At the risk of sounding self-serving, I wanted to write about Willie’s new favorite toy. We do sell it on the website, but we sell it because our dogs think it is the best thing that happened since liver and chicken.
It’s called a Canine Genuis Brain Twister, presumably because it was designed for dogs who love to shake things. Truth be told, I’m not sure where the ‘genuis’ part comes in, nor does the thought of my dog’s brain twisting make me happy, but as luck would have it, Willie can’t read and pays no attention to such humanly concerns.
Here’s a photo of it: (I have one of Willie playing with it but forgot to bring the cord to connect the camera to my computer. sigh. I’ll add the pic sometime soon when I can get my brain organized.)
What you can’t tell from this photo is that it’s about 14″ long twisted and twice that uncoiled. It’s soft and plush and a great size for a medium or large dog. Willie has played with his relentlessly for a week and it, to my amazement, shows no signs of wear. Yet. Do not hold your breath. But I am interested in his response: he usually is a tearer and ripper… give him something he can disembowel and he’ll make quick work of it. I buy toys like that on occasion when I figure we both need a little luxury in life. He rips the $12.99 toy into shreds in 5 minutes, and I say “Well, it’s just as good as a dinner out!” But one can’t feed one’s dog $13 toys on a daily basis, at least not if you still need some money to buy dog food, much less food for you and your family. This toy, because it is so fun to shake, doesn’t seem to bring out Will the Ripper. Yet.
I’ll keep you posted. We are big on toys this week at the office, and I’d love to know what new toys you’ve found that you like. Will and Denise’s Cooper are also crazed over another toy called Plush Leo With Stuffies (who comes up with these names anyway, she asked, respectfully?). It’s one of those great toys with toys inside of it. Will can pull the inner toys out in seconds, but he absolutely adores the toys inside. (He likes the carrot best. Such a healthy choice.) They are his favorite toy to bring to me to play fetch with him. They are also great for hiding (but also small enough that I’d be careful with them around large dogs….)
His other favorites are still the Chewber, Skinneeze, Planet Dog’s balls and a half chewed up rubber tube used by dairy farmers. I’d love to hear about your dog’s favorites…
Ignacio says
Our lab mix is a grinder. He would give up any toy for those hardest-on-Earth, industrial-strength, dinosaur-proof nylon bones. They seem to last about a couple of months until the ends look so worn out I’m embarrassed to give them to him. He lies down and holds them in a vertical position with both paws, then gnaws on it for hours.
So far the Galileo bone has been the most resistant one. I gave up on plush/very soft toys as they literally last seconds! I’ve also had great results with any Kong brand toy that you can fill with peanut butter or treats.
Tracy says
I’m also intrigued that Willie doesn’t rip up the Brain Twister. My dogs adore plush toys, but they too are rippers. Stuffing everywhere, and they tend to eat the fabric and batting. I’d love to be able to get them a plush toy that might last more the 10 minutes. (I promise I won’t hold my breath, though.)
My dogs’ faves are deer antlers for chewing, and for playing, it’s the Good/Bad Cuz balls hands down. Quinn would carry hers around like a blankie 24/7 if we let her.
Shirley says
My Lab X (Krazee) loves her Kong Wubba. She and I have great times playing fetch and tug with this toy. This is our special toy we use when out and about. It has helped her alot when we go to new places that she is leery about. I bring out the Wubba and she gets all happy and playful and starts relaxing. Great toy!!!
Liz Maslow says
Hi Trisha,
My very busy australian shepherd, Tai, loves the almost indestructible line of “cuz” toys. They are squeeker toys made of thick rubber. They are shaped like balls with feet. Some are shaped like balls with feet & tails, they also have devil or angel shaped cuz. They are very durable, float in water and have great erratic bounce when thrown.
His other favorite toy is the “Trick Treat Ball” this is a hard rubber interactive ball. It has a tubed hole in the center that allows me to add his kibble. Tai then spends a good 45 minutes knocking the ball around getting the kibble to fall out. It is one of my favorite treat dispensing toys, and we have loads of them (at least 8-9)!
Thanks for the great articles!
Liz
Forrest says
Hazel, my 10 month old Australian Cattle Dog, is also a shredder with toys. The only she can’t destroy are the rubber ones, like the Bad Cuz devil squeaky. She loves all toys though, bless her puppy heart. I don’t mind the constant squeaking, but she wants to fetch everything. Do you have any experience with the brain challenge toys (push it this way for a piece of kibble, etc.)? Hazel has liked a few, but there aren’t many to choose from at my local pet store, so I’d love suggestions.
kim g says
since 3 of my dogs are toy shredders i will be waiting to see if willie detroys this toy. some stuffed balls last because they like when i throw then inside for them to retreive,sorry my dogs play inside. others dont fair so well especially when 3 dogs are using the toy for tug of war. i do splurge sometimes and just keep restuffing toy until nothing left.
Megan says
My Kaylee (possibly because of her underbite) only seems to like soft small toys. Her favourites are this guy
http://www.bestfriendsgeneralstore.com/dog_toys_pc/KJPP01270/Puzzle_Toys/TURTLE+Egg+Babies+Puzzle/ (but only the eggs)
and http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3545199 in the puppy size of course.
I am just thrilled that after 4 months out of the shelter she finally started to play with toys!
MJ says
I can’t seem to find the right toy for my 12 pounder. He’s not interested in rubber or rawhide or stuffed. He likes shredding paper and cardboard that really RRRIIIIIPPPPPPPPSSS. And he likes sinking his teeth into soft-ish plastic — like the 99 center PetSmart frisbee. I’ve stopped trying on toys and just give him a credit card offer envelope to shred. *sigh*
Kate says
Oh, I love this one! Here are my guy’s favourite toys :
– “Mega Tuffy” ring (it’s rated 9/10 for toughness) – doubles as a pillow or chin rest
– Kong squeaker (for puppies, but my 6-yr-old GSD has been gentle enough with it)
– 14″ hard plastic Jolly Ball – he LOVES to “herd” this in our backyard, and he gets great speed. I have to put a modified basket muzzle on him though because it starting wearing down his teeth (If you ever want to see a dog become thrilled at the sight of a muzzle, I have proof).
– Kong Flyer frisbee
I love using these toys for feeding his meals:
– extra-large Kong
– Tricky Treat Ball
– interlocking Leo’s (by Canine Genius)
– Hi Q interlocking toys
I also like the KongTime dispenser. In the morning, I give my guy 1/2 of his breakfast in his bowl, and I distribute the other 1/2 across 4 Kongs, which are dispensed randomly throughout the day while we are at work. It’s no substitute for being able to spend time with him during the day, but we *do* have to work, at least until we win the lottery. We’ve found that if the Kongs are stuffed too tightly, he has to go pee shortly after starting to work on them. So, he gets “easier” Kongs while we’re at work; if we’re home, we cram them full and freeze them, and alternate layers of food and peanut butter or cream cheese.
I would love to see the Nina Ottosson toys – they look interesting, but so far, I haven’t found them in a store near me. I’d prefer to see them in person before spending the $ online.
Patricia, how much mental stimulation does the dog get from “working for his meal” from a stuffed Kong or similar toy? I always see pics of dogs that are pooped afterwards, but my guy just looks like he’s had an appetizer and is still raring to go.
I’d also love to hear about home-made toys that stand up well for bigger dogs…the toys add up after a while…
Melissa in El Cajon says
The tubes inside TP and paper towel rolls. Of course, they don’t last long. But my Cardigan Welsh Corgi pup absolutely loves them. Especially the paper towel rolls. To make them extra fun, my sister taught me to fold over and crimp one end, drop some kibble or a couple of treats into the tube, then fold over and crimp the other end. The rattling eggs her on until she rips it open and gets the treats. I understand, but may be wrong about this, that IF the dog should eat some of the cardboard, it is very unlikely to cause any problems.
EmilyS says
the toys made by these folks are very hardy. http://www.westpawdesign.com/catalog/dogs/dog-toys/guaranteed-tough-zogoflex
My dogs love the “Hurley”. It’s not indestructable (the ends do eventually given in to the relentless pressure of pit bull jaws) but very long lasting and reasonably priced.
Kerry L. says
Walter, the Corgi, loves the Good Cuz squeaky rubber ball. He fetches it but then just stands there squeaking it til I retrieve it from him and throw it again. Indoors, he loves the stuffed raccoon, it has a very good squeaker. He fetches and squeaks, I retrieve and throw. I put it away between play sessions because, given the chance, Walter would rip it to shreds. Mavis, the Manchester terrier, takes care of shredding the junk mail and Bandit, the chihuahua, has a tiny plush cow that he fetches AND retrieves. Kerry
Mary Beth says
The coonhound pup loves those kong squeaker tennis balls. The older Lab adores those huge super tough, hard balls..she plays soccer with them…she’s also willing to transfer that to a real bowling ball. The young lab has no preferences, she just likes to fetch. The 9 yo Weimaraner loves a challenge, Tug A Jug, stuffed Kongs, Crazy Balls, plus he has this one stuffed toy that he suckles on (but the coonhound pup likes to shred those). The Weim loves toys that make noise like the stuffed santa that snores and so on, but the young lab is terrified of them. The coonhound looks at them as a challenge.
Marci says
Charlie, my Catahoula, is also a shredder. Most stuffies – even the really high-end, heavy wool felt toys – are unstuffed in less than 5 minutes. His favorite toy is a tug I made out of jeans cut into strips and braided into a circle. He also likes the large Bamboo brand toys (which do seem to last longer than most with him), nylon bones, everlasting treat balls with our own dry treats inside (we don’t use their treat inserts), his flirt pole, and food stuffed Orka pine cones. In a pinch, the plastic pots from a local nursery are always a big hit as well. Luckily, he does not swallow the things he shreds, so I have a lot more flexibility than some would.
Shannon says
The Chewber is the best toy I’ve ever found in terms of anti-destructive and it’s fabulous that it works as a tug toy, frisbee and water bowl. Glad your Willie and my Iggy have the same taste! He also loves the toys hidden inside other toys and I was looking for a new one for him, so I’m pleased to see your timely recommendation.
One of my favourite homemade toys is the muffin tin. Take one muffin tin and six cheap balls (I use road hockey balls since tennis balls are so bad for teeth), hide treats in each cup, place the balls over the treats in each cup and set it down on the floor for a few laughs!
Dana says
My two extra-large dogs’ favorite toys are the ones I create. They can rip, shred or gnaw anything to bits in no time, no matter what material it’s made from. So I started to save the largest pieces from their shredded plush toys and I stuff them into their Kongs and hollow balls and then hide them around the house for them to find. They seem to really like the difference in weight the ball or Kong has and they eventually pull out what’s inside with gusto. Or I wrap and roll layers around the remains of a toy (like a hippo head), sew it all up and they seem to love finding what’s inside the shredded mess when they’re done playing. Or if they’ve pulled out all the stuffing of a plush toy, but the “carcass” is fairly intact, I stuff it back up with scraps of past plush toys, sew it up and they can play all over again. Creating toys for my boys is fun, easy and saves a lot of money.
Catherine says
Lucky’s most favorite toy is a “stuffed” squirrel by Dr. Noys (Kong) which we have christened his Baby. He carries it with him everywhere. First thing he does in the morning is go find his Baby…usually he brings it to bed, so it’s the last thing he does at night, too. But it’s also his toy of choice when playing tug or fetch.
The neat thing about it is there’s no stuffing to rip out, which makes it excellent for “dead animal” shaking, and the squeakers are replaceable! The outer toy opens up via Velcro along the belly and inside is a pouch (also opened with Velcro) that contains the squeaker.
kate says
Air Kong squeakers (small) balls drive my dogs bananas and easy to tuck into your pocket when out on walks.
Also there’s the Plush with stuffies toys with the little baby ones that come out of the belly they love, we now just buy the refills, the one with eggs (the eggs have a crazy unpredictable bounce to them when you throw them.
Another is a rope toy with a rubber heart grip that they love & a sheepskin mop looking tug toy that revv’s them up.
I like that Brain Twizzler. I’m not sure what the shipping cost will be but if I can’t find it locally, I may have to indulge!
Jaenne says
My Australian Shepherd Kip only plays fetch with a ball or frisbee…and that’s only after almost three years after adopting him from the humane society and getting my Border Collie, Mo, who is turning two in a couple of months. He still shys away when I’m playing tug or fetch with a soft toy with Mo. Mo, is like most Border Collies, she’s crazy about any toy. Tennis balls, frisbees and tug toys are only out when I am ready to play with them (I used the tug toy with her at the vet when she was a puppy and now she LOVES going to the vet. I still take it during appointments just to keep her occupied) or I am under the constant attack to play. Thankfully, Mo is not a destroyer of soft toys. She runs around with them in her mouth squeeking them lovingly or she tosses them around, stalks and pounces on them. One of her favorites is a hedgehog that I bought when picking up the dogs from their boarding/day camp facility one time. It makes more of a honking noise and it rattles when she shakes it. Mo’s other favorite is a new toy that I bought her. Its a rubber toy (material like a Kong) that is in the shape of a badminton birdie. It has a squeaky in the round end but it doesn’t squeak easily, so she really has to work/play with it to make the squeak happen. And of couse, both dogs love stuffed, frozen Kongs…and so do I when I need a break!
Amy says
My GSD, Axle, loves, loVES, LOVES retriever Kong toys. They are bright orange Kongs with a long yellow rope handle and a foam insert inside the Kong to keep them afloat in the water. The chain pet stores carry similar water Kong toys (blue w/ yellow rope or orange w/ white striped rope), but if you want the orage Kong w/ yellow handle I’ve found them at a sporting good store that spealize in camping and hunting (Gander Mountain).
I love, loVE, LOVE retriever Kong toys, because they are brightly colored and easy to spot in the grass/water, they are easy to throw (although avoid throwing near trees – unless you are willing to climb them when they get stuck), and they last – I’ve had some a couple of them for 4 years.
Casey says
My eight year old Lab, Casey, has eaten all her meals from various treat dispensing toys for several years now and those are really the only toys she plays with. My favorites because they dispense food slowly and keep Casey busy longest include:
Everlasting Treat Ball
Bob-A- Dog Treat Toy
Buster Cube
Dog Pyramid
Tricky Treat Ball
Busy Buddy Waggle
I also have a 7 1/2 month old blind, mixed breed (BC sized) puppy, Sparkle. Her current favorite toys:
Jolly Ball on a rope
Fleece and Rope Frizzbee
Any Nylabone
AKC Stuffed Hedgehog
DogTronics Fire Hose Bone
Any of the cat’s toys she can find to rip and shred
A note on the Nina Ottosson toys. We have three of them, the Spinny, the Brick and the Tornado. They are much too easy for Casey and she can get the food out of them in seconds. The puppy isn’t far behind her. Some of the newer Ottosson toys look like they might be harder so perhaps I’ll splurge on a couple of them for the holidays.
Rachel says
I’ve had good luck with West Paw’s Zogoflex line of chew-proof toys that come in all shapes and sizes. I have a very fiesty, young Jack Russell Terrier, who can destroy anything when he’s in the right mood. West Paw will even replace or refund a toy if a dog can chew through it. So far, Zeke still has all of his!
His favorite is the new B?mi, which is a stretch tug toy. He also has the Zisc (frisbee) and Hurley (bone-shaped). The Tux and Huck are on his wish list. Here’s the Web site: http://www.westpawdesign.com/articles/pet-care-products/buyers-guide-your-pets-well-being/what-zogoflex-and-how-does-guarantee-wo.
Happy chewing!
Emily says
My Brittany, Mick, LOVES squeaky toys, and I’ve found the ones that last longest are those that are reasonably small (not small enough to be a hazard, obviously) and don’t have “appendages”. He really likes his Kong Wubba, but he shredded the fabric on the top within twenty minutes. Now I use it solely as an interactive reward for scent work.
His biggest thing, however, is balls. I am reasonably certain that he would (no exaggeration) work himself to death with a tennis ball (I have to take it away from him before he’ll drink or eat anything!) Best balls, from my experience, are Chuckit-brand rubber balls (probably the most durable), Kong-brand Air-Kong Squeaker balls, and Penn-brand racquetballs.
Jillann says
My pit Olivia adores her extra large Kong. We play fetch every night with it. She also got a
bike tire for Christmas last year and loves that as well. She shakes it and drops it, and then it
rolls and she pounces… well you get the idea. She’s ripped a hole in it but it’s still fun!
She prefers the bike tire to the little tires sold at pet stores.
She’s deaf so none of the squeakies or noise toys make any difference to her.
We also play ‘spot’ up/down a staircase with a laser light. I call it doggy stairmaster.
Heidi says
I have a rotating line of toys for my 5-year old ACD (Kiara). They are all some form of squeaky and soft (except for any treat-dispensing). She doesn’t like playing with any toys that are all rubber. She LOVES the stuffed hedgehogs that have squeakers. Those are her favorite. But she also love the Kong Air Squeaker balls (and some of the shapes in that line). Kong also had a version of these that had tails. There is one that is a tennis ball with four nylon “ribbons” coming out of it on different sides. She loves to throw that one around. I just got her a Kong Dr. Noys’ Material Dog toy in the shape of a frog. They don’t have stuffing and have squeakers that can be replaced. She’s been carrying around this toy since I got it last Friday and has even been sleeping with it. She also loves the treat dispensing toys (I think I own most of them and rotate through) and Kongs. And when they are around, she loves to toss the Dingo Ringo which is a ring shaped rawhide. She loves to toss that around. I am going to try the Genius Brain twister and see how she likes it. I’m always looking for new toys to entertain her.
When Kiara was a puppy she was a terrible shredder but I managed to mostly train it out of her. Now she only shreds toys when she’s bored or excited. Now toys that used to only last 5 min last months and sometimes a year or more.
Liz F. says
Fat Cat brand toys- stuffed, heavy duty canvas bodies of animals or people with long, simple appendages; the company advertises the “floppability” of the toys, good for shaking ‘n tugging. They can hold up for months when most stuffed toys last for a few minutes here. The toys have squeakers, too, but it’s a quiet squeak because of the tight stuffing and thick canvas. Some Fat Cat toys also have soft plastic parts.
Cuz Toys- same reasons as many others
If you have a few minutes, dogs who ‘drop it,’ and some Silly Putty, the stuff seems to blow my dogs’ minds. Every once in a while I’ll pull out the silly putty and give the dogs a demo. They tilt heads, raise brows and roll over silly with excitement at the sights and sounds of this unique substance. When I shape it into a ball I’ll let them chase it, but only let them bat it with their paws, never putting it in their mouth for more than a millisecond. They don’t seem to want to mouth it either. The love to smash the ball and to watch me reshape it, and smash all over again.
Wild good fun, but I trust my dogs not to eat anything they shouldn’t and feel safe about it.
I love to make things by hand, so please forgive the length- Home toy options:
Encase a purchased, easily destroyable plush toy in other layers of fabric to extend its life. For a no-sew quick fix, layer old socks missing partners around any toy, ball, or kong.
To do something with toy remnants, I made a pillow-shaped toy out of fuzzy material and put a vecro opening just smaller than my dogs’ muzzles. I shove in all old stuffing and scraps. It is about hand-bag size, and my Nala girl carries her ‘purse’ all around the house. To keep her busy, I’ll open the vecro, pull out some fabric ends and it piques her interest over and over again.
I’ve made toys for my family and coworkers’ dogs for holidays, and tried to please a crowd that included Great Danes as well as Min Pins. I took a simple bone pattern (size-appropriate) out of a thick suede, sewed it together like you would a pillow, and stuffed it with small sticks. I dried the sticks out for a while in advance, took the bark off, researched to make sure none were toxic, and selected sticks that were the right size for the dog receiving the toy. Then I encased this stick-stuffed bone into a larger bone made of canvas. One Dane actually crushed all the sticks into small pieces without breaking any seams, and the small fragments all stayed inside acting kind of like a stuffing. Other dogs did open up the toys and got to the sticks, some were allowed inside, others weren’t. Overall, the dogs loved them (some owners called it a favorite, too), but this is much more labor intensive. Its a good once-a-year toy.
I love the suggestions, and can’t wait to get a Brain Twister, try out the muffin tin game and go braid some old jeans.
Cynthia says
My dogs Dottie and Gustav love the Go Dog Puppy Tough Balls with Chew Guard. They have a big, low-pitched squeak in the middle and smaller ones in the ears. I’m training Dottie to fetch it when someone comes over because it actually fills up her mouth and prevents her from barking. It’s amazing how well she can bark around a tennis ball in her mouth! It’s the only plush toy I’ve found that stands the test of time; however, my mom and dad’s Golden Doodle tore it apart in about 10 minutes. Also: Kong’s squeaky tennis balls. These are an outdoor-only special toy for my dogs, because otherwise they are really annoying.
For tennis balls: ask a local tennis club for their “dead” balls. I got about 20 for free when I spotted my tennis teacher trying to throw them away.
Alexandra says
My lab, Copper, eats everything. Plush toys have their stuffing out and squeakers removed in minutes, soccer balls are deflated, tennis balls are shredded, Nylabones are whittled down to nubs, even Kongs are chewed to pieces… the extra-tough black ones, too. However, the toys made of Zogoflex by West Paw Design seem truly indestructible (http://www.westpawdesign.com). The “tux” and “hurley” models are big hits in our house.
I’ve also found the VIP Products Tuffie Ring Toy to be extremely durable, and it will stand up to two large dogs tugging with me (http://www.vipproducts.com/retail/files/index.php?cPath=27_106_356). It is pricey, but it has lasted for months.
My lab-mix, Izzy, likes the Buster Cube (http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=684). Copper just flings it all over the house and breaks it. Izzy has more finesse. 🙂
On a side note, slightly related to toys, I ran across this story on NPR about dogs viewing humans as teachers:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112524209 thought people here would find it interesting.
Cindy says
Jeter, the 18-month standard poodle, loves horse hoof trimmings, toilet paper (on the roll), and any shoe left in range. As for his actual dog toys, I keep a few in a box for him to find–then whichever one he pulls out becomes his favorite for a day.
Actually, people are his favorite toys and tug is his favorite game.
Keli says
Love the look of that twister toy. How do you think it would hold up against two dogs tugging with it? I am always looking for new toys that they won’t destoy in 5 minutes. They each take an end and drag each other around the house.
Keli
LynnSusan says
Gracie (or as I fondly call her– DESTRUCTO DOG) has destroyed every single toy that has been brought into the house. The CUZ seem to last the longest, but eventually she performs a squeakectomy, and that is that.
She loves plush toys. They last for a while—she loves to carry them around everywhere (and we have taken more than one walk with a goofy pink flamingo in tow, rope legs bouncing and silly neck swinging) but then, after they commit some unfathomable crime, they are neatly executed by disembowelment. She performed a lobotomy on an a perfectly innocuous octopus that was rated 9 out of 10 on the toughness scale (that lasted exactly 24 hours)—all her jolly balls are missing ropes, and even the Kong balls are split. (she is a King Shepherd and weighs about 100 pounds)
>sigh<
JJ says
My Great Dane has a very soft mouth. He has cheapy, plush toys that he picks up daily and yet still doesn’t have a hole a year and a half later. For in-house toys, a plush toy with a very deeply buried, quiet squeaky is his favorite. He also likes the toys that are like the plush Leo discussed in your post. Duke has two similar toys – one with baby squirrels and one with large squishy balls in a big cloth box. These toys are also great favorites. Sometimes Duke shakes his head wildly holding the cloth box and the cloth balls go flying. I think he gets a kick out of that.
Tug ropes are his favorite for playing at the dog park and trying to engage me. I tried the new West Paw tug toy and Duke just can’t get a grip on it in his mouth. It keeps sliding out. I can’t figure out why. The best rope: Home Depot sells large diameter plastic ropes for less than a dollar a foot. So, it’s cheap and washes easily and it’s durrable. Great buy. And in some stores, you can bring your dog to shop. Duke loves Home Depot.
Duke gets at least half of his meals in food dispensing toys, and I think we’ve tried near all of them. He will push around the Tricky Treat Ball discussed by others, but it is not a favorite of either of us. For me: It is just too hard to load and getting the last bits of food out is a serious pain. And cleaning? Forget-about-it.
After much trial and error, our mutual favorite is the TreatStik. Easy to load. Is some challenge for Duke to unload, but not a huge pain to get the last bits out. Can wash in the dishwasher. Duke can get one kibble at a time while operating it lying down. (Being a Dane, this is important. It would not be comfortable nor as healthly for him if he had to operate it standing all the time.) He loves it. We have several of both sizes.
Rose T. says
Daisy’s favorite toys are puzzle toys, and stuffed toys. She doesn’t like any of the hard rubbers toys, except for a “stuffed” Kong.
Her favorite enrichment toy is the Tricky Treat Ball. She runs around all over that and I like it slightly better than the Buster Cube because it’s quieter.
My favorite brand of “puzzle” toy is Plush Puppies by Kyjen. She has a few of them and she just loves pulling the little toys out of the bigger one.
Her absolute favorite toy above all – is her spring “Chick” from Petco. It’s pretty big and she carries it around, sleeps on it and cuddles with it. For whatever reason, she just loves it.
Shalea Rhodes says
My 4-year-old greyhound Gryphon’s favorite toys are his treat toys – his Kong and his Amaze-A-Ball (5″ diameter hollow ball that I can stuff treats into). He also loves stuffed toys, but they tend to last about ten minutes since what he enjoys about them is surgically de-stuffing them.
Kelly Ladouceur says
I just bought Nina Ottosson’s “Dog Brick” toy, and my dogs LOVE it! I thought it might be too tough for them, but they caught on fairly quickly. I can see that over time it would become too easy for them, but there are ways to make it tougher, so I’ll look into that when I need it.
They also like the Premier Tug-A-Jug, the Everlasting Treat Ball, Kongs and Orbees filled with stuff, and the Treat Stik. My youngest dog isn’t a very good eater, so I use the treat-dispensing toys, and he eats well that way. It’s good for him anyhow.
At the top of my old dog’s list are the Kong Squeaker Tennis balls . . . he lives for those for sure.
My dogs tend to de-stuff toys and then play with the carcasses for months and months on end. I bought some of those Skineez toys that have no stuffing, but they still ripped it open. They really enjoy the “empty” toys though, so that’s good.
Katie says
Orbee balls are at the top of the list around here. They do die eventually, but it takes a long time. Chuck-it makes rubber balls that hold up very well also.
Toys that lasted a moderate amount of time include the original style Wubba and some of the higher rated Tuffy toys (the small octopus lasted an amazing length of time, and we have a couple of the small rings).
I also use the rubber tubes from cow milking as tug toys and the dogs love them. Especially when we get them used and they stink like cow. I tie them on the end of a flirt pole, use them as tugs in training, use them for fetch. Very versatile, amazingly strong (though they wouldn’t hold up as chew toys).
Susan says
My friends laugh at me because I am always buying new toys for my dogs (also BCs) and the dogs could care less! I’ll bring one or two toys to the training field (we do agility) but then end up using her leash more than I do any toys. A toy is anything I bring out and ask them to interact with- leash, hat, water bottle, etc. I remember seeing Susan Garrett do a demo with Buzzy years ago, where he attacked all sorts of “toys” including a small piece of rug! Some of the “real” toy favorites are Wubbas, bite sticks (leather, suede, or jute), Skineeze, and the one from Clean Run where you insert an empty water bottle. The hat was a big hit last weekend- Arie attacked it with quite a bit of glee! Arie is also big time into sticks, and always trying to bring them inside. I must have missed an attempt, because I saw a big pile of shredded wood under my bed this morning!
My first dog, Pepper (hound mix), used to carry around a stuffed animal unicorn that I had since I was in high school- he carried it around for two years, and it was dirty, but intact. When I got my next dog, Scout (pointer mix), he destroyed it, and Pepper never was interested in other stuffed animals after that, though he was a complete fetch-a-holic for anything else.
Anna says
My corgis only love their plush toys and while the toys get lots of “worrying” and lose some fur they last for years… you don’t want to touch them when it is washing time but they come out good as new. My 9 month old Rudy loves his hedge hog, several times a day you will find him with his mouth wrapped around him and sucking on him just like a child sucking its thumb and the effect on Rudy is TOTAL RELAXATION. His breeder says he was weened normally but his father does the same thing, the only one she has ever had that does so who knows maybe it is genetic???
Em says
What a great post! I am always looking for toys that will withstand my cattle x destructive abilities. She destroyed her jolly ball in a day…I thought it would at least last 48 hrs!
She loves plushed/stuffed but they last only minutes some that have withstood a bit longer are:
-the “fatcat” brand cat toy(its not stuffed and has a fairly durable belt type apparatus inside)
-Tuffy frisbee
-she also has an obsession with those cheep fleece blankets from ikea..she mouths it and wraps herself in it but won’t chew it
The one’s I leave out with her when I am gone and have lasted over a year:
-Nylabone Galieleo bone..she loves it and gnaws on it all the time and it continues to last! It also cleans there teeth as a bonus and it doesn’t shard into unsafe pieces that they could swallow.
-Kong (black)
-Busy buddy’s football (though I don’t stuff it because its impossible to get the food out)
Food toys:
-she loves the tricky treats ball and stuffed kongs
-I also keep all her bones in a shoe box and I hide her kibble throughout the box and in all of her bones..she LOVES it and loves digging through her “toy box”
-she also really liked the Kong brand tug toy
Really interested in the “Hurley” and the “tux.” Have yet to see them in Canada though…..
Dena Norton says
My 4-year-old Springer, Ford, loves to de-stuff any kind of soft toy. I’m not so fond of the stuffy-guts all over the floor, and he’s eaten some of it, so he usually only gets them with some supervision. My husband got him a Hide-a-Squirrel, as I thought he’d enjoy pulling the squirrels out of the stump. He’d actually rather de-stuff the stump, as it turns out, but he likes to retrieve the stump and play tug with it.
His baby sister, Pixie, joined our family 3 weeks ago, when she was 10 weeks old. Ford and Pixie’s favorite game together is tug-o-squirrel, and having three identical small toys with squeakies in them has turned out to be wonderful. Pixie will pull one under her and sleep on it.
Ford’s other favorite toy is his Cuz Chicken. He also has a Cuz Dinosaur that he likes, but we gave the Bad Cuz to a friend, as Ford seemed to think it was the devil. He also enjoyed playing with a Fat Cat George W. Bush (which we called his “Dubba-ya”) until he finally managed to bite a hole in it and start pulling out the brains.
Periodically my husband and I will have a Stuffy Surgery night, where we sew up all of the stuffies with holes in them. That has resulted in some strange toys in our house, like the one-legged Gingerbread Man and the headless alien.
For training, I have a couple of the Dr. Noys plush toys with velcro pockets in them. I usually fill them with treats, so I can do a mix of toy and treat rewarding in class with them. The ones I have are ducks, since mine are bird-dogs. My other best training toy, and Ford’s paws-down favorite, is a small fleece braided “donkey-tail” that I made out of scraps. I like these, as I can make them in varying sizes, with or without fringe at the ends. I even made a couple of fleece slip-leads for agility class, which double as tug rewards.
Lisa G says
Both of my dogs (2 year old Golden, Noraa and 9 week old Bernese Mountain Dog, Ivy) choose their Kongs above all else. Even if there is nothing in them they can suck and lick and chew them forever!
Noraa, being a retriever, loves her “indestructable” tennis balls though she destroys them in about an hour. She is very good with stuffed animals, I’m guessing because of their soft mouths, and she LOVES them!!
Ivy is very partial to this stuffed racoon made by Coleman because it has a squeaky tail AND a squeaky body. She also has a little duck that she stole from a neighbor’s rummage sale that was made for teething babies. It is stuffed and it rattles but the hands and feet are hard plastic with nubbies that must feel good on baby and puppy teeth alike!