(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best dog toys

Hey!

I totally know where you’re coming from. we brought home our toy poodle 2 weeks ago (he’s 11 weeks today) and I am home with him during 9-5 hours while my boyfriend helps out evenings and weekends. The first week I genuinely considered returning him because I felt so overwhelmed despite doing an absurd amount of research and having had 2 other family dogs where I wasn’t the primary caretaker lol. The breeder had him potty trained and crate trained and said he was the first of his litter to run to the food bowl but the first week he came home with us he whined in his crate + playpen, pooped on the floor and became a finicky eater lol

I can say even though I’m still struggling with a few things (he’s a pretty shy pup who's not food motivated, hates his playpen, and doesn't understand kongs lol ) I’m feeling better and seeing sooo much progress in our little man since he first came home.

Here are some things that work for us:

Crate training: This will take time and will also require some patience and understanding on your end - there will likely be whining and the best thing you can do is IGNORE IT - this is of course as long as your puppies needs are met - before ever putting him into the crate make sure he’s peed and isn’t hungry/thirsty. The #1 thing you need to be aware of is that if you let him out while he’s whining he will associate whining = attention/freedom.

• Crate games Personally, we didn’t use crate games because when I tried I felt the same frustration lol. We have a T-shirts that smell like us in his crate + his favourite (safe) toy that he can only cuddle/play with while he’s in there to make it attractive place. Our dog isn’t food motivated either but we’ve discovered dehydrated raw treats are like crack to him lol. We use a high value treat (dehydrated raw beef liver) to lure him into the crate while saying “bedtime” and then we close the door. He’ll whine during the day sometimes when he’s overtired but never at night and actually goes in willingly on his own to relax.
  
• Nighttime: set alarms before he starts whining. In our case we sleep at 11pm and have alarms for 2am, 5am and 7:45am - you’ll need to monitor when he starts to whine and set your alarms for ~10-15 mins beforehand to avoid reinforcing whining. I also recommend sticking to night time crating rather than playpen to work off a dogs need for consistency.
  
• Enforced naps: these are a god send. Pups need to sleep roughly 18-20 hours a day. For every 45-1 hour that your puppy is awake lure him into his crate for a 1-2 hour nap. I use a wyze camera (https://www.amazon.ca/Wyze-Wireless-Camera-Android-Version/dp/B076H3SRXG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3J0J18TA1JUKO&keywords=wyze&qid=1565737568&s=gateway&sprefix=wyze%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-3) to monitor any sounds/movements in his crate and make sure I get to him to let him out to pee before he has a chance to start whining on his own. (Currently typing this as he’s napping away lol). You will get some free time to do as you please + puppy will wake up refreshed and happy (note: less nipping, more attentive!)
  
• Note: even if you successfully lure him into the crate he will likely still whine at times - I G N O R E. I can’t stress this enough. The sooner he learns whining = no reaction, the sooner he’ll learn to settle and nap. First week our puppy whined ~5 minutes each time, now it’s ~30 seconds max and MUCH less frequent. Consistency is key.
  
  Routine: Like I said our pup is awake for ~1 hour intervals throughout the day. Because pups do better with set schedules, I follow the same routine every hour and he seems to be doing better with this routine. Essentially what we do is : Wake up, pee, Train (5-10 mins max with his kibble or toys - like your ours isn’t food motivated but enjoys WORKING for his food, other times he’s more willing to work for toys so that could also be worth a try), fetch (physical exercise indoors), Train (5-10 mins max), play, leash train (indoors), play, pee, nap.
  
  
• Physical exercise: A tired pup is a happy pup - but keep in mind there’s a fine line between proper exercise for a puppy and overstimulation - we’ve been doing 5-10 minutes of indoor fetch every hour awake and it looks like the perfect balance for us - you’ll have to play with this figure a little to see what works best but I promise the whining is bound to decrease if he’s already sleepy before crate time
  
• Mental stimulation: poodles (and poodle crosses) are prone to getting bored without enough mental stimulation = excess whining. Mental stimulation includes feeder toys, puzzle games AND training. Our guy doesn’t really appreciate his kong lol but we have this (https://www.amazon.ca/Smart-Treat-Dispensing-Exercise-Ottosson/dp/B0711Y9Y8W/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1ZZNTTRIW62SD&keywords=nina+ottosson&qid=1565738495&s=gateway&sprefix=nina+ott%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-5) and we bring it out once or twice a day - sometimes he won’t even eat the food in the holes but he likes figuring out the puzzle lol
  
• Instilling independence: Okay so this is an area where I’ve noticed a BIG change since taking it seriously. The more you work on training commands, the more independence you’re installing in your pup. The more independent he feels, the more he can handle being alone, the outside world, scary interactions, etc. I’m not sure if you’ve done any puppy socialization classes or are looking into puppy training but I’d recommend finding a reputable one in your area and giving it a try. For training at home, we've had a lot of success with: https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup
  
  Other tips:
  
  
• Bully Sticks: these things can be a god send if you need some time to yourself. The first time we gave our puppy one he went wild for it and left us alone for an hour. The second time, he held it in his mouth and whined his face off lol. We realized our mistake was making it available to him too frequently in a short period of time. Keep high-value items like this a special occasion treat to maintain it’s value.
  
• Toys: rotate toys. Have 2-3 toys out for a few days at a time, and learn which ones he gravitates to. You’ll discover which toys are high value + by rotating them he’ll get excited when his fav one from a certain batch is back in his turf. Take the high-value ones and make them crate only toys if they are safe to be played with unsupervised!
  
• Kong: I wish I could give you advice here because the Kong was a god send for our other dogs. The advice that’s been given to me is teach him how to use it. Youtube is good for this but at the end of the day, some dogs just don’t like the kong. If you do want to use this or other puzzle feeders/treat toys DON’T increase the value of the treat if he’s disinterested. He’ll learn that he can ignore his kibble/low-value treats and hold out for the better stuff and you’ll end up with a finicky eater.
  
• Daycare: Find a reputable one in your area bc it sounds like you need a little break and some socialization will be good for the little guy if you’re not looking into puppy classes or socialization classes.
  
  Hope this helps in some way shape or form, feel free to message me if you need to vent, compare puppy problems or ask any questions :)

I’d focus on all around confidence building at home - obedience group class is probably overwhelming for a shy dog, so set your expectations low for slow progress in a class environment.

First of all, I’d implement a Nothing in Life is Free regime at home for now. It sounds harsh but for a fearful dog, knowing what your expectations are can reduce her anxiety and earning affection/privileges successfully by doing what you want her to will help her build confidence and trust in you - which should translate to her looking to you for leadership in all situations.

Work on reinforcing/teaching basic commands at home with really high value treats, lots of short training sessions (90 seconds to 5 minutes each session multiple times a day if possible) and way more reps than you think necessary. Once she has a command down, you can work on transitioning it to the world outside your home.

Puzzle toys are also an effective way to help build confidence. With shy/fearful dogs, we typically feed all meals in puzzle toys - solving them helps boost their morale. The Starmark Bob-a-lot is my favorite for meals, but Kongs are a good option too and the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Snoop Dog Toy is another great one.

Nina Ottosson makes great puzzle toys for treat puzzles (too small to feed full meals), with varying levels of difficulty. There are also tons of DIY puzzle toys on the internet. Anything that works her brain and requires her to think through to solve will help her become a more focused, confident dog.

Hopefully all of the above will translate into increased focus and confidence in class too, but if not, you might want to consider doing some in home training if you can (obviously with the caveat that in home training is expensive af, especially compared to group classes, so I totally understand if this isn’t an option). If group classes are your best option, don’t worry too much about her performance IN class, just focus on doing the homework and building up her responsiveness at home and then slowly transition to the outside world.

With regards to men, it’s probably not something you can completely “solve,” but if she’s food motivated and you have male friends she doesn’t know, ask them to come over and hand feed her. This is one of the most effective ways to build a bond. When men are around, have them give her high value treats and ignore her as best you can, so all good things come from men. But let her take it on her own terms and don’t push her either. Contractors can be scary - generally they’re wearing work boots, carrying big/loud/heavy objects, etc., so that may be a situation you just want to manage instead of trying to train her to be more comfortable - just keep her crated or confined to an area where your contractor won’t be, maybe put on a noise machine or the radio and give her a frozen Kong or bully stick to keep her calm when they’re around.

Not all of this will be helpful or apply to you and your dog, I’m sure, but these are some of the things I find the most successful with my fearful fosters! Best of luck to you and your pupper! You sound like a very dedicated owner 💕

Not great but way way way better. The anxiety is still a big thing but the toys and treats are better (not great, she’s so picky and it’s so hard to figure out what she likes, but better) and she’s more confident now - doesn’t keep her tail between her legs anymore. It seemed like time really does help with the treats and confidence, but Jesus it sucks for all involved. We found that cooked chicken is a very reliable treat. And greenies! She loves greenies. Thank god.

I’m just going to info dump you in the hopes something helps (I'm guessing at timelines here if I say something like 'it was a few days' so if they don't line up, that's why).

We had to trial by fire it - we can’t call out of work. It’s terribly hard to leave her when I can hear her crying the whole time, but the poor dog kinda just has to live with it and I hope it’s not too much emotional damage. It’s been about 3 weeks now and the downstairs neighbors tell me that she only cries for the first hour I’m gone now instead of the whole time.

On the plus side, she totally loves her crate now; it’s her den. She’ll go into it when she’s bored and lie down and nap, or bring chicken into it to lie down and chew on.

After 2 weeks, she stopped walking with her tail between her legs and a couple days ago starting actually playing with other dogs we run into when walking (which is great except many dogs are aggressive and I'm worried they're going to teach her to be aggressive...).

She’s eating now, which is cool. At first she would only eat cooked chicken (Costco + slow cooker ftw), and then we went through various different dog foods till we found one she liked. She would only eat a bite at first but a bite was better than nothing. After about a week, she eats about half a cup at a time. We have her eating this: https://www.chewy.com/taste-wild-pacific-stream-grain-free/dp/181318

The vet said we have to teach her when mealtime was and put the bowl down and then pick it up 15 minutes later, but not to start doing this until she's actually eating because calories + feeling safe is more important (vs feeling already anxious AND hungry).

She also likes some toys now - she’ll sometimes chew on a bacon flavored nylabone (turns out nylabones come in flavors, btw. She likes the bacon one and ignores chicken), and we got her a Go Dog stuffed dragon and a whale that she LOVES - but she tears them apart in about 5 minutes, and I have to keep sewing them back together; don’t leave your dog alone with them! It’s cute; she carries them around like a teddy bear. It helps a lot with the emotional support, I think. She also likes puzzle toys. But this all started pretty recently. Before that, she would just mope around the house and we would feel like shitty parents. (She still mostly mopes and we feel like shitty parents). The first toy I got her to like was a PB filled kong, and she would only eat it if we were holding it. After several days, we got to being able to put the kong down (huge accomplishment) and as long as we were still standing next to her, she would keep at it. As soon as we took even a step away, she would leave it. But after some time, that got better. She’ll take it to her crate now. She still doesn’t play fetch or like balls. So for us, in the order we got her to like them, she likes PB Kongs, and then she loves her whale and dragon, and she likes the puzzle toys. The nylabone is a recent development and she’s not hugely a fan but occasional chewing is better than none. Because she doesn’t eat treats, most of the commercial toys are useless, since they’re all treat dispensers. We started with this puzzle and put chicken in it. https://www.amazon.com/Outward-Hound-Ottosson-Smart-Puzzle/dp/B0711Y9Y8W

Whenever I see anything she vaguely has an interest in, I capitalize on it. I noticed she likes to look out windows, so I’ve opened all the curtains that I can and leave them open so she isn’t too bored. Hopefully. She still seems bored 90% of the time :/. We still feel pretty shitty as parents because she does the puzzles really quickly and really only likes the whale and dragon, but I have to keep taking them from her because she keeps tearing through them.

I read a ton about separation anxiety and talked to the vet:

• They tell you not to make a big deal out of leaving and coming back, but it’s impossible because she follows us to the door crying when we put shoes on and runs to the door barking when we come home.
  
  
• I try to make sure she has a bunch to do when I’m gone (filled puzzle toys and PB kong and nylabone). It’s hard because she doesn’t actually LIKE anything, for a long time she ignored it all entirely, but it makes me feel better that it’s there, even if I come home and it’s untouched. I leave the curtains open, at least.
  
  
• They tell you to leave in small intervals - less than a minute if needed, not more than ten minutes - so the dog understands that you’re coming back. The trick is to try and come back before she starts whining so she doesn’t think the whining is what brought you back, but this was impossible because she starts whining literally as soon as the door shuts.
  
  
• Turns out the suggestions of like, the radio or TV or music doesn’t actually do anything for dogs in terms of company unless you’re using it as a cue that you’ll come back - like, you turn the radio on right before you leave and turn it off when you come back, and eventually she learns that radio on == they’re coming back. But we don’t want to do that for the time we inevitably forget to turn the radio on…
  
  
• I try to minimize the amount of time we’re gone - I’ve been going in to work a little late and coming home a little early whenever possible. I feel terrible.
  
  
• TONS of walks or runs (couch to five k, I’m coming for you) before we’d go out to hopefully tire her out so that she just naps while we’re gone. I read somewhere that “a tired dog is a happy dog” and if nothing else, a tired dog is one that’s only going to cry for 2 hours and then fall asleep. Unfortunately she has fucktons of energy, so I am tired way before she is, but I try. Importantly, the vet said you can’t walk her only before leaving because then she’ll just learn to hate walks. So we walk her and get back about 20 minutes before we leave, and we walk her as soon as we get home.
  
  
• What was most important, I think, was separating crate training and separation anxiety training. One of the sites I read talked about this, and how if you lock them in the crate when you leave, they’re going to 1) associate crate with anxiety and 2) hurt themselves trying to get themselves out of the crate. We found this to be pretty true, she hated her crate and would tear up whatever was inside of it when she couldn’t see us in it. Since we needed her to like her crate, love her crate, think of her crate as her den, we kept the crate in the doorway to our bedroom, so she wasn’t next to us but could see us, and we only put her in the crate when we went to sleep from 11pm-7am - not shutting the door until right when we were getting into bed (already teeth brushed, etc) and letting her out right when we get out of bed. We put Nylabones and a PB kong in the crate, which she ignored for the first week but made us feel better. We got her to go in the crate by herself by baiting it with tons of chicken, like a piece of chicken at the edge of the crate, then a little further in, then all the way in the back, etc. Then I’d shut the door only a little and keep my arm in there and keep giving her chicken, (it’s a lot of chicken - skip dinner). Keep slowly shutting the door, keep giving chicken, when the door is shut just stay next to it and give chicken and be reassuring. Then lights off and straight to bed. If you dilly dally, she thinks you’re locking her in her crate and leaving without her - especially if you leave the room to pee and she can’t see you. My boyfriend was really insistent that her crate can’t permanently be in the room, but if we moved it she just cried; I found a guide online that said that if you move it a bunch that it’s too much change for them, so the idea is small amounts of change that they don’t even notice and to just move it a couple inches a day, so we’ve been doing that, sort of. We left her in the doorway for a week, then slowly an inch, literally an inch, at a time, moved the crate back so that she could see a bit less of us each night. Last night we got the crate around the corner and she couldn’t see us at all and it went okay! Yay. Our goal is a different room down the hall, so I’m going to keep moving it a little at a time - it’s not just being able to see us but also the change is scary. (It gets hard to navigate around the crate in the hallway but hey two weeks tops left I hope).
  
  During the day, when we’re gone, we originally barricaded her in the kitchen but she figured out how to get out (she jumped the baby gates), so we just dog-proofed the house as best we could and now we let her run around and cross our fingers she doesn’t hurt herself.
  
  Aight I have to work but throw any questions (or ideas!!!) my way.
  
  
• edit, I just realized how long this is. Tl;dr: Time helped toys and treats (though we’re having great difficulty finding toys she likes), and she loves the crate, but the anxiety is still a huge problem.

I'm not entirely sure why the cooing at toys would work. I feel like this is just anthropomorphizing the toy and your dog's "understanding" of the situation. If it is actually working for you, it's probably the fact that you are taking away the toy from her, letting her settle, and then returning it when her energy level/fixation are more in check. The "gentle" cue is definitely nice to teach, but it is probably working due to your addition/subtraction of reinforcer. That being said, "gentle" is a tough thing to teach some high energy dogs so props to you.

Also, the exercise thing is a great point. If you exhaust your pup with a good run or hour at the park they will be far less destructive in the house. Physical stimulation and mental stimulation need to go hand in hand, and one should not replace the other.

Just a point to bring up: if your (OP's) dog is chewing things like wires, socks, etc. he probably has a lot of opportunity to do so. How are you managing his environment - supervision levels, puppy-proofing, movement throughout the house, restriction when unsupervised (crating), etc? You need to minimize or eliminate as many possibilities for your dog to "mess up" as possible and set them up for success. For example, make sure he is in "puppy proofed" rooms with all foreign objects picked up off the floor and is provided with appropriate outlets for his energy (Kongs, stuffed bones, etc). A six month old puppy probably should not have free run of the house just yet, especially since he is most likely still teething and is still learning appropriate outlets for chewing. Slowly increase his freedom once he has learned these things. Start by keeping him in one or two rooms, gated off, and slowly increase his freedom once he learns more appropriate behaviors and has matured a bit more. Am I suggesting condemning your dog to a room for life? Absolutely not. You just have to manage his environment as much as possible and eliminate possibilities for him to fail.

It would also be worth investing in some brain toys to drain more energy, such as Wobble Kongs, Busy Buddy feeders, Buster Food Cubes, etc. In fact, feeding his meals exclusively out of these toys rather than a bowl would be a great opportunity to mentally stimulate him and drain more energy. Just make sure you supervise him as some of these toys could definitely be torn up if left unattended.

Just some food for thought. Hope you found this helpful! :)

Edit: Some products I've found helpful.

Brain toys for feeding:

• Kong Wobbler for meal times. Pretty durable and my guy can't figure out how to open it. Loves eating out of this thing, even if it was simple for him to figure out. My lab took weeks to get it though. Regardless, great brain-toy.
  
  
• Buster food cube for dispensing. Pretty difficult to figure out.
  
  
• Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble egg: My guys LOVE this, although the plastic just cracked on the inside after a few months. Can definitely be torn apart if left alone but super stimulating and engaging. Worth it!
  
  
• Tug a Jug for keeping them busy when you need to do something else. Durable bottle that gets scratched up. Ours is a few months in and still kicking.
  
  Chew toys:
  
  
• Kong XL for stuffing with RB, wet food, boiled chicken, etc. Strong than the regular red Kongs. Can also be frozen which increases the difficulty and time needed to get the food inside. have several I rotate out and they are basically the same shape as the day I bought them, which is impressive as my pup is a monster chewer.
  
  
• Filled thigh bones are pretty nice. They last as a while and can be rinsed and restuffed if the bone is still in good shape. Watch out, though - some brands are more prone to cracking and splintering while others last for ever. Trial and error basis. I can't remember the brand I use that works well but it's carried at my local Farmer Supply store (I find the bones and toys at these places to generally be better quality and also cheaper than chain pet stores).
  
  
• Meaty thigh bones are marrow filled and still have some "meat" on the exterior. They tend to last longer than the washed filled variety (above) and are "stinkier" and (I would imagine?) tastier. My guys prefer these to the plain bones since there are more goodies to get at. Downside is that they are a little stinkier at first and can possibly leave a mess, so make sure the dog is eating it on a towel.
  
  
• Bully sticks! Make sure they are real beef tendons though. Many companies make pressed rawhide varieties to resemble the real tendons but rawhide is, IMO, less safe for dogs. Last a while and smell like bacon but made my stomach a little queasy. Dogs go nuts for them though.
  
  
• Jolly Ball - not necessarily a chew toy but lasts a long time. Their teeth can penetrate the ball but the design is such that the ball doesn't pop. I had the variety with the rope that went through the center. The rope came off pretty quickly but the ball itself is still kicking. It is challenging to pick it up when playing fetch so he is less interested in tearing it to pieces than retrieving. It's poked through with holes but is the only ball that has lasted this long. Still going. Maybe worth checking out.

Oh Lordy I have a ton...I'll try to categorize them...

Best for Puppies
These are all easy toys that dispense a lot of kibble with very little movement. Perfect for baby puppies or really low-confidence dogs. These can also be upgraded in difficulty later by stuffing them with wet food and freezing, or stuffing with a large, hard to extract treat (like a slice of lunchmeat).

• PetSafe Busy Buddy Twist 'n Treat...total pain in the ass to fill if you put more than half a cup of food in it, but it's a great "intro to puzzle toys" for a dog that has never had to work for food before. Also very easy to clean.
  
• Soda Pup Coffee Cup...representative of a whole genre of "rubber toys with large holes" that make great easy kibble toys or challenging stuff and freeze toys. Some other toys in this genre are the Kong and the West Paw Toppl. I like the Soda Pup ones best because they have higher capacity and a flat bottom.
  
• Planet Dog Orbee Tuff Snoop...pretty easy by itself with kibble, can be made more challenging by stuffing a Mazee ball in the large hole.
  
• Plastic Milk Jug...or a water bottle, raid your recycling bin. You'll have to supervise to make sure your puppy doesn't shred and eat the jug, but it's a relatively easy and fun (and free) enrichment item. Another puzzle toy you may find in your recycling bin is a cardboard box filled with paper balls. Sprinkle some treats in the box, fill with the balls, and let your dog forage around in your DIY ball pit.
  
  Easy Rollers
  These basically just dispense kibble by rolling. Not particularly complex, but good for the dog that prefers to solve puzzles by brute force.
  
  
• IQ Treat Ball...this toy takes the longest to empty out of all my toys, but it is way too freaking small and loud as hell on my hardwood at 6am. Really easy to fill and clean though, as it comes completely apart.
  
• Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball...a lot quieter but it empties faster and isn't as easy to fill (or clean).
  
• Kruuse Buster Cube...this one is also ungodly loud, but it takes a good while to empty despite the fairly consistent payoff per roll. It's a cube (but they also make a spherical one) and the insides have a few baffles to keep kibble from just falling out.
  
  Wobblers
  These require a more finessed rolling motion to empty, so they're the next step up from just batting a toy around.
  
  
• PetSafe Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble...more of a wobbler/roller hybrid. Surprisingly time-consuming for how huge the holes are, and it gets an A+ for filling and cleaning. Unfortunately my GSD knows how to unscrew it, so it's not much of a challenge for him.
  
• Starmark Bob-A-Lot...lots of ways to adjust the difficulty on this one, which is nice. I had a foster chew the yellow piece off of mine, but it still works well.
  
• Kong Wobbler...pretty standard toy, I actually do not have one of these but I know a lot of people that like them. They're available at big box pet stores which is nice.
  
• Nina Ottosson Pyramid...very similar to the Kong Wobbler, but the hole is in a more difficult location. Good toy but the bottom could use more counterweighting for the wobble action.
  
• PetSafe Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom...really good wobble action, but for some reason it's common for dogs to try and chuck this one down the stairs and break it. I've heard of a few dogs doing this, including my GSD. I have no idea what about this toy screams "fling me down the stairs!"
  
  Complex Action Toys
  These need movement in more than one direction (or very specific movement) to get kibble out of, which makes them pretty challenging.
  
  
• PetSafe Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug...this toy is hard to learn but easy to master. Once your dog figures out the mechanism it doesn't last long. Also that rope gets SUPER GROSS.
  
• Nina Ottosson Board Games...I don't personally have any of these because my dogs cannot be trusted with small parts, but I've heard people say good things about them.
  
• Trixie Mad Scientist...this toy is cool because the dog has to learn to spin the tubes slowly or centripetal acceleration holds the food in. Good exercise in impulse control. I had a DIY one for awhile but my dogs decided to brute force this toy.
  
  Soothing, Low Energy Toys
  Along with the stuff n' freeze toys, these are good for dogs on crate rest or who need some extra help relaxing before bed.
  
  
• Snuffle Mat...great toy for activating a dog's foraging instincts and calming their minds. This is a good DIY project, or you can get extra lazy and chuck a bunch of food into the grass for nature's puzzle toy.
  
• HyperPet Lickimat...my cats eat their wet food from the orange kind ("buddy"), and my dogs use the green kind ("soother") with some PB or cheese as a distraction during grooming. You can spread a thin layer of something tasty on them and freeze for a long-lasting treat that promotes the calming behavior of licking.
  
  
  My dogs (and cats!) eat all their food out of puzzles so I am constantly on the lookout for new challenges! I'd be happy to provide more details on any of the toys I have, or buy and review any toys people have been wondering about :)
  EDIT: btw this Jackson Galaxy Asteroid is my favorite cat puzzle toy. They really need to make one for dogs because it is kinda quirky with its bounciness and super quiet.

I've posted this before, and it's a great list! Originally posted by u/manatee1010 and I have tried several:

I keep this list of brain toy links handy to send to friends who get dogs. It's getting pretty long...

Toys that get stuffed with food and frozen:

• Kong Classic (15-20 minutes) (it sounds like Watson is lukewarm toward this… have you tried mixing a spoonful of canned food in with some kibble and freezing it?
  
  
• Zogoflex Toppl Interactive Treat Dispensing Dog Toy (this can be a stand-alone toy, or if you get a big one and little one they can fit together and dispense kibble) (15-20 minutes)
  
  
• Starmark Pickle Pocket (my big dog really likes this one… we put cheese in it) (20-25 minutes)
  
  Kibble dispensing toys, hard material (good for carpeted areas)
  
  
• Bob-A-Lot (~10 minutes… this one can be adjusted to make it harder)
  
  
• Tug-A-Jug (10-30 minutes, depending on the dog)
  
  
• Magic Mushroom (10-30 minutes, depending on the dog)
  
  
• Kong Wobbler (~5-10 minutes)
  
  
• IQ Treat Ball (~10-15 minutes)
  
  
• Pet Zone IQ Ball (this is the ONLY toy my dogs can’t get all the kibble out of. They’ll usually persist for half an hour or so before they give up)
  
  
• Buster Cube (I think this has several difficulty settings… my guys now don’t have one of these, but my dog when I was growing up had one. I’d guess this is probably a 20-30 minute toy depending on difficulty and what you load into it)
  
  
• Treatstik – I have NO idea how long this one takes to load, but it’s on my to-purchase list because it seems like it’s one of the longer lasting toys on the market. If anyone has/gets one, I’m super interested to hear about it!
  
  Kibble dispensing toys, soft material (good for hardwood/tile/laminate)
  
  
• Barnacle (this can be stuffed like a Kong as well… I lost this one when I moved but I think in terms of kibble dispensing it was shorter lasting, maybe 5-10 minutes)
  
  
• Tricky Treater (I REALLY like this one; super easy to load and clean, lasts 10-15 minutes)
  
  
• Tricky Treat Ball (another super easy one… <5 minutes)
  
  
• Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Snoop Treat Dispensing Dog Toy – this one just arrived yesterday so I don’t have a solid rating of its durability yet, but so far it seems great… easy to load, takes the dogs awhile to empty, and super duper quiet.
  
  
• JW Pet Company Treat Puzzler Dog Toy (this one is super easy for them to empty… I’d say 3-5 minutes)
  
  
• PetSafe Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Meal Dispensing Dog Toy (this one is okay, not my favorite… I didn’t like that I had to make a decision about cutting it immediately after opening. It takes ~5-10 minutes to unload)
  
  
• Starmark Treat Dispensing Puzzle Ball - this one is new! I almost bought it the other day but haven't yet; I think it's most similar to a Buster Cube in terms of adjustable difficulty, it's just a softer material.
  
  Time-release kibble dispensing toys (good for work days)
  
  
• the Foobler is great because it works on a timer that rotates to the next of six, ¼ cup food hoppers at set intervals of time (you pick, the options are 15-30-60-90 minutes), which makes it last way longer than most of these toys. This is hard plastic.
  
  
• CleverPet – this has a December release date. I’m way pumped about it and have been in touch with the company… hopefully I’ll be getting one of the first models off the line!
  
  Lastly, there are also these two that I haven’t tried yet, so I’m not positive how to classify…
  
  
• Starmark Crunching Barbell
  
  
• Starmark Treat Crunching Multiball
  
  
  ETA: If you have any others you like (or don't like) that I've left off this list, please chime in!

Obviously as others have said, don't do it. If she really is that disruptive to your life, rehoming her to someone who can manage the behaviour is a better option for everyone involved. Declawing creates more problems than what you have now, and to a more severe degree than the immediate surgery pain.

Aside from what other people have suggested and what you've already tried, you may need to change up her routine and the spaces she's given access to. If she's scratching up living room furniture, keep her in another room when you're not there to supervise.

I've found this to work on all the cats I've met so far, but instead of something like a spray bottle or even a sudden noise, tell her in her own language what she's doing isn't cool - if I catch a cat scratching up my rug or doing anything inappropriate, I let out a loud, sharp SSSSS sound. Cats I've never met (neighbourhood cats) before have responded to this in an instant. It doesn't generate the confusion of "that was loud, what was it?" or "something got me wet, what was it?", but it mimics their own vocabulary of STOP IT.

You'll have to find a toy or set of toys that can really engage her for many short spurts. Cats will usually play, then rest, then play more, and then rest. If you can get her panting after a few play sessions, you can know you've done a good job. Obviously do this right before bed. Jackson Galaxy's Da Bird has rave reviews, but I've also had great success with Cat Dancer and shoe laces. My cat loves chasing small, bouncy things that make a noise when they bounce off of things, so when dollar store wand toys break, I take the end cap and use them as a chase toy.

Once she's tired, feed her - but you don't have to feed her straight from a bowl or saucer. Make her work for it. Feed kibble? Toss each piece of kibble and make her chase it down piece by piece.

You know those dog foraging puzzles? Get some of those. Cats figure them out quickly, but they don't always have the best dexterity, so it eats up some time as they maneuver the pieces to get their food. I think the puzzle toys for cats are way too easy. There are lots on Amazon like the Trixie or Outward Hound line, and there are also Wobbler bobbing toys, slow feeders, and treat balls (I reinforce these with duct tape on the inside so there are little blockages that prevent food from easily rolling out at once - straight out of the box, they are just way too easy), but you can also just get three pieces of wood, a dowel, and some water bottles and create your own version of this toy but customize the difficulty by putting holes in different parts of the water bottles and keeping the caps on.

Also, hide kibble all over her appropriate play areas like towers and cat-friendly furniture. I do this every night all over my room in every cat-appropriate nook and cranny I can find, and by the time she's done hunting down all the pieces she smells and wants, she should be ready to turn in for a few hours. I actually make a bedtime mini meal of kibble foraging and I love knowing that during a time she would naturally be most active, my cat is pretty mellow until she sees me get up in the morning, or even later beyond that.

Also, if you haven't yet, try all textures, directions, shapes, and heights of different types of scratchers to see if she can find a preference over pieces of furniture, or rearrange to block those parts of the furniture away from her. You can also apply stuff like Sticky Paws double sided adhesive so it's uncomfortable where/when she tries to scratch.

And yes, definitely learn to clip her nails.

Ah I didn't know you had birds. I thought you meant the ones outside for some reason.

Try (all can be found on amazon)

Nano Robotic Cat Toy (White/Blue) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RWU17KS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BpaOyb5AGDYAW

• approved by my cat
  
  Company of Animals Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Interactive Game https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KZ4WJE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fpaOybTPCKNTJ
  
  
  
• great treat puzzler meant for dogs, but it works fine for intelligent cats too!
  
  The Natural Pet Company Feather Wand Cat Toy (Includes 3x Feather Refills), these Natural Feathers are Guaranteed to Drive Your Cat Wild https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EPGZQNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xtaOyb3AC0YD2
  
  
• physically playing with them with a fishing pole type toy like this I think is a great idea and really important. The ones with the longer poles/strings are the ones they actually jump for!
  
  
  Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI31Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-waOybNRGP826
  
  
• Nice puzzle feeder
  
  SmartyKat Crackle Chute Collapsible Cat and Dog Tunnel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001B41TOK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xyaOybH6FKHBP
  
  
• my cat loves stalking while playing in this thing!
  
  Grey Shark Bed for Small Cat Dog Cave Bed Removable Cushion,waterproof Bottom Most Lovely Pet House Gift for Pet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DZITYGU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_QAaOyb8XZ6HMP
  
  
• just for fun haha
  
  
  
  The new cat hasn't been spraying outside the litter box has he? If so, it may be worthwhile to give any problem areas a really good clean up.

May I ask what part of the world you are in? Just out of curiosity of where you have adder snakes. :)

You might ask the vet for a tranquilizer for her. Or even morphine to keep her doped up, even if it means boarding her with the vet for the period of time she needs to stay quiet.

Prednisone (corticosteriods) will give them a euphoric feeling, make her drink and piss several gallons a day, but make her slightly drowsier than normal, too. You may want to ask your vet about this.

Something that you can do right now that will make her happy is to brush her and brush her. She would soak that up like a sponge. And maybe the additional love will help to offset her energy.

You may want to put her into a giant crate to keep her confined, but them give her stuff animals to nurture as "babies. I got my oldest son's little pit one of these hide-a-squirrel toys, because she is bad about kidnapping babies. Stuffie babies, neighbor's dog's puppy babies... I thought she would extract all 6 babies, and be happy for a week or two. Come to find out, her greatest joy in life is to go through the same actions as a dog that is digging a flea on the log part of it. My son said she is spending about 4-5 hours a day, digging fleas on that log. It is too hilarious to us. But what I find works best for me is to find toys on Chewy, and when my order is going to be less than the free shipping amount? I get them off of amazon. But keeping her mind occupied while she is crated, so she can't elevate pulse and breathing rate, might be of some help.

The reason for my first question. I live in an area where we actively have rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths. They don't call them adders, so to speak. My middle son's ex-girlfriend was watching the farm for me while I was gone out of state for a year. She had a little doxy-cocker cross that kept getting bitten by copperheads over and over. And over. The first few times, we were in an absolute panic, and didn't understand why the vet just laughed (as we called her... first time at 1 am, the second time at 3 am), when we told her the dog had been bitten. She just told us to give benedryl, and bring him in, in the morning. But after the second bite, she explained that in our area, that the snakes would do dry bites. That only a few drops of the venom would get into anything bitten. But out in west Tx for instance, the Mojave rattlers out there would inject so much venom into anything it bit, that all of the antivenin in the world would not help. So just the benedryl, and about a week's worth of antibiotics were all we ever needed to do.

I don't think I have too much to add beyond the great advice others have given you, but I just want to encourage you to hang in there. We definitely went through similar frustrations (adopted a 2y/o lab border collie mix 10 months ago), and plenty of tears over this with our pup. I'm not going to lie, the first few weeks, and even months were hard, very hard at times -- we'd solve problems, and then others would pop up, and 10 months in, we're still figuring things out, but at this point, not a day goes by that I'd wish for it any other way. A great thing to remember is your pup has lived for a year in who knows what condition with who knows what, if any rules. Dogs love routine, so give the guy a chance to build a routine with you and reward him when he's being good without you asking. It won't happen overnight, but a very precise routine helped us tremendously. Other game-changers that others have already mentioned -- fetch on a long-lead to replace one of his walks in the late afternoon (this was the BEST thing we ever did, and taught him a great drop while we were at it, and has also helped buckets with recall -- also just got a flirt pole, which is equally amazing), using brain games to feed him (if he's a chewer like mine, and can clean a frozen kong out in 5 minutes, start with this one, since it's too big to easily chew, on the flip-side, it's also pretty hard: https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Buster-Interactive-Large-Colors/dp/B003A23HZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466528343&sr=8-1&keywords=dog+cube -- totally nuts how much this tires my pup out, panting and everything, not to mention 20 minutes of peace), impulse control training, and capturing calm techniques. My pup is too anxiety prone for daycare settings, but if you can find a facility that works for your pup, this is amazing too, even for just a couple of hours a week, not to mention fantastic for socialization. Once we got my pup's leash skills a bit more under control (this took him months, ack!), running with him was also a great addition. You got this, and I can almost promise you, it will get better!!!

Can't answer anything area specific but I'll link some toys/beds/products my dogs like.

Food Dispensing Toys

• IQ ball. My dogs eat all their meals out of this one. It is quite loud on hard floors.
  
  
• Bob-a-lot.
  
  
• Magic mushroom
  
  
• Tricky treat ball
  
  
• Kong Wobbler
  
  Puzzles
  
  
• Twister
  
  
• Tornado. This one is fairly easy.
  
  
• Chess 3
  
  
• Move to pull
  
  
• Brick. Very easy but good starter puzzle.
  
  This is a nice bed for dogs who like to burrow/get under covers. They also like beds similar to this one.
  
  Food is up to you. Do some research online and read through ingredients to find a good one. One of my dogs gets Orijen and the other gets Wellness.
  
  I definitely recommend you seek out some training classes. They are also good for socialization in a controlled environment. It's a great way to bond with your dog and really fun to advance through different classes and class types.
  
  The toys my dogs like are beanie babies and kleenex. If your dog is a chewer then don't waste money on stuffed toys.
  

I buy dog toys at places like Marshall’s, TJMaxx, Tuesday Mornings etc.

I get at least 5-7 toys for $25ish depending on what i pick out and often times find Kong, chuck it and other good brands.

Some toys Diesel will destroy within hours, some within a week or and a few lucky ones last a couple months.

They all just go into a toy bin that he’ll dig through on his own.

Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Sarah (my parents and sister) always have fun buying him more expensive “extra fun” toys for Christmas, Birthday, random holidays etc. We call those the extra fun toys because they’re the ones I’d never buy him knowing that they’ll last 10 minutes. (Although a few have turned out to be amazing quality and have held up.) They know toys don’t last long with him but all our family’s previous dogs were small and not into toys so they have fun picking things out for him.

Also there’s a few that I keep put away unles we’re actively playing with like the big fuzzy chuck it ball. Toss it in the air and Diesel with pop it back to you volleyball style. When we’re done, i take it away or else he’d just shred it.

Also I’ve had good luck with JW Pet Company Invincible Chains LT Triple Dog Toy, Large (Colors Vary) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DJXFI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UXnDAbR4NNHF2 and with their big holey balls. Diesel will tear them up after a while but he doesn’t eat the pieces, just spits them out so even if he tears it open it sticks around for a while. I think he like how the rubber feels when he chews on it.

Edit: oh and frisbee golf frisbees are great. My friend who was really into the sport and had dozens of old ones gave us some because my pit and his pit loved to chase and play with them. They last for a long time and are like $10 at a sporting goods store.

ACDs are quite the toy destroyers aren't they? Although my guy isn't quite as esteemed in the destruction field as an ACD, he is pretty bad. Here's what has survived him:

• Kong Sqrunch
  
• Ethical Skinneeez Big Bite Coyote Stuffingless Dog Toy (I really like this one because you can replace the water bottle inside. The only issue I have with it is that it can get kind of grimey)
  
• KONG Wobbler Treat Dispensing Dog Toy (good if he likes puzzles)
  
• KONG Extreme Dog Toy, Black
  
• Invincibles Snake Stuffingless Durable Tough Plush Dog Squeaky Toy with Squeakers by Outward Hound
  
• Jolly Pets Push-n-Play 14-Inch (might be really fun for him as it taps in to some herding dog's natural herding instinct)
  
• Benebone Real Flavor Wishbone Chew Toy, Made in USA (I'd be careful with these and supervision only at first. If your dog's chewing style is too aggressive, he can end up bleeding. I wouldn't dismiss it until you try it though. My boy is pretty aggressive, but works for him.)
  
• West Paw Zogoflex Hurley Durable Dog Bone Chew Toy for Aggressive Chewers, 100% Guaranteed Tough, It Floats!, Made in USA, for Strong Chewers (this one is awesome. Aside from some dirt, it looks exactly like the day I bought it to this day.
  
• goDog Dragons Flats Plush Dog Toy with Chew Guard Technology (My guy really likes plush toys and squeakers. He doesn't normally get them because he likes ripping them out and it's not the safest. This is the best one that I've found so far that will put up the biggest fight.)
  
• Goughnuts - Original Dog Chew Ring (a lot of people really like this, but unfortunately, Atlas doesn't seem to like the shape too much.)
  
• MultiPet Goblets Pig latex Dog toy Assorted Colors (lmfao my dog fucking loves this pig. The squeaker doesn't last, but the pig's outer shell does. He loves it a lot.)
  
• JW Pet Company Mini Hol-ee Roller Dog Toy, Colors Vary (They've also got an extreme edition here)
  
• MuttNation Fueled by Miranda Lambert Faux Suede Dog Toy (his face has come off, and his tail is frayed, but it is still chewable and he enjoys playing with it)
  
• KONG Cozies Dog Squeaky Toy (Also a really great option if you want to treat him to a plush toy. It will last longer than most others. Mine ripped off the ear when he first got it, but the rest lasted quite a while.)
  
• Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel and Puzzle Plush Squeaking Toys for Dogs (He loved this toy so much. He loves puzzles, but he destroyed the log fairly quickly. Surprisingly, he has had one of the squirrels for over a year ... and it still squeaks. I lost the rest of them, but that one little squirrel is still going strong.)
  
• Mammoth TireBiter Chew Toy with Rope (don't get this unless you don't mind bits of tire coming off)
  
• OurPets IQ Treat Ball Interactive Food Dispensing Dog Toy (great if your dog eats kibble and likes puzzles)
  
• Nylabone Dental Dino Power Chew DuraChew Dental Chew Toy (Like the benebone, watch him with this one at first. It's really hard and you don't want him to hurt himself. Eventually wears down, but takes a damn long time)
  
• We also do rope toys, antlers, bully sticks (special occasion- they last like 5 minutes), raw bones (we feed raw), Himalayan Yak Chews, and Flirt Pole.
  
  Reading my list, god damn my dog is spoiled. Keep in mind, these are just the toys that have made it. I'm not even counting the ones he's destroyed!
  
  Let me know if you have any questions!
  
  Lastly, I don't own a husky, but man do I respect the destruction a husky can wreck. I would recommend going to a husky group on facebook or a subreddit to see what toys they would recommend. If it's husky approved... it should last.
  
  
  

If you crate her until she relaxes and then open the door how does she react? My puppy didn't start settling down until she was over a year. She just had non stop energy. One of my boys is a 8 year old Pointer. We just took a 7 hour car ride and he stood the entire way. He just has a lot of energy, but he can entertain himself now playing with his brother or working on a toy.

I would look for a quality doggie daycare so she has days where she's getting 10 hours of play. If that is not possible I'd give her an activity. Even my crazy boy will settle down to work on a Kong. Here is a link.

https://www.amazon.com/KONG-Extreme-Dog-Large-Black/dp/B0002AR0II

I fill it with their meal, peanut butter, cheese, chicken, what ever I have, and then freeze it. A well packed, frozen bone might take them an hour or two to clean out. By that time they're exhausted and nap. If you feed kibble soften it in water so it doesn't just roll out of the Kong. Before putting anything in the Kong she hasn't had before giver her some smaller amounts so she's used to it. Depending on what you fill it with you might want to put a big towel under her to protect your floors. And remember to count the calories against her daily total.

A friend of mine took a class on massage and calming techniques that she uses with her hyper pit mix. When he gets worked up she will start giving him a massage and he'll lay right down because it feels good.

Look for puzzle games. A friend uses this one with her dog. I've never tried so I can't give it a review. Tiring a dog out mentally is just as good as tiring them out physically. I used to hide a pheasant wing in the house so my dog would catch it's scent and find it. She got too good at the game. We moved onto Nose Work which all three of my dogs LOVE!. Best game ever.

https://www.amazon.com/Company-Animals-Ottosson-Brick-Interactive/dp/B001KZ4WJE

She'll get there, remember she's still a puppy. We'd all be rich if we could bottle that energy.

This is my advice from training lots of dogs and volunteering many years at the humane society (I am not a professional) - "don't work harder, work smarter." You are trying way too hard and you are burning yourself out. That does not bode well for you or your dog.

He is hyperactive and needs to get his energy out, but that said, no dog needs 4-5 hours of activity a day. That is just crazy. Instead of running or walking (save your knees, you need them!) with him, train him to do urban mushing. Since you says he pulls a lot, it would be dangerous for you to get a regular bike so I would recommend getting a cart.

Next, buy him a weighted pack. Throw this on him (and feel free to put your water bottles and snacks in there) while you are walking or for a couple of hours a day and it will slow him down and tire him out. It also makes him feel like he has a job to do. Since you think he may be a blue lacey, you really need to give him a job to do since he is a working dog. That also explains why he doesn't like doing tricks but likes finding stuff for you.

A couple of activities that are great for a working dog are agility and nose work. Sign up for your local agility and nose work class and the people there will give you great tips on how to tire your dog out without burning yourself out since they are actually experienced with training with working dogs. These kinds of jobs also train him to listen to your commands in a home setting.

Your dog is not a extremely dominant or submissive, he is what working dog trainers call a "soft" dog. This means they are very sensitive to loud, verbal yelling or negative energy. It is hard to see them react when you overcorrect but this also means that they are very trainable since they want to please you. Use a calm and low voice when you correct your dog.

For working from home, you have to learn to ignore him. I know it is heartbreaking to hear his whining but the truth of it is, if you give a dog an inch, they will take a mile. He knows how to push your buttons and he will so you have to harden yourself up not give in. Instead, get him a bunch of interactive toys
like this 1, [2] (https://www.amazon.com/Trixie-Mad-Scientist-Dogs-Level/dp/B003TOKTEG/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1469997634&sr=8-11&keywords=interactive+dog+toys), [3.] (https://www.amazon.com/Trixie-Gambling-Tower-Level-1/dp/B002XCTUIQ/ref=sr_1_38?ie=UTF8&qid=1469997634&sr=8-38&keywords=interactive+dog+toys) Fill them with his favorite treats and let him learn to amuse himself.

Lastly, this is probably the most important advice I have - get a gentle leader. It jerks their head to the side if they pull, so they stop pulling. It works amazingly for dogs who like to pull on their leash and do not respond to training. It seriously is a godsend for many of the dogs I walked in the shelter and could not control. It will save you many a more broken bones.

Feel free to message me if you need more help. I love helping people who love their dogs enough to not give up on them.

Right now, our favorite is The Odin. My dogs like that it's rolly and that I stuff it with good smelling things. I like that it doesn't make a bunch of noise banging around our hardwood floors.

My female dog is VERY smart. We used to have the IQ Treat Ball but she pretty quickly figured out that all she had to do was shake it the right way and the treats would fall out. The Odin is trickier and they spend more time on it.

Autumn also used to have things like this one but, again, she figured them out so quickly it was kind of a waste. That one, she can now do in under ten seconds. It's not even a challenge.

So instead of spending money on seek and find toys, I recommend making your own games like that by hiding treats under small solo cups or tennis balls cut in half.

As for training sessions...

Small, focused sessions work best when the dog is learning a new skill. It's easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed when you're learning something new, in a language you don't even speak. But once they have the basics down, you can add more variety and length. You also don't have to, say, do a 30 minute long stretch. You can do two 15s. Or two 10s.

And once they have the basics down, you can turn training into games. Sit-Down-Stand is one of my favorites because it's so useful and it can be done in a smaller space.

Games work great because you're reinforcing the "training" behavior, but you're doing it in a way that feels like fun for both you and your dog. Spending time with your dog should be fun!

I hope this helps. I have a pair of high energy, loudmouth kids of my own and this has made them a lot more managable.

KONG works wonders for me. Half-freeze it and boom! Endless puppy satisfaction. It's really strong and you can put treats in it entice your pup. As fuckmylife112 says, rotate your toys so that your pup won't get bored. I also use those rope toys (tug-of-war toys) because they're also pretty strong. Do note that you need to reward good behavior and use a stern but warm voice when correcting your pup like yelping when he bites you.

If toys don't work, you can use an anti-biting spray. Spray it on the things you don't want get chewed on and once your pup tastes the bad flavor, they are less likely to bite again.

KONG:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AR182/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=dogmomdaily-20&linkId=a5015a0e131bf582d18ad2d7e1f3f95e&linkCode=w61&imprToken=HNayx181fUWwMY3FikiDyg&slotNum=0

ANTI-TEETHING SPRAY (FOOEY-what i use)https://www.amazon.com/SynergyLabs-Fooey-Ultra-Bitter-Spray/dp/B0002DIOD0/?tag=petresults-20

ANTI-TEETHING SPRAY (Bodhi dog)https://www.amazon.com/Chewing-Puppies-Training-Treatment-Professional/dp/B01I2A6MPG/?tag=petresults-20

There's this so called indestructible chew toy (with a guarantee, never used it but many people are worshiping it lol) if your pup is a death machinehttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042JJB82/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0042JJB82&linkCode=as2&tag=territerri-20&linkId=R63I4QQQKB7BCLBS


EDIT: If you can't have these things delivered, you can buy those rope toys from the pet store or a supermarket in the pet sections. They're pretty good if you buy those tight and thick ones. Squeaky toys are really good too. Wipe some peanut butter on them if your pup doesn't seem interested and reward good behavior.


I also found ice cubes or iced toys really good too. The coldness soothes the gums and helps your pup.
You can get rawhide (get the big ones) but you need to supervise your pup when does chew on it because there are certain cons this https://www.dogingtonpost.com/rawhide-good-bad-ugly/


Good luck!

My aunt and uncle had a litter of really cute golden retriever pups :) they owned two of their own already, sisters. All the little guys went to really good families. I always got invited over to puppysit and it was the best.

As far as golden retrievers go, they've VERRRRRRY energetic and super affectionate. Do you have a backyard? Because that's very important with dogs like golden retrievers.

As far as toys go, KONG makes some really great stuff, and they usually have some good deals on amazon. I think this is too precious for words :D

enjoy your new family pet!

Reggie is BEAUTIFUL! Congratulations!

My dogs are smaller, but they love to destroy things. They never "savor" their toys. Kong balls are amazing, but I'm sure you're aware. My dogs have a TON of nylabones that last forever. They really like the dinosaur and it's inexpensive as well.

Here are my GSP rescues wearing tie-dye! They would really enjoy this puppy cake as a prize!

Good luck to you and your new pup!

I'm in the same boat you are, just 6 months in. Never had a dog before, always a cat person. Here's what I've learned (so far).

1. All they want is to be with you. If she's not with you, she probably into something.
   
2. They're smart. So smart that you'll realize you're not as smart as you thought you were. I bought ours this, filled it with treats, then anxiously awaited as he tried to solve the puzzle. He just picked the whole thing up and flipped it over so that all of the treat covers fell out. "Problem" solved.
   
3. It took ours a couple months to get the "retriever" part down, but once he did.. man he brings us everything.
   
4. Give him lots of toys that he can "work" at. Kong toys with treats in them, maze balls, etc. I'm thinking of picking up something like this for ours next.
   
5. Be ready to walk. Cold, hot, doesn't matter. Golden's need exercise and love to run. On that note...
   
6. Get him out to a dog park or visit with other dog-having friends as much as you can! Not only is it great for socializing the dog, but she'll be tired out from all of the playing.
   
7. Try to curb jumping up as soon as possible. we didn't do this, and now we're kicking ourselves.
   
8. Get some training books and start as soon as you feel your pup is ready. Ours looooves being engaged and figuring out what he's supposed to do.
   
9. When she picks up something she's not supposed to, don't chase after her. Again, this is our boys favorite game now. "Oh, daddy is trying to work? I'm just going to grab this pillow and run!"
   
10. Remember that it's always your fault. Any bad behavior is the result of the dog not being told what is allowed. Positive reinforcement is always the better option!

This is our 8 month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Winston!

He chews and chews and chews, but he's pretty good at keeping it to his toys (and the occasional stray sock)

His favourites (and those that haven't given up after about 5 minutes are the Kong ball, Kong classic, Kong squeezze, elk antlers and finally Nylabones (I tend to buy one size up to avoid him tearing through them...

He is a surprisingly strong chewer and has destroyed just about everything else we've presented to him within minutes, sometimes within seconds!

There are 3 pitbulls around my place and I find they have LOTS of energy...I would suggest that you invest in some "agility equipment" to work the mind and the body! We bought some cheap shower tension rods to use as jumping obstacles in the hallway, a play tunnel from IKEA - although it may be too small for a pit...and this summer, we will make some weave poles out of PVC pipes and stuff.

A travel bowl or this Nylabone dinosaur would be awesome for Winston! :D

Thanks so much for the contest and congrats on the new pup! Enjoy him and snuggle him and love him! Dogs are the best! :D

My add on list is for my PUP! You've "met" Lulu, right?! My husky? I think you've complimented her on how beautiful she is. Here are her lovely photos again, just in case:

Lulu!

Lulu again!

Lulu some more!

Lulu Wearing Eyebrows

Final Lulu!

Bonus video:

Dog doing tricks

---

$4.59 stuffed dog toy

$3.49 squeaky tennis ball set

$3.49 car air fresheners (also a dog item, stinky pup coming back from the beach!)

$3.74 dog toy - stuffingless duck (Lulu LOVES her babies, and she whines when she holds them in her mouth!)

$5.22 Cheddar dog treats

$3.99 Pumpkin dog treats

$3.99 Cranberry dog treats

---

28.51 in add on items! THIS IS THE MOST SUPER CONTEST I'VE EVER HEARD OF IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. If I win, I will prepare an academy-award-esque speech and take a video of my dog enjoying all of these items! You are so awesome! I'm so geeked to see who wins and all their superb items!

---

Those Himalaya's of the mind!

Sure!

The Buster Cube (I have this) is an awesome puzzle toy (this is the "large" version, be sure to check sizes). This is a little bit more difficult to use, as the hole that spits out the food is pretty small, and as the kibble gets to be lesser and lesser inside of the Cube, it's harder to get it out. It's cube-shaped (obviously), so pushing it around isn't all that easy, and your dog needs to be firm with it in order to get the food out. This isn't a good toy for linoleum, or hardwood - it's really only good on carpet.

The IQ Ball is awesome too! It is adjustable, which is cool, so you can make it easy at first, and more challenging as your pup gets better and better at it. This is probably a better choice for tile, linoleum, hardwood, etc.

The Bob-A-Lot is another good one. It's more challenging than the Kong Wobbler (again, check the size, I believe this one is a "large").

I also have this Busy Buddy toy for my dog. It's really really challenging for her. The rope has to go inside of it, and then the dog has to pull it out in order to get the food out. This one takes a bit of effort on your part, unless you think your pup can figure out how to push the rope in and then pull it out again.

There are also plenty of food dispensing toys like this one that force your dog to move "puzzle" pieces around to get the food underneath them!

Lots of options!

My Boxer is a connoisseur of puzzle toys. In Minnesota, it gets way too cold for us to go on long walks to curb his energy, so I engage his brain when it becomes a frozen wasteland outside.

I feed Keenan out of a large Kong Wobbler -- he gets at least one meal a day out of this. It takes him about 30 minutes to work out all the kibbles.

IQ Treat Ball is great for pets that work out puzzles super quickly. This is a fairly difficult toy. Be warned, if you have hard floors, this is loudest thing ever. It's also the perfect size to get stuck under sofas with legs.

Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball is easier to roll around and get kibble sized treats out of. It's also a pain to fill and clean. We don't use this one much.

Everlasting Fun Ball is also hard to fill and difficult to clean, but it's tough. When Keenan is on my last nerve, he gets something super delicious in this and it keeps him occupied until he gets frustrated with it.

Monster Mouth is really tough to get things out of for pups. I'll stuff full sized milk bones in this and leave just a tip hanging out so he can try to pull it out. It keeps him pretty busy, but he gets frustrated by this one quickly.

Buster Food Cube is brilliant in design--you can make it easier and harder to get food out of by twisting the opening. This was Keenan's first puzzle toy and when he figured it out, he got a lot of enjoyment "hiking" it through his back legs at a hard surface to make it bounce off and spray kibbles around. It's loud on hard floors. So loud my ex SO threw it away.

I also pick up random puzzle toys at the store when I see them. I can't find accurate representations on Amazon. Most of them are soft/silicone that you can bend to open and put treats in. Keenan likes his big football one because he knows the yummy, big treats go in that one.

My jindo also loves going for walks/sniffing, and does not care at all about toys. He is very food motivated, however, so we keep him mentally stimulated with different types of feeder puzzles/toys.

We have this snuffle/sniff mat for nosework and we have an assortment of the Nina Ottosson puzzle feeders (we started with this one which is a level 2). The puzzle feeders are great because they are labeled by difficulty level and, depending on which one you have, can be more mentally exhausting than others. We have a variety of level 1, 2, and 3. He's still trying to figure out how to master this one.

We only feed him his meals through these puzzle feeders/sniff mats and just switch up which puzzle he gets every day so he doesn't get bored. He really enjoys working on them and it's always entertaining to watch him think and figure them out/get better over time.

Like another commenter mentioned, we also do moderate obedience training every day for about 5-15 minutes. We work on reinforcing something he already knows to get a really solid response (and use these commands at the end of the session to end on a good note!), and we'll also incorporate a new command slowly within these sessions (the new commands we never go beyond 5 minutes of training within a session so he doesn't get frustrated). They're really smart dogs so they can pick up new commands quickly!

We're also looking into taking him to nosework classes, which are becoming more popular, so you can search and see if your area offers any near you, though I'm not sure that's what you're looking for if you're at home working.

And to reiterate what everyone else is saying, our boy loves to be near us and is very chill indoors, so I'm sure your pup is just glad you're home and around.

You're welcome!

We adopted our dog 10 years ago and he is part GSD. He needed lots of exercise! After trying many toys, we used mostly this one for him: https://www.amazon.com/Treat-Dispensing-Chew-Ball-Large/dp/B0009YD8NS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

He played with this toy about 6-8 hours per day. For YEARS. It was very entertaining to watch.

If you try something like this, make it easy the first few times. Remove the little nubs that keep kibble from falling out, so that it falls out easily.

Later you can start varying what is inside for maximum fun. I used to get the fattest carrots from Costco and put chunks inside the ball. It helped to slow the kibble from falling out, and also makes a noise that would make our dog want to play with it more. He eventually learned how to stomp on the ball and make carrots fly across the room. :)

Also we used more than one treat ball toy at the same time. When our dog became bored with one, he would switch to the other one for a while rather than asking us to "fix" the one he was bored with.

Now he is almost 14, so I've made it a lot easier while keeping his play routine intact. He now eats from a traditional kong toy. It can be loaded so that there is more licking and less physical movement required. But he still likes to treat it like a ball even though it is not necessary.

For interactive play, I have two puzzle toys
this
and something like this

So each lunch break, we play the "Find!" game. He loves manipulating things with his nose and feet.

He is fed out of puzzle toys, which I'm around for to make sure he doesn't chew on them too much, but he works himself. That's the kong wobbler, and an IQ treat ball. For monitored play, I also have stuffed toys, which he throws around like that video of an orca playing with a seal (vaguely disturbing), and WILL tear up given the chance. I also have balls on rope toys. Again, he will toss and whip those around, chase them across the floor, generally have a grand ole time. He WILL chew on the rope though, so that toys gets picked up when I'm not in the room.

For unattended, crate time, I have two rubber kongs, also stuffed with food, usually frozen, a Starmark ever-lasting treat ball, and a full antler. I got a split antler because I thought he might not like it. That was a mistake. he was splitting shards off the split one in < 30 min. He is the second dog I've seen do that, so I cannot recommend split antlers under any circumstances. We've had the full antler for about a month, and thought it's worn, it's still very solid. I have no concerns leaving it in his crate, and he chews it like a pacifier when he gets stressed/bored.

I am caring for a SUPER mouthy lab. He will pick up and eat anything. Really.An-nee-thing. I have lot of toys and try to rotate, but sometimes he still picks up a houseplant.

We adopted our cocker spaniel when she was about 2. She'd been severely neglected. She has no idea what toys are. She had no idea how to play.

After 3 years of effort we have made some progress.

• She likes this treat ball, and only this treat ball. She's very food oriented (hello, cocker!) and will roll it about hopefully even after the treats are gone.
  
  
• She recently began to play chase the ball with our standard poodle. She won't bring the ball back.
  
  
• She plays gentle games of patpaw and pushyface.
  
  She enjoys chewing on Nylabones and regular bones, but won't touch a kong.
  
  
  I don't think she'll ever be terribly playful, but I've never found female cockers to be very playful anyway. Perhaps your dog is simply more serious minded?
  
  Her favorite activity is checking the perimeter of our fenced yard. It is quite large, with chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits. She absolutely loves it, and flushes small animals from the bushes for the st.poodle to chase down and...
  
  Well. I won't elaborate. Some people are squeamish. But they're quite a team.
  
  Maybe your dog would like to learn some tricks. Perhaps a job, like opening drawers or turning lights on/off.
  
  Good luck. I know it is disconcerting to have a dog that doesn't respond to any toys.

This is Winston! He's a Chihuahua/shih-tzu mix that I adopted almost 2 years ago. His 2nd birthday is in 4 days and I'm so excited/sad.

My parents have this toy for their enormous bulldogs. It's still going strong! Kong toys are amazing though. Winston is such a crazy strong chewer for a teeny 10 pound dog that he needs the black Kongs. Hahaha

Edit: This toy says it's guaranteed to be indestructible :)

Winston lovesssss Kong animals. He would love the moose. I think this puts you right under $10 with shipping. I'm not sure exactly what the normal shipping rate is, so if I go over let me know and I'll choose something else!

Thanks for the contest! Congrats on adopting Reggie! He is so cute <3

EDIT 2: MORE PICTURES BECAUSE I LOVE HIM

I have a mini Aussie so I feel you. I try to be as inventive as possible with my budget but I suggest most interactive/treat dispensing toys. I make large ice cubes that are half chicken/beef broth with a jerky or bone sticking out only a little. Then because it’s a mini and she’s not a huge chewer I can make these inside a talenti gelato container. So basically inside a Tupperware (which plastic isn’t ideal because they can swallow it but mine doesn’t and focuses on the bone) there is the half and half broth with a bone and an easy treat to get. She also doesn’t eat paper/cardboard so I can put a bone or treat inside a tissue box or empty pasta box or whatever and she’ll rip it apart to get to it. Once again, I can only do it because I’m watching and I know she does not ingest this.

Here are some toys I suggest that are proven safer:

Lumo Ball

Snuffle Mat I really like the snuffle mat because you can feed all your meals in this and bring it with you if you want to keep your dog busy wherever you are.

OSPet Interactive Feeder
Trixie Puzzle

Ottosson Puzzle I really like most toys Outward Hound makes.

My dog’s favorite kong I find I can put just a biscuit or fill it full of kibble and pb and she’ll spend quite a bit of time getting it out.

My dog will be a year in July and he still chews everything he can. We have to be constantly buying toys because they don't last!!

The best thing we've found is one of these. They are extremely hard and Jake's now looks like the 6th picture on the site but it's still going strong!! It's one of his favorite toys.

I'd say the positive side of chewers is that they keep their teeth super clean :)

Not sure if this allowed couldn’t find anything in about section that prohibits sharing links but here ya go!

Nina Ottoson Outward Hound Dog Brick Treat Puzzle Dog Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711Y9XTF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dzNPDbQ0N6AW1


PAW5: Wooly Snuffle Mat - Feeding Mat for Dogs (12" x 18") - Encourages Natural Foraging Skills - Easy to Fill - Fun to Use Design - Durable and Machine Washable - Perfect for Any Breed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1FV55I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dANPDbB4NDWAG

The last thing we did was get tennis balls and a muffin tin, filled a few with treats and covered the muffin slots with the balls to have her sniff them out.

And the easiest is to hide treats and have her sniff them out throughout the house.

Have you done any training classes with him? Along with tiring the dog out physically, tiring the dog out mentally has really helped me and my dog. He gets quite excited when he gets to perform his tricks. Learning new ones really tires him out, and he's very interested. Getting that communication with him really helped with other training too- he is much more likely to listen to me. It sounds like him having too much energy and perhaps not listening is the root of the problem here.

When my dog was learning to walk on a leash, I would take him out when very few people would be around - early morning, late night and when people are at work/school. That way, we could really focus on walking before slowly introducing other distractions like people, cars and other dogs. Bring his breakfast in a treat pouch, and use it to keep him in check. When he pulls, stop walking and use the treats/food to lead him back to you. It helps to be generous with the treats - that's why taking his normal meal is good, as he won't be gaining weight from extra food. Try not to use the leash to control him- the only time you should be doing that is if he's in danger. My dog is still a bit wary of certain groups people (he really doesn't like old men)- if he's scared, I stop walking. If he has a good interaction with another person or dog, he gets treats and praise. Are there any walking trails or paths in your area? Sometimes those are a little quieter than a sidewalk. Regardless, it's going to take some time for him to learn. You've got to be patient, and consistent. Try not to avoid taking him out- the only way he will learn how to walk on a leash is to physically do it a lot.

When I just needed to tire my dog out, I brought him to a fenced in dog park and played fetch. Again, I brought him when few people will be around. Doing that when he was still learning meant we could focus on training while still being safe. The trouble with dog parks is that you don't know what kind of other dogs will be there. That's why I took him when few people were around. Fetch is a good game to teach dogs - you can tire them out without other dogs or too much walking (good for dogs with endless energy). If you have a fenced in back yard or a long hallway free of breakables, you can play it there too.

Are you using a harness or collar? The trainer I saw when my dog was a puppy said not to use a harness if your dog has a problem with pulling- his theory was that the harness enables the dog to pull, instead of bothering the dog like a pulled (normal, NOT pronged) collar would. Another question - are you using an extendable leash or a normal one? Extendable leashes were also something my trainer had us avoid. Again, it enables the pulling.

My dog chews. The only things that have helped with that is tiring him out and providing lots of safe toys for him to chew. These "indestructible" chains by JW were a lifesaver when he was teething, and he still gnaws on them today. I also get elk antlers for him - they're his favourite. Just make sure you get one that is appropriately sized and isn't overly processed. I would avoid rawhides - they made my dog very sick (they can expand in the stomach). Another thing that helped was getting food toys and putting his meals in them instead of a bowl. Just make sure you take the toy away when he's done so he doesn't chew it to pieces.

This is all incredibly helpful information, thank you! We've tried getting into her head to look at things from her perspective and the info you provided definitely helps with that, we just have to try harder.

I agree that she needs more exercise; We just moved to a larger place and she can run around a lot more but we need to try to take her out more, too. We'd like to go hiking and camping with her when she's doing better. Are there any games or toys you could recommend to provide mental stimulation? I've seen toys like these but I'm not sure how effective they really are, and I'd like to give her something for when we're not there. I'll look into the frozen kong treats too, those sound perfect.

Limit her access to unsupervised rooms and give her something to do! Any dog, but particularly a young doberman, needs mental stimulation the same way as you or I do. We can pick up a book or watch tv, but if a dog isn't provided with stimulation then they will find stimulating things to do. Like tear things up or throw cushions around. Great fun!

Suggestions:

• Take a five-ten minute break from your work to give her a training session, every hour, or whenever you feel like she's getting restless.
  
  
• Invest in treat-dispensing toys like the Kong Wobbler, the Twist n Treat, and/or a Star Spinner.
  
  
• Invest in puzzle toys like the above spinner, a Paw Flapper, and/or a Slide n Seek.
  
  
• Buy a Kong and stuff it full of kibble, bits of ham and peanut butter, then freeze it. Give this to her and she will take time to work it all out (time she's not tearing up your house!)
  
  
• Shut the doors to rooms that don't have any people in them, so that she can't do anything "out of view" of you or your wife.
  
  Any and all of these options should help your situation. The problem is likely just plain boredom.
  

I'm in a similar boat (except I've got more advance notice) and have been finding the Digital Dog Training Textbook linked-to in the sidebar to be invaluable. Highly recommend. It's a little oddly laid out and it repeats itself itself but—as it says—you're really training yourself how to train the pup, so the reinforcement works (at least for me).

Their shopping list (oddly-formatted, watch out) includes:

• At least six chewtoys to stuff with kibble and treats (The Kong Company’s Kong and Biscuit Ball, Premier’s Squirrel Dude and Football, and sterilized long bones^† are the best.)
  
• Water bowl (Only buy your pup a food bowl once he is socialized, well-trained, and has impeccable household manners.)
  
• Dog food (dry kibble) During his first weeks at home, make sure your puppy receives all food stuffed in chewtoys, or handfed as rewards for socialization and training.
  
• Freeze-dried liver for men, strangers, and children to win your puppy's confidence and as rewards for housetraining
  
  (All links non-affiliate, just tryna be helpful :)
  
  Also, I saw this recommended somewhere. I have used a similar product for our cats and it's fucking magic, so if you're concerned your pup might be stressed, I highly recommend.
  
  ^† above, /u/caffeinatedlackey recommends against these until older

ive had a few of these, but i made some modifications since the wire just ends. i got some zipties and ziptied the ends of the wires very tightly to the rest of the wire coil (hard to explain, sorry)- i had to poke holes thru the plastic to do it but it was much safer after the modification imho.
it is literally hours of fun, lol.
http://www.amazon.com/Marshall-Pet-Products-FT-190-Thru-Way/dp/B0002DJL0K

even more durable is the larger tunnel for cats http://bit.ly/Oui3MV that we used when my boy got too tubby for the thruway tunnel, haha. it's not nearly as long but he liked hanging out in it, and it folds up really nice for travel.

I think the good medium is to reserve soft toys for interactive one-on-one play with you, and put them away when you're done playing. Ropes and fleeces are good for that purpose. If it feels soft then it's also chewable.

If he likes the squeaky noise the plush toys make, you could look for rubber toys that squeak.

• This sort of thing might work: https://www.indestructibledog.com/collections/squeaky-toys/products/good-cuz?variant=209859133
  
• Since you mentioned tennis balls lasting, there are squeaky tennis balls. Kong makes them in both fuzzy and rubbery varieties.
  
  If he likes dismantling toys, he may appreciate toys that have things inside for him to tease out and remove, like these. I use these ones with squeaky tennis balls to get my dogs' interest in them.
  
  
• ball within larger ball
  
• ball within rubber tube
  
• ball inside cage
  
  If he likes chasing things, he may enjoy a jolly egg
  
  Food is always a hit. You've already got a kong (stuff that with food for him!) so maybe a puzzle ball?
  
  
• buster cube is a classic for feeding kibble.
  
• kong wobbler and magic mushroom are both good tumblers for kibble.
  
  Dunno what your position is on feeding raw, but, raw meaty bones are great for dogs like this. The plush toy shredding/eating behaviors are almost exactly the same as the behaviors exercised pulling shreds of meat off of raw bones.

I actually just wrote a post on my new shiba facebook page on my top 5 shiba toys that offer great exercise and stimulation.

1. Flirt Pole - my go to and my shiba's favorite toy, don't know where I would be without it.
   
   
2. Kong Wobbler - great way to help them if they are fat too.
   
   
3. Hide a treat puzzle toys - so many different types of puzzle toys to choose from!
   
   
4. Cat toy with ball thingy - my girl loves cat toys
   
   
5. Kong - which is pretty much universal to all dogs.

Oh this is hard.

1. Magic Mushroom. Her favorite food-dispensing toy.
   
   
2. Puller Rings. Syd's very favorite toy to play tug with.
   
   
3. Squeaky Alligator. With so many squeakers what's not to love?
   
   
4. Kong Squekair Tennis Ball. Best fetching toy. In fact, the only ball Syd likes to fetch. We go through these really quickly.
   
   
5. Flirt Pole. Great for getting her to run, jump, and chase. Also good for impulse training.

I also have an adopted destructo-dog.

We just got this toy in our Barkbox this month. She is rough on toys. So rough I had to email barkbox a few months ago and request stronger toys - she was ripping them up within a few minutes of play. She has not been able to put a dent in this one after some very spirited play. Ours is a cute little orange color - not the red.

This dog cigar toy came in a barkbox a few months ago. She loves it and it has also lasted.

I would avoid the Kong tennis balls. They're super cute and squeak but they are very easily destroyed. Someone on here sent us a pack of three and I think only one has not been gutted.

If we win she would like this toy OR this toy. I can't decide which one would be better.

This looks pretty neat! Interactive "mind" game for dogs!

and like many others have said, Kongs are great and so durable!

edit: this one is great for small dogs! I have a tiny dog at home who loves hers!

These are my dogs, Bear and Lindy! Bear is a chow/golden retriever mix and Lindy is dobie/lab mix. Both are rescues and are my entire world <3


This chew toy is guaranteed indestructible


I'd love to donate this to my local humane society if I win :) I have a little box made up for them and I'm gonna drop it off once I get a nice little package set up.


Thanks for the contest! Hopefully I made it in on time


EDIT: Oh my gosh, Reggie is freaking adorable with those ears!!

I adopted two older, female ferrets a long time ago. Luckily, neither of them were bad at chewing/ biting, nor were they climbers, but they still managed to teach me a few things;

Buy dirt-cheap (ie Walmart) bathmats, preferably ones with rubbery undersides, to line wire cage floors. You can cut them to the right size pretty easily, toss them in the wash when they get peed & pooped on - it *will happen - and you can replace them when they get shredded - this will also happen.

Ferrotone is your best friend when it's nail-clipping time. A few drops on their belly will distract them and leave their feet available. Lay them in your lap, their back resting against your stomach.

Don't buy clay-based litter, the dust will give your ferret a respiratory infection. Yesterday's News is your best bet and buy in bulk!

Buy a dish that attaches to the side of the cage for water - bottles are meant for small rodents, not longbois. Also, no matter how large, hamsterballs are not appropriate for ferrets. It hurts their spines.

I've posted about this before, this dog toy is amazing. My girls would hide all the squirrel-babies then sleep inside the log. I pulled the whiskers out of the toys just because they were kinda pokey: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005VS9WO6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hRhBDbHZKGN5R

I have a 70lb dog (think slightly larger than a lab) in an area that does not have ticks and fleas, to put this into perspective.

$35 / month on food
$10 / month on treats
$60 / year vet checkup
$70 / year heart worm medication
$35 / night on boarding
$20 / day on daycare (we send her about twice a month to socialize)

Upfront costs can be pretty expensive. Some of the big items:

$100 - Kennel (this is optional. our dog just really loves her box!)
$45 - Dog bed
$25 - Collar and leash
$15'ish - Water and food bowls

Food can be expensive at first. Maybe your dog hates what you get and it takes a while to find the food that he or she likes. I recommend getting sample bags of food and see what they take to. You can get these at any mom & pop pet store and some of the chains as well, you just have to ask. Same with treats.

Toys are really cheap. We dig through the discount bins to find the right texture and sound that we know our dog enjoys. Balls can be cheap, too. I recommend fun squeaky balls you can get on Amazon. I've yet to meet a dog that doesn't love them!

First, what a cutie. I hope he never grows into those ears. They’re huge and adorable.

So.. You have so many options. Everything from simple toys (like the wobble kong or the tricky treat ball) to more complex puzzles (like the mad scientist or the mini mover). If your pup is pretty smart, & the fact he’s border collie/gsd suggests he probably is, he might really enjoy the mental work out the more challenging puzzles present.

If eating too quick is your main worry and you don’t always have time for feeding toys you can also get bowls specifically designed to slow dogs down. Just search “dog slow feeder bowls” on google/amazon. (The outward hound bowls are great.)

Hiya!
A Lily by any other name is still a beautiful little puppy
I have 2 pups that I love to death and this would be a perfect gift for them :)
For a 4 month old pup, beware of the teeting and biting. the puppy will gnaw through your furniture so make sure you have something chewy to keep the dog busy :). Lastly, congratulations on your new addition to the family!

• Labs are notoriously fast eaters, so maybe a puzzle toy? Here are some good ones: 1, 2, 3. You can also never have enough Kongs, and they're sold at big box pet stores.
  
• A cool fetch toy might be fun too, like a Chuckit or a Ball-on-a-Rope. You can find Chuckit products at the big box pet stores. I like the ball-on-a-rope for training...I can throw it, tug with it, dangle it like a flirt pole, and it fits in my pocket. This Frisbee is good for training too because I can fold it up and put it in my pocket. Plus it glows in the dark and floats!

Their intelligence is what leads to lots of their behavior issues. You gotta exercise that brain too.

Have a look at these toys. They have been great for our cattle dogs over the years. They tend to eat too fast so these tend to be food/game focused.

https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Buddy-Dispensing-Medium-Large/dp/B000KV7ZGQ

https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-Interactive-Treat-Colors/dp/B003ARUKTG/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1480272473&sr=1-1&keywords=dog+food+puzzle

https://www.amazon.com/Outward-Hound-Hide-Interactive-Puzzle/dp/B0043A71PU/ref=sr_1_15?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1480272473&sr=1-15&keywords=dog+food+puzzle

I love the above one but one of our dogs is too smart for it. She picks up the covers with her mouth and sets them aside. when she eats all she can reach she tends to turn it over to dump it out.

I'm super impressed with the bell to go out. We haven't been able to get ours to do that.

1. Ferret math means you'll rarely have one animal. I'm not just saying this to be cute; ferrets are extremely social animals, and if you don't (or can't) provide them with regular interaction they will not be happy, healthy creatures. Please do consider a pair of ferrets; the upkeep isn't significantly greater and it will be a better experience for both animals. That all being said, the Ferret Nation Habitat is a very popular and sturdy cage for one or two animals. They also sell a dual-level model, and these can be expanded with additional units.
   
2. You'll get a great deal of discussion about this. My personal preference is SwheatScoop unscented. It is a wheat-based clumping litter with low dust and, as a bonus, can be safely flushed down the toilet. Should you go looking at other options you'll want to be sure to avoid anything with perfumes/scents, and anything clay-based.
   
3. My ferrets adore and thrive on Wellness CORE original formula. Don't balk at the price; it takes my three ferrets about about 4-6 weeks to go through a 12 lb bag so you're looking at about 33¢ per ferret per day. There are other options out there; avoid anything that isn't at least 35% meat-based protein, anything that has sugar or sweeteners, and anything that has grain or grain product as the primary ingredient.
   
4. Treats are tricky as you don't want to give them anything that's patently unhealthy. In the past (before I knew better) I would give my ferrets Honey Nut Cheerios, peanut butter, raisins, and a bunch of other things. They loved it but it really wasn't healthy for them at all. Most ferrets like a squirt of Ferretone every now and then. Freeze-dried meats and jerky products are good, but again avoid things with added sugars and salt (honey and molasses finds its way into many pet jerky products). Once in awhile I'll slip my ferrets a little bit of cooked hamburger or roasted turkey but that's hit or miss. Remember: Ferrets are total carnivores!
   
   Though you didn't ask, I'll volunteer: Be very careful when giving your ferret(s) toys to play with. Avoid anything made of foam, for example; chewed pieces can get caught in their intestinal tract and cause serious problems. For similar reasons, avoid anything that has pieces which can be chewed off (e.g., a plastic eye); anything with plastic bits (like ribbons); and all kinds of squeaky toys and things made of thin rubber. Good toys: Cardboard tubes and boxes. Ping-pong balls. Super Thru-Way. Cotton rope toys. Large towels. Small cotton unadorned stuffed animals.

We use the large KONG Extreme Dog Toy, Medium, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GUDZO2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sQ81AbHCEGYVC, trixies flipboard 2 TRIXIE Pet Products Flip Board, Level 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054Q9TMA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RR81AbJEX56X9. treat ball OurPets IQ Treat Ball Interactive Food Dispensing Dog Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ARUKTG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oS81AbJ0XDRE8, a treat hiding thing Dog Smart Treat Dispensing Dog Toy Brain and Exercise Game for Dogs by Nina Ottosson https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711Y9Y8W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_MS81AbJWBH0TC, a rolling nibble kibble PetSafe Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Meal Dispensing Dog Toy, Medium/Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F0RRUA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FT81AbYG9PW7N, a self toy KONG Rambler Ball, Large (colors vary) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BBGRT4Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wU81AbYC200R4, and a large tug a jug PetSafe Medium/Large Sportsmen Tug A Jug Pet Chew Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K4KZ8M0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_LV81AbFBTP67F.

The kong I use spread treats inside because dry treats last only a few seconds.

Trixies flipboard is low to meh at getting her attention, sometimes she doesnt care for the food to bother with it.

Iq treat ball she finds a way to break, pushing into a wall, chomping on it, the moment you look away.

The hide a treat thing is easy for her.

The nibble kibble is the same as the treat ball.

The kong rambler she easily pulls the ball from its station and the toy is moot, now its just a ball.

The tug a jug becomes a weapon that she whips around until it smashes open.

The one thing I have noticed that can keep her attention is a pile of wood we have outside. Inside that pile of wood is chipmunks and squirrels that she messes with until I call her over. I'm thinking that she enjoys live toys? Or does she it as just something for her to herd.

DIY - freeze some kibble/treats in a Popsicle, put some kibble/treats in an empty water bottle (our dog really likes the really cheap/thin ones that crinkle when squeezed), take a muffin tin and put kibble/treats in the holes and put tennis balls on top of them (we started with a mini muffin tin so the tennis balls just sat on top of the holes so they were easy to remove, then when he was good at that, we moved to a regular muffin tin)

Commercial - Kong, Kong Wobbler, Trixie Toys (lots of options), Omega Ball, Hide-a-Squirrel, Tornado

If you haven't already, read these books; I can't stress enough how much they saved our lives. Perfect Puppy in 7 Days and Before and After Getting your Puppy. They're highly recommended here and for good reason.

Start with clicker training and free-shaping, since he seems curious and driven. I like 101 things to do with a box.

Toy recommendations:

• Pickle pocket
  
• Snoop
  
• Food cube
  
  Impulse control exercises:
  
  
• Doggie zen
  
• Wait & release
  
• Impulse control exercises
  
  Essentially, you want your dog to "ask permission" before doing things. Do lots of eye contact exercises. I did a lot of the things on kikopup's youtube channel when I got my dog. If you keep at it, you'll eventually have a dog that looks at you once he recognizes a distraction.
  
  What kind of treats are you using? I love using Easy Cheese (aerosol can) as my highest-level reward. You can put some on a wooden spoon and give the dog a tiny lick of it as a treat. Very few dogs don't go crazy for it.

We alternate between the Kong Wobbler, the Buster Cube, and the IQ Ball every morning for breakfast. The wobbler is definitely the easiest, the cube is definitely the hardest, and the IQ ball is Sequoia's favorite (but she loves balls of any kind, so no real surprise there).

The total surprise winner was the Pickle! I was convinced it would be torn to shreds in minutes, but it has held up well! It doesn't last super long, but it is easy enough to just stick a little more peanut butter and some more kibble in when she is done.

Dude, those Jolly Balls are incredible. We have the Romp-n-Roll one, and the puppy LOVES it. It's easily his favorite toy. And the ball part is pretty much indestructible! (Though the rope is almost completely shredded now >.<)

Kong wobbler

I feed my dog half in her bowl, half in the wobbler and she loves it. She’s a picky eater, but loves to play. So it was perfect for us.

Depending on how intelligent and/or food motivated your dog is, puzzle feeders like this or this can really help with stimulation.

Have you also tried trick training with him? I know a good training session can cause my dog to even start panting due to her determination to figure out what I'm asking her to do!

https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-Pet-Products-FT-190-Thru-Way/dp/B0002DJL0K I pretty sure its one of these! But the link you sent could be a pretty awesome alternative :D THANK YOU!

my puppy has one toy that he really loves, its a long grey raccoon that squeaks and makes other noises. whether he's in the crate or out, that toy keeps him busy while he wrestles with it. it also helps that we pull the toy up and he jumps up for it, so he's getting excited for it. I would try to find a toy that he really enjoys OR one of those treat dispensing puzzles https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0711Y9XTF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought that for my puppy, haven't tried it out yet.

Happy cake day!

Best gift I have ever received almost made me cry. I got a signed copy of "American On Purpose", the autobiography of Craig Ferguson. He called me Dickcheese (inside joke between me and the friend). It was glorious.

Item! My pup needs a new toy

IT's nice to meet you, redditor who I presume is named Kelly. :) I have a good friend who lives in the Netherlands - I want to visit properly someday. :D

I think it's cool that you're doing a contest with your intro. I have two basset hounds, one of which is a puppy that came from a situation where she wasn't properly trained or cared for. We are working on getting her lots of puzzles to help with training her. This is just one of the puzzles we hope will train her to think and work for her food instead of jumping all over us begging for it.

You didn't mention, but do you have any pets of your own? What was the most interesting pet you got to work with when you were working with a vet?

My dog loves this giant squeaky fur ball, and these squeaky tennis balls (but the tennis balls don't last that long). Also I know it doesn't look like much but she also really likes jute tugs like this; I think because she can get a really good grip on it. She's not a huge tugger but she is still always excited when the jute tug comes out.

mooooooooo my childrens would love this toy. Man's best friend is the bestest friend.

I have a rottie pit mix, and Kong has never done me wrong. I see a lot of people saying that their dogs are just not interested in their products. I find they have very durable Balls, and my pups personal favorite the bone. I think if people would maybe put peanut butter, or little treats inside the toy instead of just throwing it to them to play with on their own, the dog would show a little more interest.

They are extremely durable, and fairly priced for the strength. I strongly recommend.

I used to have two single units strapped together side-by-side and I loved it. I loved the full 6 foot length of floor space that allowed them to run back and forth at mach speeds.

The dark gray liners that match the cage color look really slick.

Question; the clear ferret tube (Marshall Super Thru-Way?)... does it smell? I bought a similar tube from the hardware store and it smelled so terrible I just threw it away. I've read some reviews by people complaining about the smell. Have you noticed that or should I go ahead and get one?

1. Stuffed moose
   
   
2. IQ Treat Ball (she gets kibble in it)
   
   
3. Kong Wobbler (more kibble)
   
   
4. Treat & Train (still more kibble)
   
   
5. Snuffle mat (have I mentioned kibble?)
   
   So yeah, the only toy that has held her interest despite its inability to dispense food is the stuffed moose. I've actually put all the rest of her toys away in hopes of someday reintroducing them and having them seem novel again.

These watch straps should fit over the top of a wet suit, useful for diving, with a waterproof watch of course.

When I used to have a dog it had a favorite toy, this is similar to what he had.

A hat for the transfer to colder weather, it's also your favorite colour.

An NBA basketball so you can be pro.

Mmmmm Chocolate.

Crocodile disguise.

And all I can say for the last one is just go visit them:)

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!

Not something I want, but I'm sure my puppy would love another stuffed animal.

I feel ya! My two consider it a personal challenge, it seems, to destroy even the most highly rated chew toy! In the end, I've found investing in a few slightly more expensive ones that are more durable is a little cheaper in the long run.

Mine make short work of black kongs, so I did a little shopping around to find something more durable.

• Galileo bones they like (after two chipped teeth I no longer give them antlers)
  
• "unbreakoball" is a fun, tough ball that they can still get a grip on and pack around. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004KA85SA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485927690&sr=8-1&keywords=unbreakoball
  
• "goghnuts" brand toys are our fave. They have a "donut" and stick. The donuts last longer in our house (I've had one 3 years), but they seem to prefer the stick. The black ones are tougher than the green. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0042JJB82/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485928001&sr=8-1&keywords=goughnuts
  
  Good luck!

My border collie mix loves this! If he loves tug he should love that

I would love to get this treat puzzle toy for my dog Wiley. He is Man's best friend!

Super congrats on the new and better job!!! Great contest! ^^^^Not ^^^^really ^^^^I'm ^^^^being ^^^^sarcastic!!!

^^^I'm ^^^not ^^^actually ^^^kidding ^^^or ^^^being ^^^sarcastic!

I just wanted something to go with Jim Carrey's look. I swear I didn't mean the first part in tiny words!!!

I don't know if you have prime or not, but if you do there is this dog bone under ten dollars. If you don't have prime let me know and I'll find something else if the shipping is too much. That is, if I win.

KONG Rubber Ball Extreme

The black medium/large ball: Amazon link for reference.

• Exercise or Problem requiring equipment: SMR (self myofascial release)
  
  
• Pros: Cheap! Super durable. Larger than a lacrosse ball (around the size of a softball, perhaps slightly smaller) and HARD, which means that you can use it on top of soft surfaces with a fair amount of give and still get plenty of pressure for those more stubborn muscles.
  
  
• Cons: HARD! Be careful if you have a low pain threshold. You may need to start with a softer ball, and move on to this one once an area loosens up to really get at those deeper, stubborn parts. Have to be more careful not to roll on things like bones/joints/nerves since the ball has very little give. Heavy enough that you'll notice if you throw it in your gym bag or backpack.
  
  
• Alternatives: Any hard, round object of a similar size?
  
  
• Purposes/Uses: I love using this to roll my traps, rhomboids, and all around my scaps because I'm super tight there and I need something hard. Also great for pec minor, glutes, TFL, and company. Anything that needs some real tough love. Can really be used almost anywhere if you're careful/mindful.
  
  
• Places to acquire equipment/materials: I got mine on Amazon.
  
  
• Cost: Around $6-8 (USD)

The Kong Wobbler and Bobs-a-lot are great toys. I also use a Tricky Treat ball a lot. My dogs also really love the Snoop.

You could also try the Tug-a-Jug, Kibble Nibble, or Buster Cube.

Our dog has both the Kong Wobbler and Buster Food Cube and cube keeps her busier for longer periods of time. She loves it and it drives her nuts (in a good way) because she can hear the kibble rattling around in there. We give her cube in her crate so she can't bang it around the entire house or get it stuck under furniture. We also have the Tug a Jug but it's a bit too hard for her and she looses interest. For puzzles we like Nina Ottosson toys, which are harder for her to figure out. This one is her current favorite: http://www.amazon.com/Company-Animals-Ottosson-Brick-Interactive/dp/B001KZ4WJE/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0P4RYYVE86XBGC0W0Z24

We also have this one but she's figured it out already: http://www.amazon.com/Kyjen-DG40112-Dog-Toys-Puzzle/dp/B0043A71PU/ref=sr_1_9?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1425585371&sr=1-9&keywords=dog+puzzles

I'm so sorry for your loss! It's awful to lose a furry friend, especially so unexpectedly! Koda husky is my baby and he's been having a rough week :\ He had a tooth pulled on Monday and is just finally getting back to his reckless self :) He would love to tear this apart. Thanks for the contest and I hope you start feeling better soon :)

Add ons are the worst and the best things. But some of them save SO much money. My pups squeaky balls are 50% as an add-on on Amazon. I should really spend time to make an add-on list so I remember when I make bigger carts. Thanks for hosting and welcome back! (WAIT: Are you implying that you can make a whole cart of add-on items as long as they total over $25???)

I have been meaning to try GoughNuts, they're supposed to be indestructible and they promise to replace the toy if your dog does destroy it.

My dogs' three outdoor toys have lasted really well so far, but I think they don't really chew on them, just fetch and tug.

We have:

Jolly Ball Teaser

JW Invincible Chain

Mammoth Tire Biter (This is my dogs' favorite toy to fetch, they love chasing it while it's rolling.)

For indoor toys, the only things that last are antlers, big Nylabones, and ropes (they only chew the fringes off quickly). Anything soft dies really quickly. I just bought them a stuffingless toy and a Kong Wubba yesterday, the stuffingless toy is mostly dead but the Wubba is doing alright. It's only been one day but one of my dogs adopted the Wubba and has squeaked it nonstop since she got ahold of it; if she's not holding it in her mouth, she's laying so one of her paws is touching it, so I'm impressed with how long it's lasted already.

Hiii I'm Toto... And I like all them furry toys :3 I want to be friends with Hanners and Viktor :D I think you'd like this :)

aww<3 I have a dog that also needs the black kong toys so I recommend getting him a learning toy. my dog doesn't try and devour them.


one of my doggies<3

prize: would a gift card be acceptable? If not, my doggy would love this

Yes, gonoughts! It's the ONLY toy my friend's 80lb pit bull can't destroy. They have a lifetime warranty and interestingly the first version we got from Amazon did get chewed up in a couple weeks. After I sent it back the replacement they sent is is INDESTRUCTIBLE. That dog chews on it every day and has hardly made a dent in it after more than a year. I think the original version was some kind of cheaper rubber and they sent me the real thing when they realized I was going to use the warranty.

X-Ray and Vav would be nice, but my mom's dog just died of pneumonia after staying in a really nice boarding facility, so I feel like loving my own dogs a bit more with this Marvin the Moose toy.

Thanks for having a contest.

This is our Bambi we rescued her about this time last year. Her favorite food is pizza, and she loves chasing cats. Bambi is so big, her toys usually don't last long, she can skin a tennis ball in like 2 minutes.

She really loves ball/rope toys rope toys are her favorite, but she destroys them too quickly, ones that have a ball on it, she will tend to keep it longer.

Our past doberman,Felix had one of these in blue and it held up extremely well.


Bambi would probably appreciate these eye wipes she gets a lot of eye gunk.

Cake Party

Arts

If you haven't seen this show yet you really really should

For my puppy

Thank you for the contest. I didn't know what price range to go with so I just linked items of varying cost, hope that's ok. :)

Do you have another dog who the puppy would be sleeping near in his crate out of your bedroom? Dogs are pack animals and want to be with their people or other dogs.

I would be feeding him all his meals in the crate. You can get some of these puppy kongs and soak some of his kibble to soften it up then stick it inside the kong and freeze it. It'll take him 20-30 minutes to eat his food that way.

If you start with feeding him with the crate door open, then move to feeding him with the door closed, then go in and out of the room while he's eating, then move up to feeding him and leaving the room. You should be able to Google frozen kong and crate games for some more ideas about how this works.

Signing him up for a puppy kindergarten class is a good way to learn about these and other issues that you just haven't started having yet. Most puppies go through a lot of the same problems so teacher should be a good resource and the best thing that you can do for your puppy right now is to get him socialized (just please don't take him to the dog park).

Overstimulating sounds right to me. It’s almost like a human, if you run 3 miles every day, you’re going to be a bit stir crazy if you don’t get your 3 mile run in for a day. Your Aussie is dependent on that stimulation everyday because he’s been so active.

Try rotating between focus training and problem solving some nights and exercise other night. Aussie will literally never tire if she’s playing with a dog or chasing a frisbee. She does get drained from activities like hide and seek because its mentally draining. We’ve started to hide a toy and while she’s looking hide another toy, then give her commands like “warm, hot, cold” based on proximity to the toy and when she find Squishy we tell her “Good job, now find Bear” and she goes searching for her bear.

Instead of toys that will just get destroyed, look into toys that promote problem solving.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0798K86LR/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536457543&sr=8-3&keywords=Pupper+Pamper&dpPl=1&dpID=51HL1EmZOoL&ref=plSrch <— You can make these with 2 liter bottles but this is a good way to switch up dinner time. Don’t let your pup chew through these, he has to solve the puzzle. No brute forcing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0711Y9XTF/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1536457614&sr=8-5&keywords=dog%2Bpuzzle%2Btoys&dpPl=1&dpID=41uG8OG2guL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1 <— Same sort of thing, just changes it up so it’s a different puzzle.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0038WP1YC/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1536457667&sr=8-15&keywords=dog+puzzle+toys <— I have a friend that ditched the food bowl and went with this for feeding. Just don’t let them brute force his way through it, keep your dog focused on the puzzle.

https://www.amazon.com/ZippyPaws-Woodland-Friends-Interactive-Chipmunks/dp/B008PFB3HG <— Toys like this are great for “Find the toy, then go put it in a bucket” then when the bucket is full, give a sign and you set the toy back up for him.

Are any of those toys puzzles that work her brain instead of her body? They need mental exercise too, not just physical, and sometimes getting overly tired physically can make a dog act more goofy mentally.

If you don't have puzzles for her, I'd look for a black Kong to start and feed some of her dinner out of it. They're nice for bullies b/c the dog can't just bite it open and spill all the food out after 30 seconds like a lot of plastic toys that stand up to smaller dogs for years. :D Gotta love "bully strong"!

You can also make an inexpensive answer to The Mad Scientist with water or 2 liter pop bottles, a dowel rod from the craft section of a department store, and a couple pieces of wood or a ladder. Here's a video of how it works with a Belgian Malinois, which is another SUPER intensely high-energy, and thinking, breed of dog.

Dogs still have the instinct to chase and beat something up before they eat. BUT, dogs and wolves living wild also have to pull apart a carcass before they can eat it, so that kind of problem-solving, fine-motor-skill play (taking apart stuffed toys, shaking the thunder out of a sock with a tennis ball in the toe, whatever) can do wonders for a hyper pup too. :)

Really? That long? Congrats! we're going on 3 years but looking toward the future. My pup NIk would love this ball; he chews through everything else.

I have a variety of treat balls that keep my heeler busy and last quite a while. This Starmark ball is one of his favorites. It provides a challenge if you find some chewy treats (anything not hard and crumbly, like dog jerky) to stuff in there.

Bullymake box is a subscription box made for power chewers, there's some good durable stuff in there. Or you can buy their toys individually here.

toys that are mentally stimulating. Corgis are smart and get bored with toys that are too boring. Get some toys or puzzles that can keep their interest and/or last a long time.

My boy Frank likes nylabones that come in different shapes and flavors, Kongs with peanut butter, and toys that you roll around for food. We give him meals in a Kong Wobbler so he doesn't eat to fast and he has fun with it. The small size works well for a corgi. http://amzn.com/B004NSVIRY

The herding/nipping instinct they have from being bred to be herding dogs can be annoying. From my experience and others I've talked to, they just grow out of it. A vet tech, who's had corgis all her life, suggested getting those cheap inflated bouncy balls that they sell at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc.. that are kept in those big bins. Your corgi can herd those instead of you. It seemed to work for Frank.

You should also have an enzyme based cleaner for accidents during potty training. The enzymes break up the particles and get rid of the smell better than other cleaners so they won't be tempted to use it as a permanent potty stop.

I second the jolly ball. If you dislike the handle, Hubble has one with a rope through it.

Hubble also has a planet dog orbee soccer ball he loves, it is smaller than a regular soccer ball (about as big as those kid's size ones they make) but it's durable and great.

Lastly there are remote control options but they are pricier and I haven't personally tried them yet, maybe I will this summer.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002DK9OW?pc_redir=1395120294&robot_redir=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000BP751G

http://www.inthecompanyofdogs.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=D13290&utm_source=shoppingcom&utm_medium=comparison&utm_campaign=datafeed&srccode=NXCDC2

Feste's the same way with his toys. He had the gopher version of the piggy, and poor Malvolio died within a week :(

There are a couple toys that we've had for a long time, though.

1.) Kong makes a few good toys for "extreme chewers." They're usually black and smell like rubber, but they've held up. We have a ball and a treat dispensing Kong like this.

2.) Rope toys don't last, but one Invincible Chain from JW has lasted us several months (I even wrote a review on it).

Oh, and here's Feste (when he was a puppy) with Malvolio

Yes, I think splitting for meals is helpful because then they have more motivation to actually work on the dispenser (because they are still hungry.) This is what we have. It might be nice if your dog doesn't like the wobbler because he can just push it around with his nose and doesn't have to use his paws. https://www.amazon.com/Treat-Dispensing-Chew-Ball-Large/dp/B0009YD8NS/ref=pd_sim_199_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0009YD8NS&pd_rd_r=KJ9R09QF6WAE0D2G1VAF&pd_rd_w=Mtwhr&pd_rd_wg=p9P0G&psc=1&refRID=KJ9R09QF6WAE0D2G1VAF

We used a trainer but pet smart is a great option! We chose group classes since it teaches socialization and that's where you will get bite inhibition. It will be frustrating at first bc puppy won't listen to you but stick with it!

We use several treat dispensing toys and as for the Kong I will actually soak her food in water for a bit until it absorbs some and then freeze it because she is having stomach issue so we aren't using treats. She really has to work at it to get it out. Here are some of the toys we use:

The hydrogen peroxide was a good call. I don't have much experience with my grey eating things so I'm not sure whether you should take him to the vet or not at this point. Seems like maybe just keep an eye on him.

But as for you second question - I bought this Buster Food Cube puzzle toy for our girl since she's home alone all day and she started to get into a few things and she LOVES it. Knocking this around the living room is probably the highlight of her day. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A23HZK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also putting treats and biscuits in her Kong that are really hard to get out can keep her busy for a long time too.

Pet store, this is the over priced Marshal stuff most pet stores have. But it works great as a clear tube. If you must have clear, any pet store will do, or you can get it here:

http://smile.amazon.com/Marshall-Pet-Products-FT-190-Thru-Way/dp/B0002DJL0K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414617745&sr=8-1&keywords=ferret+tunnel

Kyjen makes great dog puzzles. Moon Rover Rescue is a good one, Egg Babies, the Paw Toy, just type Kyjen into Amazon or eBay and you can find some.

I got my guy this one and he loves it! I love watching him try to figure the different parts out.

https://www.amazon.ca/Outward-Hound-Dispensing-Exercise-Ottosson/dp/B0711Y9XTF/ref=asc_df_B0711Y9XTF/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292999120956&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12127162462042952341&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001598&hvtargid=pla-349361985826&psc=1

Malcolm the Puppy's list has this alligator on it.

I think green and orange are the very best colors! Too few things come in those colors! :)

Jolly ball! We have two, they are awesome!
http://www.amazon.com/Jolly-Pet-8-Inch-Romp-n-Roll-Red/dp/B0002DK9OW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1417857906&sr=8-4&keywords=jolly+ball+dog

I got my dog this. I was really lucky that when my dog was a puppy, he'd get hyper and ten minutes of fetch would do it for him. I'm not entirely familiar with the specifics of your disorder, but is it possible your pup might give you a little more energy? I don't want to assume anything but my dog definitely gave me energy when he was tiny.

The Kong Wobbler was perfect for my pup with the same problem. The dog has to paw the dispenser to get any food out so it's great for getting energy out too! The hole is fairly large, so it's pretty easy for the food to just fall out when the dog tilts it, but I put tape on the inside to adjust the hole size, and I can keep my high energy pup eating & playing for 15-30 min! Oh and the small size can hold up to 1.5-2 cups of kibble and is plenty big, even for large dogs.

I just got two of these
https://smile.amazon.com/KONG-Puppy-Kong-Small-Assorted/dp/B0002AR18C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496790665&sr=8-1&keywords=puppy+kong

And one of these
https://smile.amazon.com/KONG-StuffN-Treat-8-Ounce-Puppy/dp/B0009YD7P2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496790691&sr=8-1&keywords=puppy+kong+stuffing

Although like I said, sometimes we use small dabs of peanut butter. I got two so that I could switch them out - so he can have one to chew on (empty) during the day and one in the freezer. I've never had a chewer before, so this was my first experience with Kongs, and so far, they're great!

First make sure she isn't sick. Second make sure her kibble is a good food.

My bulldog isn't a big eater. Putting the food in a snuffle mat or a feeder toy can help, it makes eating more fun. My go-to is using a food stand (mainly to reduce chance of bloat) and mixing her food with healthy treats. I use canned pumpkin (Libby's 100%), egg, plain nonfat yogurt, cottage cheese, honey, peanut butter, blueberries, chicken/beef broth, carrots, or apple. Of course, not all of it at once. I've noticed if she's being fed the same thing for too long she gets tired of eating it. I can't blame her, I do the same thing.

Another suggestion is leaving her food down for ten minutes and if she doesn't eat it, put the food up. I haven't personally done this method, but I've heard it works.

Did you mean only outings or things you can do at home, too? We have a homemade agility course in the backyard. There are some good videos on YouTube about how to make your own inexpensive course. Alternatively you could do a rally course with just cones or similar markers. We also like interactive toys like this one.

Honestly, I love the interactive toys....make them use the nose and be dogs! I have a couple on Murphy's list...he has another few at home. Things like this

Also....here is a photo of Murphy at a couple weeks old or so , before he was shipped to me. I am having trouble locating photos of when we brought him home. we lost a lot when our server crashed :-(

Have fun with the pup! And thanks for the contest!

EDIT TO ADD LOST PHOTO ... Murphy a day or so after we picked him up at the airport

My dog loves her Kong Wobbler.
https://www.amazon.com/KONG-PW1-Wobbler-Large/dp/B004NSVIRY/

I feed her twice daily, each time I give 3/4 of her meal on a snuff mat and 1/4 of it in the wobbler.

She's a GSP. A velcro dog that loves her people. But in the morning, when it's time for us to leave for work, she's practically pushing us out the door so she can have her wobbler.

If you have a pet, that's a moose made by Kong. A very good stuffed animal. Very durable and my Great Dane doesn't want to instantly rip the stuffing out of it.
sauce

Regular tennis balls will be cheaper, but if they need to be squeaker ones Amazon is the cheapest place I've found (they are a similar price on chewy) These work out to be a little over a dollar a piece.

Bonus, they even say happy birthday.

Can I ask why 48 specifically?

My chis love the Kong Wobbler. And it's dishwasher safe.

https://www.amazon.com/KONG-Wobbler-Treat-Dispensing-Large/dp/B004NSVIRY

Chuckit Ultraballs

http://www.amazon.com/ChuckIt-Medium-Ultra-2-5-Inch-2-Pack/dp/B000F4AVPA

They have xl 3.5 inches and xxl 4 inches for larger breeds.

Kong Solid Rubber Ball

http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Extreme-Ball-Medium-Large/dp/B004VBC0SY

Bounces like a super ball.

My dog will disembowel anything with a squeaky in like under 2 min if given the opportunity. He was given a small plush, squeaky rabbit at the family christmas this year by my aunt. They all watched in wonder as it quickly lost its stuffing the squeaker was ripped out like a still-beating heart.

If the eyes are a worry these don't have plastic eyes and the moose has out-lasted even those chew-guard toys for my pup.

Georgia o Keefe is pretty rad. What other female artists do you enjoy?
the cheaper ones work perfectly

This is Bugsy. He is my pitbull.

Other than the kongs, thick ropes last long with him. Especially knotted like so. They arent indestructable, but they wont be gone in a day either.

I want dis for bugsy haha

Puppy Kong. They're the perfect size for ferrets. My girls steal it and hide it because it's their favorite thing in the world. Also, be sure to yelp when they bite you. That's how ferrets convey to each other that the play is too rough.

My dog loves when I fill this ball treat dispenser with different treat.

I have a papillion chihuahua mix who just turned 2. If it were up to him I would play fetch all day long. When I need him to keep busy independently, I have a couple things I try:

Bully sticks. Sometimes he's into it, sometimes not. Depends on the day. Some days he'll chew on a bully stick for over an hour.

Puzzle toys like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Outward-Hound-41008-Flapper-Training/dp/B006ZTTSOE/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1463561315&sr=8-16&keywords=dog+puzzle

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NSVIRY/ref=twister_B009NMOZKM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Paw-Tricky-Treat-Large/dp/B0002DK26M/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1463561410&sr=8-25&keywords=dog+puzzle


I also rotate his toys, he loves digging through and discovering the "new" toys.

Other times I put him in his crate. This is usually when he's had exercise and play time, but is not calming down any time soon. It's funny because it takes about 5 minutes before he's fast asleep in his crate!

guerilla gorillas

Fur my doggy. It's a Kong ball that looks virtually indestructible, though I'm sure my dog could find a way!

That one is $8.99 :)

This looks pretty close! [Amazon ](Nina Ottoson Dog Brick Treat Puzzle Dog Toy by Outward Hound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711Y9XTF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_7VY.BbGTE8GHV)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TOKTEG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is this one, the tubs are on a bar and he has to stretch up and knock them over to get food out. Takes several attempts on each vial to get them all

The other one I have is
https://www.amazon.com/TRIXIE-Pet-Products-Board-Level/dp/B0054Q9TMA/ref=pd_bxgy_199_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0054Q9TMA&pd_rd_r=02QJ894NE5TTNMNNYZST&pd_rd_w=vV3KY&pd_rd_wg=A544N&psc=1&refRID=02QJ894NE5TTNMNNYZST

Which he loves as well. Then one of those balls that drops treats as they roll it.

Also take a look at "Wobbler" and "UFO" .. we have all of those, only had to replace them maybe once every 18 months or so (but they get daily use) .. rotate them so he doesn't get bored. Fill this one with Peanut Butter (smear it on the inside with the back of a spoon) you can throw it in the freezer first for an hour to stiffen the spread to make it last longer of course. And actually that is a small advantage of the ones that have the two separate parts that unscrew for cleaning (unlike RFB) .. you can add something in to them that is messy (PB) and its cool cuz you can easily clean them later. The PB makes them freaking insane for w/e is in there. So you put the snacks inside and just ONE with a little dab of PB (or cheez whizz) on it and the PB actually makes the whole process of getting them out more difficult .. so its good play for them. The only down side to those top two is that they are louder than RFB cuz hard plastic. Enjoy!

Yes this. We have one of these and also have an Ottosson-style puzzle toy that keeps our good boy busy for some time.

https://www.amazon.com/Ottoson-Outward-Hound-Brick-Puzzle/dp/B0711Y9XTF?ref_=w_bl_sl_ap_ap_web_12214477011

Marshall Super Thru-Way https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DJL0K/ (We have the ball pit too because I got it on sale).

The tube is super stretchy. It says 15 feet on the box, but it can go closer to 20. If you have plastic chewers it won't last, but that isn't an issue for us.

Only negative - take it out of the box and let it air out for about 3-4 days to get rid of the smell of the plastic before using it. It stores neatly in the box it came in. :)

In addition to the hol-ee ball idea these things are pretty cool and come in various sizes!

I buy 100% cotton rope, like this, and use it to tie rope "bones" and other similar toys. It's fairly cheap and pet safe, plus I use it to replace ropes on other toys like this one, since he had pulled the rope completely out of it.

Eh, I have a pit bull that has done this a few times. It looks worse than it is. In my case, she tore up a pillow each time and some paper. $20-$50 worth of damage, tops. The stuffing and paper made it look like a disaster, but it wasn't bad at all.

Now she's crate trained (and she loves it).

Everyone I know who has a cat has a least 1 piece of furniture that is either ripped to shreds or has been clawed only a few times, but enough to be obvious. My best friend had a $1000 couch get fucked up the first few days he had his cat.

Maybe I don't know much about cats, but it seems easier to get a dog to chew on something non-destructive (treats, rubber toys, toys with treats inside, toys with squeakers inside, toys with plastic bottles inside) than it does to get a cat to claw on something non-destructive. My pits would rather rip the squeakers out of toys (which takes months with one of these) than chew on a pillow anyway.

Edit: Downvoted for pointing out that cats also destroy shit. Ok.

We bought our goldendoodle some puzzle toys. These help a lot. Unfortunately he has figured them out and just solves it in seconds now lol.

https://www.amazon.com/TRIXIE-Pet-Products-Board-Level/dp/B0054Q9TMA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1518452513&sr=8-3&keywords=dog+puzzle&dpID=416kgbG3sHL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch


https://www.amazon.com/Trixie-Mad-Scientist-Dogs-Level/dp/B003TOKTEG/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1518452513&sr=8-9&keywords=dog+puzzle

I have my adorable little kitty, Munchie! She's a silly kitty. We names her as we did because when she was a baby, she was mildly feral and would eat anything and also steal food.

Item for her!

Item for you!

Thanks for the contest!

Treat Dispensing Chew Ball, Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009YD8NS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_INc4DbZ8K7JXS

Can't recommend these enough, my boy loves them and they can stand against his chewing for a good bit. I think kongs are about the only thing that we've bought that last the longest, we bought the large black one.

My wife bought the pup a tire and rope toy that lasts as well, but it's an outside toy since he flings the tire by the rope and it becomes a morning star.

Do you take him for a long walk at night?

This is a kong. You can fill it with peanut butter and some small treats, freeze it, and it will preoccupy your dog for hours

This is how I feed my dog her meals, she has to push it to get her kibble out, so it mentally stimulates her

Here are some other mentally stimulating toys we use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ZTTSOE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lcQAzbWNWKYBJ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054Q9TMA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FbQAzbTVZQGKH

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014OAYVKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8cQAzb365KDN2

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F0RRTG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HdQAzbMD3G61W

Room or walk in closet? Whatever works right?
Tubes and Dig Box. Hands down. You can even cheat, by putting socks in a box and calling it a day. Don't buy play sand, I don't like rice, I personally prefer biodegradable non-toxic packing peanuts. Tubes aren't too bad if you buy online, Pet stores are insanely over priced. This isn't too bad as you get free Shipping with Prime https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-Pet-Products-FT-190-Thru-Way/dp/B0002DJL0K, you can also just go to your local hardware store and ask about the tubes they have available for saw dust collection. Usually Cheaper and more efficient to buy in bulk. Even the Marshall Tunnel is 15 Feet, so thats a good length to start with.

Since your dog doesn't eat the stuff he rips up, maybe this can also work with him. I collect junk mail papers you typically get in your mailbox. I wrap some treat multiple times with those paper. Then I stuff those paper balls into a large toy with pockets such as this and this (or even a small bag would work) to make it more difficult.

Then the dog 1) tries to get the paper balls out of the pocket/bag and 2) uses his nose to locate the treats and shreds the paper to get to them. He will probably eat only the treats and leave the shredded paper alone.

You have to clean up all the mess afterwards, but I think the dog has fun doing it.

My two current faverites are the Tricky Treat Ball and the Tug-A-Jug.


For the ball getting the first half of the kibble out is pretty easy but the second half is pretty tricky (aka getting the dog hooked and then upping the difficulty). The Jug is just awesome but it's loud as hell on wood floors and drives me nuts so I'll only give it to her when I'm about to leave the house.


I've also heard good things about Buster Cubes because they've got adjustable openings but I really need to stop buying stuff for my spoiled pup so I don't have one.

Yeah it was those treat holes in the ends that were the toy's undoing. They gave my dog the right angle and leverage on the ends, and she ripped it apart in about 20 minutes.

This is the only thing she hasn't been able to get through.

Reviews are mixed but this chain toy has been holding up much better than rope toys for us.

My dog was inhaling her food to the point of horking and gagging every time until I got her a slow feeder [similar to this one] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2BEPD8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yRb-Bb7Z93DRC) but it got too easy for her. Lately I've been feeding her food in [this puzzle] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711Y9Y8W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7Sb-BbY9PZQM1) where she has to remove the bones before getting a few pieces at a time.

This is bently. He is an awesome dog. This is him after a long day. He couldn't destroy a toy if he tried to so I looked for indestructible dog toys on Amazon and this came up. Says it is guaranteed.

This would be my item.

Zoey has a few (this one and this one), but she figured them out way too quickly.

We try to teach her new stuff and reinforce old stuff that she learned. Practical things, like new words, new skills, and old skills in new languages.

Kongs (black, not red), kong wubbas, stick chews, tennis balls (squeaky or not, my dog likes squeaky), nylabones, antlers and ropes for tug (I also use the wubba). If I could only choose one from that list, I'd go with the wubba. My dog loves that thing.

You need to consider all dog toys as consumables. You will have to replace them from time to time. That should hold you over for a while though.

There’s this item: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J63AAAM/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550377198&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=bow+tie+dog+collar+formal&psc=1

This is also supposed to be a really good toy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005VS9WO6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550377247&sr=8-3&keywords=squirrel+dog+toy&dpPl=1&dpID=51biFtYvRsL&ref=plSrch

My guess is Binx! Although that was a cat. My boys names are Maverick and Goose :D I'm obsessed with Lush and used to work there. I'd go back to work in a heartbeat of I could :) This is supposed to be guaranteed indestructible.

Soapy paws!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Decyam-Feeder-Bloat-Interactive-Puzzle/dp/B01MZ5RPOR That's my favourite slow feeder.

I've made my own version of this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Strategie-Spiel-Turn-Around-level/dp/B003TOKTEG I found instructions online but I can't find the link

This is also a favourite and fits about 130g of kibble https://www.amazon.co.uk/KONG-Wobbler-Treat-Dispensing-Large/dp/B003ALMW0M

And this treat ball which is big enough to hold a full meal https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Dog-Activity-Snack-Ball/dp/B00121XPS0

I've got a labrador and 3 lurchers. They rotate between the different bowls and toys so they don't get bored. I also use snuffle mats and scatter feed too. Deep chested dogs are prone to bloat and I prefer their meals to entertain them for longer than a 5 second inhale.

Use the Kong Treat Dispenser(wobbler) for his kibble. It should provide him interaction and slow down his feeding by A LOT.

Link to wobbler on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/KONG-PW2-Wobbler-Small/dp/B004NSVIRY/ref=asc_df_B004NSVIRY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=218421090408&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6838922508306478072&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029014&hvtargid=pla-355380579545&psc=1

The ones I have don't squeak, but these seem to be some Kong squeaker toys. It does seem like there are other options.

Hope im not to late, id love to get this http://www.amazon.com/Kyjen-Plush-Puppies-Squeaker-Squeakers/dp/B001WAFT80/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1341727396&sr=1-2&keywords=large+dog+toys for my dog, he's lacking toys at the moment, just has one tug of war rope

Treat Dispensing Chew Ball, Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009YD8NS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_M-K0BbT1WXP3H

Am I right? Or is it the everlasting one?
https://www.amazon.com/StarMark-Everlasting-Ball-Medium-Large/dp/B003YHB8DO

• Boxes
  
  
• Brown paper
  
  
• Toilet paper tubes
  
  
• A big, soft blanket on the ground
  
  
• This thing
  
  
• Their pet carrier
  
  I got them a ball pit and some other fancy toys, but they honestly don't care about any of that stuff and much prefer shredding paper and cardboard.

Clear duct

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000DZFTEO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510440969&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=clear+dryer+tube&dpPl=1&dpID=41AoDi00moL&ref=plSrch

Or ferret tube ($3 more)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002DJL0K/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510440876&sr=8-1&keywords=clear+tube+ferret&dpPl=1&dpID=51UTXj57prL&ref=plSrch

Get puzzle-feeders; a bobbler is a good way to occupy time. We also have a Jolly-ball we drilled a hole in the side of and can now fill with kibble.

This Kong ball might be a good option.

I have a destructive chewer - she just enjoys dismantling things. So when I was at my sister's house and Pepper chewed on her dog's Kong toy for a half hour without leaving a single mark, I went out and bought two. Not all of them can stand up to her, but the Kong extreme toys like this one do.

Jericho. he's still a puppy. He's a biter still :/

My item - add on

Your item - bacon dura chew! . Any pics of your dogs?

Thanks for the contest!

If digital items count, this CD is over by three cents at $7.92. If digital items don't count, the best I can do without going over is $7.76.

Thanks for the contest!

get some kongs from amazon, and rope toys they freaking love them this is what i have bought for mine, he is currently 5 and so months and finishing the teething cycle, sorry for the links in mexican amazon but we are from mexico :P
https://www.amazon.com.mx/gp/product/B004VBC0SY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com.mx/gp/product/B00KNWVPFO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mine love kong puppy toys. They're rubbery enough to chew on, but they haven't been able to tear a piece off in the 4 months since I bought it. I have the extra small one.
http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Puppy-Kong-Small-Assorted/dp/B0002AR18C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457123857&sr=8-2&keywords=KONG+PUPPY

I bought it online

It seems pretty durable. The size is perfect - even my chubby one can easily run back and forth. The plastic has a strong smell to it at first but it goes away after airing it out. I wouldn't suggest folding it once you unpack it. Mine just lies on the floor all stretched out.

http://www.amazon.com/Jolly-Pet-8-Inch-Romp-n-Roll-Red/dp/B0002DK9OW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1395431056&sr=8-5&keywords=jolly+ball+dog

My parents' GSD Max is also a chewer, and that's the only toy that lasts for him. He can still destroy it over the course of 6 months or so, but it holds up much better than anything else.

1. Your dogs' names are: Blinky, Princess, and Scooter
   
2. My pets names are: Aubrey and Saax. My pets are my daughter and husband because our Princess died just before we moved, and we can't have animals here.
   
3. Dura Chew Bacon Stick that you can hide treats in is pretty awesome.
   
4. No problem!
   
5. Soapy Paws
   
6. Thanks for the contest!

We've been having the same struggles with our 12 week old lab! He will only start to eat his kibble if something (boiled chicken, rice, carrot, etc) is mixed in with it. Once he's eaten all of the treats from it, he'll leave the kibble, despite the fact that he's still hungry. However, put that exact same kibble into a puzzle toy, and he eats it right up!?

We've been putting his 'leftovers' into this puzzle toy and he loves it. Always finishes his kibble.

It looks like one we have, which is this one

This stick bone: https://www
.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005DGIA26/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1465924193&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=stick+bones+for+dogs&dpPl=1&dpID=41LSpgXROfL&ref=plSrch
She's had it for months and it looks completely disgusting, but she just turned 1 and still chews on it every day. Really seemed to help.

Edit: I just realized you are looking for actual treats for your dog to eat. Sorry!

I've had luck with the "Goughnut" toys (thick rubber rings) - bought mine on amazon. Pricey, but even with tagreted chewing my (3 year old) pup can't get through his.

I've got an 18 lb dog and we usually alternate between a kong with frozen dog safe peanut butter, a ball that she can push around until treats come out ( https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-Interactive-Treat-Colors/dp/B003ARUKTG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1485722531&sr=8-3&keywords=dog+puzzle+toy ), and also this toy with flaps but she figured it out too fast: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZTTSOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s04?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Incase anyone is curious the toy is a KONG Cozie .. Marvin the Moose to be exactly. I distribute pet supplies and actually shipped 480 of these things today (not related to Reddit, they were presold).

http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Cozie-Marvin-Moose-Medium/dp/B005AP3B8S

https://www.amazon.com/Goughnuts-Guaranteed-Indestructible-Dog-Original/dp/B0042JJB82/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475161216&sr=8-1&keywords=doughnut+dog+toy

I once saw these recommended on here before for a similar question.