toys you swear by?

[nikknakk]

hi, everyone!

i’ve read several threads online, but i’d like to know what toys all of you swear by. i just adopted my first australian cattle dog (though he’s a rescue and has some husky mixed in too). he’s estimated to be 8 months, and he’s definitely a chewer. i’ve owned all kinds of herding dogs, but this is my first ACD. none of my previous (or current) dogs have been massive chewers

so far the only thing he hasn’t managed to obliterate within minutes is the chuckit! tri bumper, but he’s had it for ~2 days and it’s about to break. have you found any toys that don’t tear immediately?

thanks for the advice in advance!

 

[poseylynn]

@nikknakk Mine is obsessed with his Jolly Ball. He also likes unbreakable frisbees, though he is terrible at catching them. He loves to just fight with them.

 

[jackbz]

@poseylynn Seconding the jolly ball. It’s a tough toy. Though, mine has managed to chip each of his canines and I think it’s from going at the ball too hard, so keep an eye out for that.

 

[tommyosmena]

@jackbz Mine rubbed her nose raw from playing too hard! We got her a softer soccer ball like toy that is much easier on her.

 

[john1986]

@poseylynn Got the same frisbees and mine just lets it hit him in the face (on purpose) and then he runs off with it. It’s still exercise, so I guess it counts. He’s weird.

 

[nh1980]

@nikknakk This is going to make me sound like a grouch, but the only toys that I let my dog play with on his own are going to be made of rubber, like a rubber Chuck-it ball, a Kong or a Jolly ball. I also let him chew on the plastic chews, like Nylabones. Out of these, the jolly ball is his favorite and it seems pretty indestructible.

I do have plush toys that we use for tug and fetch, like the Kong stuffed animals, but anything with fabric and/or stuffing is only for playtime with me, so it gets put away after play.

This extends the life of the toys by a lot and I can always have my dog super focused on me when one of these "special" toys comes out, because they are a novelty.

I'm also terrified of him ever swallowing any fabric or a squeaker.

 

[charliepoope]

@nh1980 Same. Nylabones and Kongs for independent play, everything else is supervised.

 

[twolives]

@nikknakk Benebones and a flirt pole

 

[barbar]

@nikknakk Kong Wobbler for mealtime!

 

[hannahelizaw]

@barbar Mine adores his!

 

[mbch]

@nikknakk We gave up on anything soft or fabric years ago.

Chuck it ultra ball or erratic have always held up well.

The Kong tug has been good for our non-ball obsessed ACD

I used to recommend antlers but both of my dogs have cracked their teeth so we dont give them anything hard like that anymore. Vets orders

 

[tampadan]

@nikknakk We’ve had good luck with the Fluff & Tuff line of toys off Amazon. It took our boy a few months to get the stuffing out of the rabbit toy but his empty husk is intact and he still enjoys playing with it. We got him the gator and dinosaur toy after that and he’s been really good about not just straight up destroying them. Work on training him not to destroy his toys, it’ll help save you money in the long run

 

[luckyavalon1989]

@nikknakk Not a toy, but, Bully Sticks. I’ve got a chewer who gets bored with any actual chew toy in minutes. It’s destroy or ignore. The Bully Sticks are a life saver for me. He (Kruz) loves them and they keep him entertained often. I always have one out for him. Can be expensive depending your budget is the downside.

 

[merrill]

@nikknakk Bags of tennis balls. Girls obsessed

 

[mrtavish]

@merrill Surprised this wasn’t the top comment tbh. My boy barely touches any toys except for his tennis balls.

 

[nikknakk]

@mrtavish my childhood dog was exactly like this lol. for all of his 19 years he only played with one singular tennis ball (we couldn’t even get a replacement, it had to be that specific one or nothing else)

 

[hopemadenew]

@nikknakk My pup loves deer antlers, they can be a little pricey but they last a long time

 

[thetruthopensminds]

@nikknakk Toys by n-gage seem to last the longest for my boy. He still destroys them eventually but it takes a couple months. Well not the squeakers. Those are done for after after a day or two.

My previous ACD really only liked (disemboweling) stuffed toys. Good will was a weekly stop for me.

 

[pinkflower89]

@nikknakk A good thick rope for fetching and playing tug.

 

[haidee]

@nikknakk Westpaw topple. Fill with wet dog food and freeze overnight.