This is a rerun of a tweet from yesterday, when the incident happened, but I think it bears repeating. This 14-pound dog, appearing blurry in the photograph because he can’t hold still unless he’s asleep…
…utterly destroyed the tennis ball-like dog toy pictured at right inside of five minutes:
I think I’ll make a gift of the surviving toy balls to a dog who isn’t part gator.
On a related note, can you recommend any dog toy products that can withstand the assault of a beast with such pointy teeth and impressive jaw strength? If so, please share in comments.
Open thread!
TaMara (HFG)
Betty, I have two of these for the beasts. There isn’t much they can’t destroy, and they play a mean game of tug with these. All the JW seem good, but we also have a couple of kong toys.
https://smile.amazon.com/JW-Hol-ee-Roller-Original-Dispensing/dp/B0002DJX58/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=pet+tug+ball+for+dogs&qid=1573935461&sr=8-3
John Revolta
Get you a Kong. Virtually indestructible.
Steeplejack
I’ll throw this in here in case anyone is interested.
If you see weird nyms in the “Recent Comments” list pointing to the old thread “This Life Ain’t Good Enough,” those are spam comments that were trapped and dismissed. Already reported so that they can be removed from the comments list.
JAM
They’re not indestructible, but real tennis balls are a lot tougher than the dog variety.
dr. bloor
Cinder blocks always make for a nice gift.
Pete Downunder
I highly recommend Chuck-It, they come in three sizes and several colours and while a bit pricey (about AUD $35) are totally chew proof but bouncy enough to keep my border collie entertained.
Keith P.
@John Revolta: Black Kong…some dogs, esp pits, can obliterate red Kong.
Sab
Are Nylabones still a thing? My enormous german shepherd had the biggest version, called a galileo, that she gnawed on for years.
I was just looking at her picture this morning in the Balloon Juice archive (July 15, 2009 Pet open thread. She’s the big girl in the purple elephant wading pool.)
I really like the new site archive setup. It’s a lot faster to navigate than the old one.
OzarkHillbilly
A 6″ length of 3/4″ rebar should keep him occupied for a while.
Raven
GO DAWGS!
Sab
@dr. bloor: Tough on their teeth. Many a lab has ruined its teeth fetching rocks.
Mormo
Used to have a couple of truly dedicated chewer cats. We used the black (extra-sturdy) Kongs as the red ones didn’t last for them and they seemed to work well (not indefinite but much longer lasting).
The Dangerman
But did it squeak, however briefly?
Raven
Bully sticks.
Steeplejack
@John Revolta:
Amen on the Kong! Especially if the little beast likes to chase and fetch.
Woody, an Italian greyhound of blesséd memory at Sighthound Hall, had a Kong similar to this. It had a short length of rope tied through it for easier throwing. He loved it and would chase it and brutalize it until he dropped from exhaustion.
JeanneT
Check out Goughnuts.com for power chewers. They have toys that are guaranteed to stand up to chewing or will be replaced (if you pay shipping).
mrmoshpotato
@Raven: Go Dawgs! and Go Scarlet Knights!
WereBear
Now if that was a palm rat, Betty, you would be grateful!
p.a.
Give him the Trump boys. (Not Barron, although apple…tree, we’ll see)
Steve in the ATL
@Raven: hell yes!
Just opened the traditional game day bottle of Caymus. Hope it works today!
Robert Sneddon
@Sab: We gained much amusement one day watching Boy the Wonder Dog (part Lab, part God-knows-what) trying to retrieve a hedgehog. Repeatedly. The hedgehog was unhurt but, I expect unamused unlike our good selves.
Boy was a lovely dog but not much in the way of brains.
dlwchico
Back when I had my last ACD I had the same problem. He would destroy any toy within a few minutes and any toy I bought that was tough enough to withstand his assault was too tough to interest him, like the Kong.
You can put treats inside the Kong, which kept him interested for a bit, but eventually he got them out and abandoned it.
A big beef bone kept him busy the longest. He would gnaw on one of those for hours.
The problem with those is they are a bit messy, at least they were when he chewed on one. Another issue is they have a lot of fat attached to them sometimes and I think that might have contributed to his health issues later.
CaseyL
When I was at PAWS, one of the dogs’ favorites was a Kong filled with peanut butter*. Messy as hell (do it outside), but it kept them occupied!
*or cheese; apparently dogs go crazy for cheese.
Comment comment: When I [Edit] and the comment re-posts, space between paragraphs disappears. Mac, Firefox.
CaseyL
Comment on Comments:
1. Using edit and re-posting makes spaces between paragraphs go away. Re-editing does not seem to work.
2. In fact, when I tried re-editing a third/fourth time, the re-posted comment didn’t have the previous edits, and the [Edit] button was gone.
3. #2 might be an editorial remark by the commenting system: You only get to edit your comment three times!
MacBook Pro, Firefox
ETA: When I posted this comment, the edits to my previous comment appeared in full.
Marcopolo
As a person who has shared his life with three 70lb+ dogs, I vote for the Kong that you can put a little dab of PB inside.
My dogs also liked big leg bones (like found Moose shin bones when I lived in AK) to chew on—not sure that helped their teeth in the long run though & I did have to clean up bone chips.
I was always amazed at how short-lived any/all dog toys w/ squeakers could be :).
Good luck.
Betty Cracker
@dlwchico: That’s been my experience with Kongs too — he’ll play with it until he extracts the treats and then ignore it. It’s almost like the destruction is the draw. 🤔
mrmoshpotato
@CaseyL: Fahncy French cheese?
SWMBO
@CaseyL: We used a Kong with “the Dachshund From Hell”. He loved them and the unpredictable bounces. They now have teething Kongs which the 3 brothers have enjoyed.
On the peanut butter, make sure it doesn’t have xylitol in it. Not good for dogs.
mrmoshpotato
@SWMBO: Natural peanut butter? Dogs oil your floors? :)
SWMBO
@mrmoshpotato: Not unless it’s Lily. Cole gives his pets cheese but I believe he tells them to fuck off if it’s the good stuff (except Lily).
Sab
@Robert Sneddon: My weird rescue lab once picked up and ran with a tiny terrier in a sweater in his only trip to the dog park. All the dogs were chasing the tiny terrier arounud the park. I thought that was unwise and the owner should have picked it up. But my guy was the jerk that caught him. The tiny terrier was not injured, but probably traumatized, as was I. I had been going to that park for years with my giant shepherd without incident ( she broke up a few dogfights just by standing over the combatants, looking large and disapproving) but weird lab couldn’t go once without screwing up.
He was a lab. Never occurred to me he could be aggressive. He was a mouse at home.
SWMBO
@mrmoshpotato: Xylitol does something to their kidneys I think is what I read.
zhena gogolia
Badger, I love you! 😂💜
CaseyL
@mrmoshpotato: Since dogs think litter-covered kitty shits are the Best Treats Evah!, I really don’t think they care whether the cheese is Artisan or Velveeta. PAWS used cheddar, and that worked just fine, thanks.
Re peanut butter, I suggest “natural” (like Sam Adams), not because dogs can taste the difference, but to avoid additives.
mrmoshpotato
@CaseyL: When did the Boston Beer Company start making cheese? 😁
mrmoshpotato
Rutgers scored a touchdown!
Humdog
Nylabone and others like that keeps my chewer/destroyer content. Unless I leave a box unattended on the floor. Those she thinks are fair game, but instead of shredding it as previous dogs have, she will eat a box completely. Her pipes are thorough scrubbed clean after she passes all that cardboard. Never leave a box on the floor at my house!
Ruckus
I could make you a dog toy out of hardened tool steel and the dog couldn’t harm but of course they’d break all their teeth trying……
I could tell you the story of the golden retriever of my youth who would retrieve my sister’s duck without hurting a feather but you don’t want to hear that either……
WereBear
@Ruckus: Did the duck want to be retrieved? Because my malamute mix and my cat Myron would play Lion Tamer. Dog would put the cat’s whole head in his mouth and drag his limp body across the floor. Cat would emerge with a Flock of Seagulls hairstyle but no other harm done.
I realized they were having a good time, but explaining this to guests was… tricky.
Sloane Peterson's knee therapist
The best and cheapest chewing toy for dogs, including bull dog types, are knotted up socks. Old sweat socks are great, use about 4 or 5 and just make sure you put as many knots as you can in them. They can’t untie them, though they try and they’er easy on the teeth. My pit Otis has been chewing on his sock toy for a few weeks now. Probably time to toss it, just for sanitary sake but it’s still together.
For young pups old nylons work well for their teething. Used them for German Shepherds and they loved them.
Sally
I have an Airedale who can, and does, destroy any toy, including the “indestructible “ kongs. She and her kelpie best friend can only play with toys under strict supervision. I play with them till the Airedale gets sick of playing and settles down somewhere inaccessible to rip the toy apart and eat it. So I have to remove it. It’s a shame as the kelpie loves to toss a frisbee and then chase it and would happily play with toys without destroying them. But there is nothing resistant to an Airedale’s jaw and teeth. Luckily her favourite chew toy is her “sister” who is an expert in martial arts and can surprisingly and routinely make the Airedale tap out. They play hand to hand combat like its WWIII. People at the park become alarmed when I wade into the middle of this “dogfight “ calling for some decorum!
delk
Indestructible Dog
MarcySez
Betty we’ve had great success with these balls with our obsessed lab/minpin. Each ball lasts about 3-4 months of ten hours a day chewing.
Btw, first post although I’ve lurked for 15 or so years.
Ruckus
@WereBear:
The duck did not appreciate it.
Up til then I didn’t know that ducks could whine.
J R in WV
You all have some really strange/odd dogs!!!
Lion tamer and catches tiny dog in a wool sweater, yours are the strangest fer sure!!!
Our dogs love boxes, will slowly tear them to little shreds, but thanks dog do not swallow the bits, they just swirl around the floor. Some day one of us will be in good enough shape to collect them with a broom/shovel, but for now we just let the bits swirl around behind the puppies.
Betty Cracker
@MarcySez: Thank you!
Mel
@TaMara (HFG):
Agree with TaMara and John Revolta: Kong toys!! You can get Kongs sized for small, medium, or large pups.
We used to fill our huge, hyperactive Labrador’s girl’s Kong with about 1/3 cup of peanut butter, and bits of broken milkbone treats.
Walks didn’t burn up her energy. Runs didn’t. Playing for two hours with our speedy Collie didn’t tire her out. Obedience and agility work didn’t tire her out.
Enter the Kong! She’d work that thing for several hours, and be cheerfully exhausted after obtaining about a 1/4 of the goodies inside the Kong. The psychological challenge seemed to be the winner for her. She loved that toy above everything except her stuffed giraffe that was her sleepy time buddy.
That Kong had a price above rubies in our house!!
Mel
@Ruckus: The aforementioned hyperactive Lab was very good about gently retrieving baby birds that had taken a fall from the nest. We must have reinstalled 7 or 8 little fledglings to the safety of their nests.
It was charming, until the day that she saw a litter of teenaged possums that had been ousted by their mother to begin their grown up possum adventures. She located them in an unused barn in our back field, assumed “must retrieve orphaned animals!” and deposited four hideous teen possums on our front steps, then barked her “emergency” bark to call us out.
Baby possums were NOT amused…
They played dead for about two minutes, then one twitched a paw, opened one eye, hissed up a storm, and all four righted themselves and trundled off into the night.
Zelma
For some reason my dog – who dismantles every toy in 5 minutes – cannot or does not destroy Hartz Duraplay balls. Also he loves those plastic toys with spikes. I don’t know what brand they are. Both have squeakers (which he can’t get out) and keep him entertained. Of course, Bandit would chase toys all day long if I threw them. He just won’t bring them back.
Zelma
@Mel:
Are not possums the ugliest creatures in the world? I have two who visit my deck nightly to eat the cat food I put out for a gang of ferals. The first time I saw one, I actually screamed. BTW, the cats do not mess with the possums. Neither would I.
Avalune
I thought Nylabones were determined unsafe for dogs?
We get the kong teddy bears and the like. She eventually does destroy them but not as fast as everything else. She doesn’t like the rubbery less destructible things.
I wish we knew what brand seal is – it’s amazing. She’s had it for years. It’s bald but still stuffed and whole. But we haven’t been able to figure out who made it or where to get another.
Hidalgo de Arizona
Deflated leather soccer balls worked well for my destructive puppy back in the day.
Don K
50+ years ago an uncle of mine had a Boston. A big (like 10x3x1/4) hunk of real rubber was indestructible as well as a real treat for the beast.
Robert Sneddon
@Don K: Boy the Wonder Dog and Lady Dog (his mother) would vigorously contest the ownership rights of a fist-sized lump of hard rubber, a bump stop from the suspension system of a truck. It lasted for years, covered in slobber but not shredded.
ki
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