For over two decades, I have lived with golden retrievers and it has been an educational and amazing time. Each dog has a unique personality and learning their quirks and needs has taught me a great deal! Regardless of the dog, there is one thing that remains constant: They all love toys!
For my previous dogs, I was fortunate to get away with buying many of their toys at the dollar store, enabling them to have a toy chest filled to the brim with multi-colored stuffed animals, tennis balls, bones of different shapes and sizes, and the much-loved squeaky variety.
Last year, that dynamic all changed!
I adopted Henry and Toby in September of last year. Previous to their arrival, I had Lola. I had written a book about Lola because her time here was way too short. Prior to her passing, she had been on a mission to collect as many tennis balls as possible. In my book, I had suggested, perhaps she knew I’d have two boys who would need them!
When she passed away, she had collected over one hundred and fifty tennis balls.
Then Henry and Toby moved in. They are two large golden retrievers with all of their teeth, lots of energy, and powerful jaws. I should mention, they also love tennis balls.
I thought I wouldn’t have to buy any balls for quite some time. However, they had other plans. Within a month, they had chewed and destroyed each and every tennis ball. That means they had seventy-five a piece. A ball would typically last, at most, a half day before I’d have to lure them to drop it, pick up the pieces, and toss it in the trash before they tried to swallow any.
This led me to my next mission: Find dog toys for Aggressive Chewers. No more Dollar-tree toys for me!
I figured Kong toys would be the best for my boys, as most are labeled, “For Aggressive Chewers.”
With trial and error, I ordered some Kong toys and toys from other brands. I have no idea how much money I spent, but I finally found some that stood the test.
If you have some aggressive chewers in your home, these may suffice!
Here are Henry and Toby’s Reviews of 15 Dog Toys for Aggressive Chewers! (Note, to view each item, you'll see it is underlined. Just click on the item name and you'll be brought to the page for viewing or purchasing)!
Tennis balls- All Sizes/all brands
Just a note here. Most of my dogs loved tennis balls and couldn’t rip them, or if they did, it took a few days. I’ve tried every brand I could find and every size, and my pups can tear them apart in a few hours! So, I won’t review any here.
I am listing both the large and Medium ball because both are excellent! This ball is great for those who love to play ball all day long. It’s made of a stronger material with a protected squeaker. Both medium and large are great. I found that the large lasts a little bit longer but so far, they last at least a month or more.
I can’t take the credit for this one. My niece researched toys online and ordered the large ball for my dogs. This is PERFECT! It is a large, very durable ball with a tennis ball in the center. I have had the large one for six months and it is still in one piece. However, my dogs did manage to puncture a small hole in it which broke the squeaker. Both large and medium are super durable, with one difference. The large has a regular size tennis ball in it. The medium has a small tennis ball. I was a little hesitant to buy the medium for fear that if they did manage to break it open, they could easily swallow the little ball. To remove that worry, I just don’t let them play with it when I’m not around. Still, they haven’t been able to chew threw it to where I’d even need to be concerned. Just a warning- these have a very loud squeaker! My dogs love them. There are two handles on them. My one dog prefers gripping the handle, the other prefers holding it from the edge.
KONG Squeezz Tennis Assorted Dog Toy (Note-that's how the word squeezz is spelled for this toy)!
Similar to the ones mentioned above, my dogs love these. They are not quite as durable, as my dogs can rip these within a few hours. However, they do last a little longer than regular tennis balls.
Similar to the jumbo balls, but in the shape of a football. It is a large, very durable ball with a tennis ball in the center. I’ve had two of these for the past six months and both are still “living” today. I will say my dogs didn’t love these as much, mostly because they have trouble gripping the handles, unlike the jumbo ball.
Years ago, I used to purchase rawhide bones for my dogs. I thought it was one of the best things to keep them occupied and busy. I believed it was great to satisfy their natural instinct to chew. These were the days before the Internet made its mark and I didn't know how bad they were for dogs! I didn't realize that not only could they choke on the bones (thankfully, they never did), but the bones themselves are made of ingredients that are far from natural, including glues and dyes! Yikes!
Fast forward a bit and I've discovered that there is a bone that curbs a dog's natural instinct to chew, but there are no dyes or glue...and I've yet to see any of my dogs be able to chew a piece of the bone off! Including Henry and Toby.
Those bones are Nyla-bones! They are textured and flavored dog bones made out of a material that most dogs cannot break off. There are no small pieces for a dog to choke on! They last about two weeks to a month, depending on how often your dog uses them. My dogs are very aggressive chewers, so I usually have to replace the bone every few weeks, otherwise the edges DO get quite sharp, and I don't want my pups cutting their mouth!
They come in a variety of flavors, sizes, and textures.
While this is very durable, my dogs found this to be boring. They were excited for the first day, but didn’t enjoy it much after that. Each dog is different!
Another durable toy, and my dogs were excited to play with it for about a month. Their favorites are still the jumbler ball and squeezz ball. They weren’t able to destroy this one though, so it might be great for your pooch and definitely worth a try!
I had high hopes for this ball, but my dogs were able to kill it within seconds. It’s probably good for a medium-strength chewer!
My dogs didn't enjoy this one too much, but when they did, they were able to tear it up in a few minutes. I wouldn't consider this great for an aggressive chewer, but perfect for those who love to play fetch!
This is great for those times when you would just like a little quiet time! Stuff it with some treats or peanut butter, and it will keep your dog busy and happy for a little while! Kong even sells a can of treats- almost like cheez-whiz for dogs, but peanut butter works just as well!
While my dogs enjoyed this toy for a little bit, they were able to chew the edges. I wouldn't suggest this one for an aggressive chewer but would be good for one who likes to fetch!
While my current dogs can destroy these, they did last a little longer than regular stuffed animals. My previous dogs loved these. So, if your pup is like mine, it might not be a great toy. However, if your dog chews a little softer, these are perfect!
This is a fun puzzle game for your pup. There are many different types available online. This one has little compartments where you put dog treats. Then you cover them with a lever and your dog has to figure out how to get the treats out. When I had Lola, she figured it out quickly and loved to play with it. Henry and Toby like it, but just want to beat it up!
While my dogs love these, I found them chewing the strings more often than I'd like.
Hopefully, these reviews help you a little bit when choosing a good toy for your pup. If they have chompers like mine, I think you'll find one that your pup will enjoy! Out of all of them, the jumbler balls and the squeezz balls are the ultimate winners!
Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Σχόλια