Q&amp;A for Toys Category

Answers

Top 250 Contributor

Answer:

We had the same problem! We went to hard rubber toys- some of the ones by Kong, and some with good reviews on this site. Also- "firehose" toys are good- they are multiple-stitched and harder to destroy. Good luck!
(For treats- see if you can get soup bones (beef marrow) from your supermarket butcher. We freeze ours and the dog gets one every so often for a treat- frozen makes it take longer for him to get through! Perfect for a peaceful dinner.)

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

1 year, 9 months ago

Greater Chicagoland, IL

+11points

11out of 11found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful11unhelpful0

Answer:

the only toy that has been indestructible for my jack russell -mix puppies are the Kong that look like a snow man: 3 rings,stacked, each a little larger, you know the type! The X-shaped Kong and the ball Kong both were victims of chewing- the pups pulled pieces off with their front teeth. Stuffing the kong with peanut butter is great, just be careful not to give it too often or tummy aches result. Small treats inside work well also. NEVER give a chewer any toy that they can ingest! And NEVER pull a string out of an animals hind end! String ingested leads to a bowel impaction, pulling can damage the intestine! These things can kill your animal, or cause severe pain. I once lost a ferret to an impaction caused by - of all things- doll baby hair. Rope toys are a no-no for my pups because they love to pull the strings out and try to eat them. Instead, they get Booda Bones, Dingo sticks, Better than Ears and the like. Great chews, safe to swallow. :)

2 years, 2 months ago

DawnDawn

Grottoes, VA

+8points

8out of 8found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful8unhelpful0

Best Answer

Answer:

"Jollyball" brand is by far the best maker of high quality, innovative, cool indoor and outdoor toys. I am a Canine behaviorist and have owned several boarding facilities & have several Jolyball toys that have been in my dog yards for over 15yrs and are still going strong.

Age: 45-54

Gender: male

2 years, 7 months ago

OriginalDogWhisperer

Tualatin Oregon

+9points

15out of 21found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful15unhelpful6

Top 500 Contributor

Answer:

I agree with the others about Kong toys. I have three labs and they especially like the kong ball,it has lasted for years! They also like squeaky toys and I have bought them a square "squirrel" that has about 20 squeakers in it and it's still intact. I think having a large variety of toys makes them last longer. I also trade old toys in good conditio with other owners at my local dog park. That's a good way to unload the toys they don't play with.

Age: 55-65

2 years, 9 months ago

jaci

florida

+10points

11out of 12found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful11unhelpful1

Answer:

One of my springer spaniels is a vigorous chewer. I got her a Kong Extreme Toy and Kong Extreme Goody Bone for Christmas this year. By March she'd destroyed the Goody Bone (I never put goodies in it) and she has already chewed some small pieces out of the other toy. I don't think there is a truly indestructible toy. So I try to find things she can chew up that are not expensive and will last for as long as possible. The Kongs are good. Another thing that doesn't cost a lot and will last for days are cow hooves. They smell a little funky but it's not terribly strong. She seems to prefer the hooves to Nylabones and I prefer a natural product.

Age: 45-54

Gender: female

2 years, 11 months ago

CurlyGrrl

Lake Norman, NC

+5points

5out of 5found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful5unhelpful0

Answer:

We have Samoyeds and they chew EVERYTHING. I would definately invest in KONG toys. When you buy them don't buy the filling if you don't have to...just put some peanut butter in there and she'll love it.

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

3 years ago

TakodaMommy

Buffalo, NY

+4points

5out of 6found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful5unhelpful1

Top 500 Contributor

Answer:

I have three large breed dogs. 2 with massive, powerful jaws. Unlike another poster I do NOT recommend rope toys. Active chewers tear through them quickly and unless you like pulling string out of your dog's rear end, stick with tough toys! I like the Nylabones. We still tear through them faster than other dogs, but they do last quite a while. I like the dental kind and my bullmastiff likes the Galileo. We also like Kongs- both the kind you can stuff, the bone shape and the indestructable balls for throwing are all intact. Hard rubber rings for carrying and tugging. I like real cow bones-NOT rawhide, actual femurs and such- the longer, skinny kind. You can smear some peanut butter in them, and they are nearly indestructable. I have bought just about every kind of dog toy out there and most don't last literally more than a few minutes. At Christmas I bought a rubber "tire" for "powerful chewers" and a nylon "duck". In two minutes my Cane Corso had chewed completely through the tire, and in 6 minutes my Weimie had performed surgery on the "tough" duck and had piles of stuffing strewn about the family room. "Tough" is relative! Oh, also on this site and others there is a busy-toy that looks like a box or dice with a hole in the top- you put kibble or small treats inside, and the dog pushes it around to get the treats to roll out. It is very hard plastic. Of my three dogs only one likes it. It makes a racket on hard floors, but it does keep her busy for a while. Also, some vets recommend having as many as thirty toys! I probably have that many for three dogs, but do have an array for your dog to choose from.

3 years ago

CaneCorsoMommy

NoVa

+9points

10out of 11found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful10unhelpful1

Answer:

We have a lab that chewed through everything as a puppy and continues to do so as an adult. We get her the Nylabone Durabones and rope toys. The rope toys seem to satisfy her need to shred and even though you will have to clean up shredded rope bits - it will last a long time. Skip the rope toys that come with the plastic toy, ball or stuffed animal attached ...just rope.

Gender: female

3 years, 1 month ago

ScubaBug

Florida

+2points

3out of 4found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful3unhelpful1

Answer:

Have you tried the nylabones?? That seems to work with my Golden Puppy. He chews and eats everything as well...he is at the stage where I can't even give him the plush toys (that my other golden used to love), because he tears all of the stuffing out of them. Even tried some of the toys that you can stuff a plastic bottle in them, but he eventually gets that out by tearing the toy up. So when he starts to "seek and destroy" as we call it, we take it away, and give him one of the MANY nylabones we have. We used different flavors and sizes, and he usually goes back to them. He does like egg babies too, and surprisingly, had NOT torn any of those up!

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

3 years, 1 month ago

Dani12

+3points

3out of 3found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful3unhelpful0

Answer:

WOW! What kind of puppy do you have?! Have you tried any of the KONG toys? You can stuff most of them with KONG stuffin' treats and pastes, which will keep her occupied for a short time, at least. And they are made of durable rubber and are good for her to play with and chew on. Also, COMPRESSED, NATURAL rawhide seems to last a lot longer with hard chewers than just regular little sticks or flip chips. They come in a variety of sizes, so I imagine there is a size that would work for your little girl! Trust me, I understand! My beagle girl loves to chew cardboard and paper, and just about anything else she encounters that she knows she's not allowed to have! I hope this helps!
Tracey (Momof7)

Age: 45-54

Gender: female

3 years, 1 month ago

Momof7

Arnold, PA

+3points

4out of 5found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful4unhelpful1

Answer:

well there is no one thing i have found and i have three dogs who have chewed through everything for power cords to batteries(no puppies were harmed!) but i have found that a large supply of different types of toys helps because then the distruction is evened out throught them and nothing really gets detroyed (at least not for a while) and in the process if you puppy happens to find one certain type of toy or one certain toy that they really love there less likely too detroy it like my one dog loves plush toys with squeakers so she tends to not be as rough with them so that they don't get ruined because she knows if it gets ruined it gets thrown away! and she has now had her one favorite plush toy for almost a year!

Age: 18-24

Gender: female

3 years, 1 month ago

sophie419

minneapolis, minnesota

+3points

4out of 5found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful4unhelpful1

Has staff answer

7 answers

Trying to find a floppy animal toy without a squeaker, any suggestions?

2 years, 11 months ago

Tiare

-2points

0out of 2found this question helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful2

Answers

Answer:

I hate to say this but my dog's favorite toy is a TY 15" beanie baby named Bernard by TY but called his Foster Bear B ear by us (no squeaker). He gets a new one every Christmas. They are pretty durable. My dog is a golden Lab and fairly large. He carries Foster with him every where he goes. I do have additional squeaker toys for him to play with which he does on occasion but always refers back to his original stuffed toy. Sorry Dr. Fosters, but I do rely on you for my others pets needs.

Age: 45-54

Gender: female

3 months, 1 week ago

kuzlynn

Pittsburgh, PA

0points

0out of 0found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful0

Answer:

Does 'WITHOUT Squeaker' mean completely silent or SPECIALLY just the annoying & repeating squeaking?

I have a Border Collie, now 13-1/2 years old. When she was a puppy, I considered her an aggressive chewer and tried a lot of toys that ended up chipping her teeth . . . oops . my bad!

My miraculous discovery was a brand of toy called Multipet. They have several lines but one in particular mesmerized both my dog and me as well! It's called ""Look Who's Talking" I cannot praise this line of Dog Toys enough!! They are plush like stuffed animals but also have figures that are inanimate objects and they even have some human figures depicted. They make the sound they are supposed to be when squeezed (or bitten by the dog). Depending on the dog, they last a couple to six months. Cost can be $3 - $8. These are quite a departure from the typical 'run-of-the-mill' dog toys.

Every Pet Shop I walk into, every Pet website I check out and every Dog Show I go to, I ALWAYS want to know if there are any new "Look Who's Talking" Toys by Multipet.

They come in shapes of animals (ducks, chickens, kittens, & make the appropriate sounds, etc.) Year ago there was a line shaped like hand tools & they made sounds like a drill, a hammer, a saw, etc. They had a line of trains & made wonderful sounds like chugging, clanging, choo-choosing,

I just bought a Mr. Bill who says, "oh, No!" When you squeeze him.
These are the most imaginative I have ever found. They are great for two reasons: I get a kick out of watching my dog play a lot more than with less imaginative toys. The second reason is that whenever I get her a new 'Look Who's Talking' toy, even though she's never seen or heard it before, she comes comes running: she knows it will be fun.

Age: 55-65

Gender: female

3 months, 3 weeks ago

GoboToy

Seattle

0points

0out of 0found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful0

Top 250 Contributor

Answer:

I forget the exact name of the toy (there are a few different brands), but the "water bottle" toys are pretty floppy and not all of them have squeakers. You can look for the toys that say you can put a water bottle in them (through a velcro-ed opening). We use them without the empty water bottle and the dog loves them. Pretty durable, too.

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

1 year, 9 months ago

Greater Chicagoland, IL

+1point

1out of 1found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful1unhelpful0

Answer:

Try skinneez stuffing free dog toys????

Age: 18-24

Gender: female

2 years, 5 months ago

Indi

+2points

2out of 2found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful2unhelpful0

Top 500 Contributor

Answer:

Yes foster and smith sell some nice ones especially the skunk whic my 3labs know as "stinky". Love not having to pick up stuffing!

Age: 55-65

Gender: female

2 years, 9 months ago

jaci

florida

+3points

3out of 3found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful3unhelpful0

Best Answer

Answer:

I'll send you mine right after my dog destroys the squeaker (best time is about 5 seconds and he never breaks a stitch)! Otherwise, I'd buy something like the Skinneez Stuffing Free Dog Toys, take a long pin and puncture the two squeakers. No more squeaking! All that's left is a crunchy, plastic disc inside. Good luck!

Age: 35-44

Gender: female

2 years, 10 months ago

PetParent

Pearland, TX

+4points

4out of 4found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful4unhelpful0

Staff

Answer:

Thank you for your question. We do offer the Big Bite Skinneez Water Bottle Toys (item #72860). They do come with a plastic water bottle that you can remove so then there is no noise when you pet plays with the toy. Your animal choices are: Coyote, Jackal, or Wolf.

2 years, 10 months ago

DrsFosterSmithStaff1

+2points

2out of 2found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful2unhelpful0

6 answers

I have a problem with unwanted cats on my porch how can I keep them away

My neighbor feeds them and just lets them run. She doesn't do anything to stop them from breeding. They even get together on my front porch. I don't want to hurt them but I have two dogs and they can't go out the front door because of the fleas. Also my front door is starting to smell like cat urine.

Age: 55-65

Gender: male

3 years, 1 month ago

Rick

Ohio

+1point

2out of 3found this question helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful2unhelpful1

Answers

Top 250 Contributor

Answer:

My vet recommended Safeguard soap. You can rub the bar soap on your front door and on the porch boards. We did this with lurking cats and it worked like a charm. something in it they don't like.
We also used it in the house when our cat started using a spare bedroom- grated it and sprinkled it on the floor. That worked, too! (and it was easy to vacuum up- but made the room smell fresh too!)
You might talk to your neighbor about catching them and having them spayed/neutered. Safer and more animal friendly that way, too.

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

1 year, 9 months ago

Greater Chicagoland, IL

+2points

2out of 2found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful2unhelpful0

Top 250 Contributor

Answer:

plant lavender to keep fleas at bay period or doctor your dogs with a lavender water spray at least once a week to help control fleas. there are things you can put on top of a metal fence that makes it where the cat or racoon can't climb the fence but that works for backyards more. suggest to your neighbor to put a cat friendly stuff in his/her yard since you don't like cats and to find a vet or shelter that will do a trap and release to help him/her get the cats fixed to help get the population down. if your town is like mine and people are irresponsible and dump animals on streets when they get to big or change their mind work towards getting the town to fine heavy for that and round up the strays and take them to a no kill shelter so they can go to good homes.

there are also a few things that I cant think of what they are called that make a nasty smell to a cat or a certain sound that a cat or dog doesn't like that you can put around your yard or front door..similar to the dog training aids to keep pets off couches and such probably something like that in the cat section to train cats to not jump on counters..if your front pouch is covered you could probably put that outside where it wont get rained on to make them stay clear.

in all rights your neighbor is doing a good thing and not making these poor cats starve..they are obviously strays since they stay near the two of your homes rather than come up only to eat they should be able to be adopted.

2 years, 5 months ago

RebeccaB

+1point

4out of 7found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful4unhelpful3

Answer:

1st: Get a new neighbor who is more responsible than to feed cats so they are strong enough to reproduce constantly!
2nd: Talk to your neighbor calmly and tell her how her actions are having a detrimental effect on your dogs and your property.
3rd: If that doesn't work, call your local animal control office and ask for someone to pick them up.
Good luck!

Age: 35-44

Gender: female

2 years, 10 months ago

PetParent

Pearland, TX

-9points

2out of 13found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful2unhelpful11

Top 500 Contributor

Answer:

1) Get a Have-A-Heart trap from animal control. You can usually get one free with a security deposit that is returned when the trap is returned. Catch it up, bring it to the pound, and repeat as necessary. I had a neighbor whose un-neutered male cat would wander in to my open garage and mark his territory because I had female cats. Talking about it with the neighbor was useless- some people think they're doing the cats a favor even though they are contributing to unwanted populations and spreading disease. Off he went to the shelter Tom Cat went, where he was fixed and homed. Cats aren't typically euthanized unless they are terminally ill or vicious so you won't have Cat-Killer on your conscience.
2) Call Animal Control and complain. A nuisance is a nuisance. Cat urine is smelly, nearly impossible to remove from some surfaces, and if it's damaging your property there are legal cures.
3)Get a dog that hates cats. :) I have no cat problems. Cats, rabbits, squirrels, moles, groundhogs and crows entering my yard do it one time and use one life escaping.

3 years ago

CaneCorsoMommy

NoVa

-2points

8out of 18found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful8unhelpful10

Best Answer

Answer:

First, I'm not a cat hater but I do empathize with this problem. I had neighbor cats getting on top of my car and sliding down the back window resulting in deep scratches in the paint. Not the cat's fault - irresponsible cat owners.

Cayenne pepper. Sprinkle it all over your porch. The cats will get it on their paws, lick their paws and will quickly decide they no longer like your porch. The cats don't like it but it doesn't harm them.

Gender: female

3 years, 1 month ago

ScubaBug

Florida

+7points

11out of 15found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful11unhelpful4

Answer:

they make a scat type thing that sprays water at the intruder or by cat and dog repellent

Age: 18-24

Gender: female

3 years, 1 month ago

Emily

+7points

9out of 11found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful9unhelpful2

Has staff answer

Has expert answer

5 answers

What is a really indestructable toy?

My standard dachshund tears out the squeak in less than 5 minutes, then destroys the toy in another 5. He loves to play but toys can get very expensive with this behavior. Got any ideas?

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Daytona

0points

0out of 0found this question helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful0

Answers

Answer:

The big, chubby green hippo would be a great toy! It's challenging just to drag around! No squeeker either.

Age: Over 65

Gender: female

2 months, 1 week ago

glowing

Virginia Beach, VA

0points

0out of 0found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful0

Top 500 Contributor

Answer:

I would say yes - although my dog has only had his for 24 hours. He's a 9 pound Yorkie and tears up any plush toy in less than 5 minutes, stuffing everywhere, eyes out, squeaker on the floor. For this reason, I normally don't give him plush toys anymore - but I tried this one. He played with it for hours and it's still in tact! So far so good...I don't know if it will last forever...but, any time is better than no time.

Age: 45-54

Gender: female

2 months, 1 week ago

KCTL

Woodstock, GA

0points

0out of 0found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful0

Answer:

Buy the unstuffed toys. Drs. Foster and Smith sell a variety of these. They also have ones with no stuffing and others that have squeakers that work once punctured. My Dachshunds destroy all things stuffed but the unstuffed toys are fun to shake and tear. The squeakars are unfortunately the first to go. It is the hunting instinct. I would also try the Nylabones and the hard rubber balls.

Age: 55-65

Gender: female

2 months, 1 week ago

Dachsiedog

New Port Richey, FL

0points

0out of 0found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful0

Answer:

Hi
Try Foster Smith Invincible gecko. We bought it in the larger version for our husky who has literally destroyed then tried to eat every stuffed toy we have gotten for him.So far this one has stood up to his chewing and tossing around. We purchased the 18" version as he's a big dog but it also comes in a 14" version. Good luck!

Age: 55-65

Gender: female

2 months, 1 week ago

Norman77

0points

0out of 0found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful0

Staff
Expert

Answer:

Thank you for your question. At this time we do not carry any truly indestructible dog toys. Aggressive chewers may be able to chew through any toy. You may want to consider a Kong toy. Kong Extreme toys are the most durable version of the original Kong toys - made of ultra-strong black rubber. Here is a link to these toys:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...

kak

Age: 35-44

Gender: female

2 months, 2 weeks ago

DRS1

0points

0out of 0found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful0unhelpful0

4 answers

Have a puppy who gets bored & tears up things how do I stop this?

Age: 55-65

Gender: female

1 year, 9 months ago

clumsybc

Frankfort, Ky

+2points

2out of 2found this question helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful2unhelpful0

Answers

Top 1000 Contributor

Answer:

Try "brain" dog toys (see "Busy Buddy" toy collection) that will keep your pet entertained while you're gone.

I *highly* recommend doing crate training to protect your home while you're gone. Your puppy could be destroying things due to separation anxiety and not just boredom. The crate will help in either situation.

We've used crate training for LOTS of foster dogs AND our own 2 lab mixes - my first lab mix suffered separation anxiety and the crate changed her almost overnight! The trick with her was to make it super fun using lots of toys that would take a while for her to finish (like freezing peanut butter in a Kong and she also loved those stuffed cow bones).

If your puppy is obsessed with one particular item (we went through THREE TV remotes with a foster puppy) - try placing Vicks Vapo Rub on the object - this will turn him off ASAP! Hot sauce, pepper, lemon juice, chili powder didn't work - he just licked those off and gave him a stomach ache.

Good luck!

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

5 months, 1 week ago

RobynSue

+3points

3out of 3found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful3unhelpful0

Top 1000 Contributor

Answer:

My dogs love to chew so I buy them Bully sticks, which is bull pizzle. Just make sure they are NOT manufactured in China as China has been having issues with tainted ones. They last quite awhile and will keep your puppy busy and satisfy his chewing urge.

1 year, 3 months ago

BooElla

Texas

+1point

2out of 3found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful2unhelpful1

Best Answer
Top 250 Contributor

Answer:

It may depend on the type of puppy you have- s/he may need to run around more and expend energy. A variety of toys (chewy toys that are harder to destroy, rawhides, squeaky toys, pull toys) may be a good way to train chewing specific things as opposed to others (ours used to shred cardboard- anything cardboard went up higher, but we got a few toys that were more coarse materials and that seemed to do it). S/he may also need playmates- see if there are other dogs in your neighborhood or if there's a dog walking group or "play" group- i know it sounds kind of weird, but it's great socialization for dogs- and will wear them out for a good few-hour nap!

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

1 year, 9 months ago

Greater Chicagoland, IL

+4points

5out of 6found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful5unhelpful1

Top 1000 Contributor

Answer:

Make sure your dog has plenty of toys to keep him/her engaged. If your dog is motivated by treats/food, something like this might be good: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24067

Age: 25-34

Gender: female

1 year, 9 months ago

laylasmom

Altoona, IA

+1point

1out of 1found this answer helpful.

Was this helpful?helpful1unhelpful0