We have two large dogs at home.
They can find the weak point of anything, and chew away at it until it becomes pulp. Charlie has sharp front teeth that can poke holes through everything. It’s been a challenge to find good value dog toys for them. I don’t have a bank account that will allow me to replace all toys frequently.
This means I had to get creative with what I can buy that will keep the boy’s interest AND will last!
Here is a short list of 6 items that have stood the test of chew-time:
#1 KONG Extreme dog toy: $9 – $20 lasts about 3+ years
Kong has a series of these three tier rubber chew toys. The color indicates the rubber toughness. I only buy the strongest rubber. We like to put peanut butter, mushed bananas, pumpkin, and/or cheese inside the Kong. It keeps the dogs entertained for quite a while. If you fill the Kong and then put it in the freezer over night- the dogs will have a long lasting treat the next day.
We purchased our first Kong about three years ago and it is just now starting to loose it’s integrity. We will be purchasing another one soon because it has been such a good investment.
Make sure that you buy a Kong brand product. I have purchased other similar toys but by different companies- they never last.
#2 Y2K Fuzzy Scarf: $4 – $40 lasts about 2 years
In a moment of frustration I gave Bear an old Y2K fuzzy tube scarf that was in my goodwill bin. He was just a tiny puppy at the time and I didn’t think he would really be interested in the scarf for more than 5 minutes. (I did need those 5 minutes to myself so I let him tug on it.) Days later – I noticed he still would tug on the scarf in his crate if the scarf was hooked on something else. He slowly over the years pulled that scarf apart, piece by piece, but it took at least 2 full years. When he got a younger brother, Charlie, they would each grab an end and play tug -o- war with the scarf until it ripped. What is surprising about this scarf is – that each individual weave can be ripped apart – but there is so much yarn in the scarf it takes forever to completely destroy the scarf.
You can find these scarfs for anywhere between $4- $40 dollars on etsy or poshmark. Or- you could even try making them yourself!
#3 Elk Horn Chew Toy $7-$40 lasts about 3-4 months
This is a bit pricey, however the dogs find it really interesting. We have purchased several elk horn chews for the dogs over the past several years. Every single one of them has ended up tucked away under the bed or in the couch. When we do our spring cleaning the dogs will find the small nobs of the elk horn. Once again- they will become the new favorite toy. It is almost like having an unstructured Easter egg hunt at random times throughout the year.
The can be found anywhere between $7-$40 at almost any pet store or online.
#4 KONG Extreme dog toy: $10 – $18 lasts about 3 years
Charlie loves any type of ball. He thinks that anything spherical and about the size of your fist is HIS. We have been working diligently to keep our wool dryer static reducer spheres out of his eyesight. He would claim them as his own.
This ball has been fantastic. He instantly loved it – even though it is so much heavier than any of the other dog toys he has had. This ball has a hole from top to bottom that you could fit a cheese stick through, but the rest is a heavy duty rubber. The heavy duty rubber makes it a great outdoor toy because it is do durable.
#5 Rope: $9-$20 dollars lasts about 6 months
Similar to the idea of the scarf- a rope is fun to tug on and it lasts a while because there are so many fibers to break apart. Charlie and Bear still like finding pieces of an old rope and playing tug -o- war with it months after it was pulled in two. I put this type of a toy lower on the list because Bear will sit down with the rope and just work on chewing through it like a saw. It’s pretty funny to watch.
I like this one on Amazon.
#Bonus Sticks: $0 lasts about 1 month
You are probably thinking to yourself – obviously sticks are a good value – they are free! But, here me out- sometimes I’ll find sticks when I am out and about that are a different wood than the ones the dogs are used to in the back yard. So, I’ll take these sticks home and throw them in the back yard. Later, when the dogs go out- they find the new sticks and it becomes their FAVORITE thing.
I would suggest that you keep sticks outside though, I really don’t like crawling into bed just to find a nub of a stick there.
#Bonus Boxes: $0 lasts about 5 minutes
If you have purchased the first, or fourth item on this list – you probably have item #5! BOXES!
Bear loves to DESTROY boxes. This is a double edge sword.
> On one hand- boxes are pretty much free. They come to the house with anything that you have purchased. This is great because – you don’t ever have to think about having toys for the dogs. Also, – you won’t ever have to flatten a box again in your life. Bear flattens all our boxes. Even those tough produce boxes from Costco. Once Bear is finished with the box- we can just toss it into the recycle bin.
> On the other hand – now he thinks every box – unopened or not – is his for the taking. We have to be really particular now in telling Bear that he can have the box. Otherwise he will always just rip open any new amazon packages. Also, when he shreds the boxes- there are pieces everywhere. We have to pick them up to recycle them.
