Very large dog toys - what to get?

[busymama77]

My parents have a Catahoula - http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/catahoula.htm - he doesn't look much like the dog in the picture, mainly all black w/ one blue eye and one brown eye - but he's 2 years old and is very, very large for his age. He rips through toys fairly quickly and was wondering what would be a good toy to get him for Christmas?? Something that's gonna last more than a couple of days.

TIA!

[ShadowMoon]

I have a Staffordshire/APBT mix. She will chew through almost anything! The two toys that have lasted the longest are the heavy duty Kongs (large sized and black in color) and coconuts. I shave the "hair" off the shell and let her have at it.

[midnightmommy]

My first choice is a Kong. Get the black one. They are super strong. You can fill the center with treats, or my mom melts cheese into hers. (I think it's gross cause she does it in the microwave, but...) The second is a Nylabone. They aren't cheap, but they last and clean their teeth.

[somegirl99]

I have to second the black Kong suggestion. Another idea for filling it is to smear some peanut butter inside. There are all sorts of "recipes" on the Kong website.

As for Nylabones, that really depends on the dog. One of my whippets has broken a couple of teeth on them, and they never lasted more than a couple of days here.

[Oubliette8]

If he likes stuffed toys, these are really heavy duty- http://www.tuffietoys.com/
It depends how destructive he is how long it will last. My sisters dog regularly destroys stuffed toys within minutes or hours. She has one of these that is still fairly intact though. Other dogs may still be able to destroy them. I'd supervise him with it, especially at first.

Black Kongs are an excellent suggestion. Make sure it's black. They are made out of stronger rubber than the red ones. I've had dogs destroy the red, but not the Black.

There's also these- http://www.jollypets.com/html/products.html
They actually manufacture a line of their products just for zoo animals- balls for lions, tigers, bears, and apes! Their pet line is also ultra tough.

[MidnightCommando]

We have a very strong chewer/big dog and the only toy that has lasted for the last 5 years is the jollyball. It's fun since they can play with it by themselves or with their owner. A previous poster posted a link; I picked mine up at a pet shop

[gingerstar]

Originally Posted by MidnightCommando

We have a very strong chewer/big dog and the only toy that has lasted for the last 5 years is the jollyball. It's fun since they can play with it by themselves or with their owner. A previous poster posted a link; I picked mine up at a pet shop

Our destructive chewer (70 lbs) adores her jolly ball - she has punctured it, but it has lasted and is still playable. Definitely the best toy!

Another one she enjoys is a tug a jug - very sturdy, and we switch up what we put in it to keep her interested.

[SophieAnn]

Another vote for the black kong. It's stronger rubber than the red kongs - and get a BIG one.

Or, we also find that rope toys last a long time. Big, heavy rope with knots in it. Make sure it's something that's just rope - no plastic - and just get the biggest, heaviest one you can find.

Here's an example. We have the largest one of these - it's about 2-3 ft. long and has 5 knots in it. We've had it since last Christmas... but our dog isn't really a power-chewer.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...&lmdn=Dog+Toys

[busymama77]

We picked up the Kong over the weekend - the bone-shaped kind where you can place a treat inside. Will be giving it to the pup this Friday!

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

[gingerstar]

We have that one - my dog loves a game we play with her with it. We stuff one end with peanut butter and hide it, then release her and say "Find your bone!" It has been fun to play, and to watch as she learned to use her nose and really sniff it out. We made it gradually harder, hiding it in things or on top of things, where she really had to work to find it, and then she is so happy when she finds it and quiet for a little while as she licks the peanut butter out!

[MidnightCommando]

To keep the dog really bust with the kong, mash up a banana and stuff it inside. Add peanut butter, some treats or kibble, and yogurt and freeze it. Especially good in the summer time!! Just make sure you plug up the small hole on the top so everything doesn't leak out while freezing. I usually use a piece of cheese to do this

[SquishyKitty]

Kongs and Nylabones are the only toys that have survived my 100+ lb rottweiler, who is one of the hardest chewers I've ever dealt with.