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About a year ago, I did a post where I talked about Fletcher’s favorite toys and chews. It’s become one of my most popular posts, but I noticed that now that he’s gotten bigger {he’s right about 80 pounds now!}, there are quite a few changes in what he can play with and chew but not destroy. I updated that post, but I also wanted to do another post on which toys and chews he loves now.
He LOVES to chew, and is still really good about not chewing things he’s not supposed to {mostly}, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that he has a toy box full of various bones and chew toys available to him at all times.
Here are his {and my!} favorites:
I love this bone because it’s a dental chew that lasts a bajillion times longer than products like Greenies or Dentastix, which Fletcher eats like they’re dog biscuits.
I actually found this bone at HomeGoods {which is also where I got the Chuckit — loves me some HomeGoods for dog toys!}, and bought it to stick in Fletcher’s Christmas stocking, thinking it would be one of those toys that maybe lasted a few days at most. And granted, the colored rubber “pods” in the middle eventually had to be cut off when he started chewing through them, but they lasted longer than I thought they would, and he absolutely loved it when I would put little treats inside them. And we still have the bone, which has a few gouges out of the ends, but otherwise is still going strong.
8. Nylabone Romp & Chomp Triple Treat Toy
So I feel like this one should have an asterisk next to it. Because when I originally bought it, I thought it was awesome that it had little channels for treats to go in, so I bought the bone and the refill treats. But it took Fletcher about 5 minutes to chew it enough that the treats popped out and the new ones wouldn’t fit in. So while I wouldn’t recommend it for the use it was originally intended for, the bone itself has lasted forever, and the little ball shape in the center causes it to spin and do all sorts of crazy things on our hardwood floors.
This chew has real wood in it, and supposedly has a natural wood smell to it as well. {I personally think all chews smell the same, i.e., nasty.} This is another one that Fletcher will sit and chew for hours. It definitely doesn’t last as long as a Nylabone, but it lasts way longer than a rawhide. After probably 10 evenings of constant chewing, he’s gotten it down about halfway. So still well worth it, in my opinion.
I think pretty much every dog owner owns at least one Kong — and if you don’t, you should. They are amazing toys for so many reasons. We use ours for fetch, Fletcher loves chewing on it, and they can be stuffed with all sorts of fun things. There are various products made specifically for stuffing Kongs {like these treats and this somewhat scary ez-cheese-like stuff}, but there’s no need to buy anything special. I usually plug up the small hole with peanut butter, toss in a few little treats or broken biscuits, fill it the rest of the way with canned food {sometimes mixed with kibble}, and then pop it into the freezer for a few hours. He will spend at least an hour trying to get everything out of that thing!
Fun fact: Kongs are all color-coded. The pink and blue Kongs are for puppes, red are for average chewers, purple are for seniors, and black are for tough chewers. Who knew??
We got one of these in a Bark Box, and it has been a favorite ever since. It’s stuffable, which is fun {I usually use broken up biscuits or torn-up Nudges}, and it’s awesome for fetch because it’s soft enough to not hurt his teeth and the shape causes it to bounce irregularly. A lot of toys are described as “durable” or “indestructable”, but so far, this one lives up to it. I don’t even think he’s managed to create a single crack or tear in this bad boy.
This was another Bark Box find, and it has been amazing. The boys call it Fletcher’s “alien”, and it’s another great fetch toy. We got this probably 6 months ago, and it’s just recently started to crack a tiny bit around the base of the legs. I also only just now discovered that you can stuff treats in the little opening on the bottom, and that the legs hook together. Hunh.
So I realize this isn’t a chew, but Fletcher’s favorite thing in the entire world to do is play fetch. He looks like a racehorse when he runs, it’s so much fun to watch, and it is awesome for tuckering my man out. But here’s the nasty thing about fetch. The ball gets so slobbery and vile, it makes me want to gag. That’s the main reason I got the Chuckit — because it meant that I no longer had to touch the nasty ball when he brings it back to me. The fact that I can throw it twice as far as I could on my own is great too, but the no-more-slobber factor is what makes it a winner for me. They do sell special Chuckit balls, but regular old tennis balls fit perfectly, so that’s what we use with it.
2. Benebone Bacon Flavored Wishbone
As I type this, Fletcher is actually sitting at my feet chewing this bone. He LOOOOOVES it. And I do too, because this sucker has lasted for months, and he’s barely made a dent in it. The very tips of each of the wishbone ends look a little gnawed on, but that’s it. The only negative about it is that those tips are very rough and scratchy and do NOT feel good when stepped on with bare feet. Just sayin’.
And our #1 favorite dog chew is…
1. Raw Marrow Bones
So here’s the thing about these. They are easy to find {just go to the butcher section of your local supermarket — they’re sold as soup bones}, inexpensive {I usually get three or four 4″ to 6″ bones for about $7}, long-lasting {I store them in the freezer and give them to him frozen — he can chew on one for several hours the first time I give it to him, and he keeps chewing on them for weeks after he’s cleaned one off} and much safer and better for him than roasted bones {because these are raw, they won’t splinter}. They are by far my favorite thing to give him now. But they are nasty. Because they’re raw, they still have marrow in them and some fat, sinew, blood and meat on the outside. We had to designate a special mat for these bones and he knows that this is the only place {other than the deck} he’s allowed to chew on these. But the sheer fact that these occupy him for literally hours at a time completely makes up for the fact that they can be a little messy.
So there you have it: our new favorite toys and chews. The one thing I am still on the hunt for is a plush or stuffed toy that doesn’t get destroyed in 45 seconds. Fletcher loves stuffed animals, and is constantly stealing them from the boys and running around with them, but if we don’t get them away from him right away, we start finding stuffing scattered all over the house within minutes. So if you have a suggestion for a truly indestructible plush toy, I would love to hear it!
Looking for more puppy-related fun? Don’t miss these posts!
The 10 Best Dog Toys & Chews for Aggressive Chewers
How to Bell Train Your Dog to Go Outside
[…] also did another post on another 10 Toys & Chews that we […]