Does your dog tear apart rope toys, surgically cut through stuffed animals for their squeakers, and chomp through tennis balls? It can be challenging to find a sturdy dog toy for those tough chewers and destructive pups. To help answer “What are the best chew toys for dogs?”, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite durable dog toys.
Keep Your Dog Engaged by Rotating Chew Toys
Chew toys are great because they provide your dog with some mental stimulation. They help to alleviate their boredom and can help prevent unwanted chewing on furniture, socks, carpet, or other household items.
However, just like children, dogs can get bored with their toys or get very excited when getting new ones. We recommend rotating 8-12 chew toys to provide the best enrichment for your dog. Now, let’s discuss our best chew toy recommendations.
Chew toys we don’t recommend
You should always choose a chew toy that is large enough that your dog cannot choke or ingest them. Rawhides and split antlers can become a choking hazard, can break into sharp pieces, and can be harmful if digested. You should monitor your dog around toys, to also make sure your dog hasn’t chewed the toy into smaller pieces, as these can be a choking hazard.
Special considerations for puppies
We recommend not giving your puppy rope toys or stuffed animals. Young puppies can’t distinguish between a stuffed animal and your child’s plushies. So it’s best to avoid using these toys until they are older. These toys also encourage ripping and tugging, which encourages destructive chewing behaviors.
Now that we’ve provided some advice on unsafe chew toys, let’s discuss our best chew toy recommendations.
Does your dog prefer chewing on clothes, furniture, or carpet instead of chew toys?
Do you have trouble with your dog turning inappropriate items into chew toys? You can check out our video, where our co-founder and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Sean Savage, discusses how to encourage your puppy to engage with new toys.
Our tough dog toy recommendations
Kong Toys
You can fill Kong toys with kibble, peanut butter, pumpkin, cheese, and other appealing ingredients. You could serve them fresh, or even freeze them first for some extra challenge. For some ideas, you can check out our blog on “How to Stuff a Kong Like a Dog Trainer”.
You could also get your dog a Kong Tire and put treats or food in the tire’s inner wall. The tire will rebound after being compressed. Having a variety of Kong toys helps keep your dog interested. It also serves as a replacement while you clean out another toy or while it’s frozen for later.
Nylabones
Nylabones are good chew toys for enrichment because they are durable and help keep your dogs engaged, with flavors including bacon, chicken, and peanut butter. They are also dental chews that help reduce plaque and tartar buildup. There are various Nylabones available, including Chew Bones, Dental Chews, and Textured Rings.
Chew King Fetch Ball
Has your dog chewed their way through a small army of tennis balls? Chew King Fetch Balls are much stronger than regular tennis balls. So your dog can play as roughly as they please, without you needing to pick up the shredded ball later. These fetch balls have holes where you can put food, like kibble mixed with peanut butter.
Indestructible Ring Ball
Do you have a large dog that quickly shreds toys advertised as “indestructible” or meant to be durable? Indestructible Ring Ball is a rubber chew toy designed for large-breed dogs such as German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers.
Chew toys can help reduce boredom and destructive chewing, but some dogs may still struggle with problem behaviors, including resource guarding. If you have any questions, our behavior team can help.
We are here to help
Do you have any questions on obedience training, teaching good manners, or any behavioral concerns, including reactivity, resource guarding, or separation anxiety? You can contact our Pet Behavior Team for a free consultation.
We offer Board and Train and Virtual Training Programs with our co-founders, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, and Sean Savage, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant. For more information, you can also check out our puppy training blogs and dog training blogs.
