
My rottie-doberman mix was brutal on dog toys.  As a pup she'd carry around logs from the wood pile.  I don't mean sticks, I mean logs.   She'd also chew a hole in the wall if bored (broke her of that one in a BIG hurry).  I "lost" a rubber sanding block while painting the exterior of the house-yep, she got it.  The red Kong wasn't quite durable enough, so I stuck with the black ones. 

She also loved the rigid, clear plastic bottles that fruit juices come in (the ones kept on the shelf, not the ones in the refrigerated section).  The ones that Costco brand cranberry juice came in were her favorite. You'd leave the cap on and toss it out the door. She'd grab it in her jaws and squeeze it.  It made a really annoying clicking size as she bent and released the plastic, but she'd carry it around the back yard for hours.  They also make wonderful weird bounces when thrown. 

The big thing my trainer taught us was that once she'd destroyed a toy, it was bad to give her another one of the same type, because she'd now "figured it out" and would make a game of destroying the next one faster.  We gave her tennis balls for playing fetch, but never let her keep them long enough to destroy them.
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Mannlicher

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2006, 09:46:22 AM »
my Scotties rip Kong toys to shreds in a few weeks.  I have never seen a more destructive dog on toys than Scotties.

Brad Johnson

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Re: In search of tough dog toys
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2006, 11:40:45 AM »
See if the local fire department has some discarded hose. A two foot chunk of 2" or 3" fire hose makes a dandy toy, and they are tougher than a Kong. Cheaper, too. Just be prepared and have a sawzall or something else handy - fire hose is darn near impossible to cut.

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