Dog Toys

Our 9 month old Rottweiler is hard on toys. A standard tennis ball will last about an hour if she puts her mind to finding out what is inside it. When she was spayed recently, the vet told us to keep her calm and quiet for 10 days (we made it to about 5 before she drove us crazy and we had to run around outside). I had noticed stuffed toys with squeakers only dogs can hear so we thought what a great way to keep her quiet and we don't have to listen to the noise.

It lasted an hour or so before the squeaker was chewed to tiny bits. The toy itself lasted about 24 hours before all the stuffing was removed and it was a little shred of red fabric. It cost $15 and did not keep her quiet for nearly long enough.

On my most recent trip to a thrift store I decided that I would take a look at the children's section for stuffed toys. Even though she is hard on them, Harley really loves playing with them. So for $1.50 I found a teddy bear and a lamb toy.

Harley's "new" bear eyes and nose removed.

Please excuse the blurry photos it was
difficult to get her to stay still for a photo.

I gave her the bear and within an hour she had removed the eyes and nose but the rest of the bear remained intact for 3 full days before the stuffing started coming out. Once the stuffing came out I pulled out as much as I could so she wouldn't make a mess and eat it. Even without stuffing she is still playing with it and having fun. Once it is reduced to shreds I will give her the lamb (or until she is testing my patience some day).

Here is my thought on the whole process. Pet toy manufactures are not as worried about getting sued for a pet getting hurt by a toy as children's toy manufactures are. Therefore toys for children are better made and will last longer for dogs than dog toys specifically made for dogs...go figure.

These are some tips on buying children's stuff toys for dogs:

• check the bottom ends for bean bags, they are far messier to clean up than fibre fill stuffing
• don't buy thin or shiny fabrics, they are weak and will have sharp teeth through them first bite
• try to get toys without the button eyes and nose, they will get chewed off quickly and could be a choking hazard
• cut off tags and ribbons before giving to the dog
• remove any doll clothes from the toys
• you may even want to cut a small hole and remove all the stuffing, dogs don't care if they are stuffed or not