How to stop dog from chewing up toys?

Question

She is 13 months, smart as a whip, but chews up all her toys within minutes of getting them. Ive tried taking them away when I see her chewing them up and ripping them, but its not working It doesnt matter if they're stuffed, balls, etc..They are destroyed in minutes. I hate to not give her toys, because they keep her busy, when we arent playing or walking, but who can afford to constantly buy new toys (every week I have been) Ive bought those undestructable toys, but she's not interested in them. Any advice would be great.

She chews up rubber toys also :(

Answer 1

I have a pitbull and he always did the same thing. Fist of all, start by getting your dog an indestructable toy. The Kongs are very tough, but my dog personally doesnt like them. Check out this site to see his favorite http://www.nylabone.com/default.aspx?pageid=111&prodID=60 It is pretty expensive, but very worth it. If you go to this site http://www.petedge.com/ you can get great deals on all pet supplies, but you have to spend at least $60 because it is meant for pet store owners. I got him his first when he was a puppy and it lasted him 8 months. This was the first toy that I bought that he actually liked and lasted him more than a day.

This toy is great, but I still wanted my dog to have other softer toys and toys that I could use to play with him, like ropes. Whenever he was by himself I would leave him with only the nylabone. When I was around I would give him access to all of his toys, but keep an eye on him. If he started to destroy a soft toy I would walk over, tell him to be gentle, and give him the nylabaone instead. You have to teach your dog "drop it" before this will work. If you dont the dog will think you are playing when you try to take the toy away and will destroy it even faster. It took a while, but he got it.

Now I leave him with all of his toys and he doesnt destroy anything. Every time I give him a new soft toy I will just tell him to be careful and usually this works fine. I also watch him and if he is getting a bit crazy I will tell him again. He did kill a couple of stuffed animals when he was a puppy and I was at work, but it was rare, and now he doesnt do it at all. I gave him a stuffed animal in September, and it is still intact.

Good luck and if you have any other questions feel free to contact me. I know that it can be tough, but if you take the time you can train your dog to do just about anything. Also, the be careful command comes in handy other times as well. Sometimes he gets a little excited when playing with my friends puppy, but I just tell him to be careful and he gets the picture.

Answer 2

One or both of the following is probably going on with your dog. 1. She is anxious. 2. She is a powerful chewer.

A dog who is constantly chewing is in many respects finding a way to unwind. A great way to keep this down to a more manageable level will be to exercise/play with your dog more. There is an adage that I like that says "a tired dog is a trainable dog." But, more than that, a tired dog is more relaxed and better around the house. Well after the "puppy sprints" some have when they come back in. :)

A powerful chewer needs tougher toys. They wont seem as fun as what they can pulverize but a Nylabone and/or Kong type toy will be better in the long run. It might take some trial and effort to know how tough the toy needs to be. You will need to make it more interesting though by limiting the options and/or filling one of these tougher toys with say peanut butter in the inside. Few dogs can resist that. Freeze it and it will take even longer for them to work it all out. Eventually, you probably won't have to stuff it that often but try and do it every once in a while so they associate the new toy with fun.

Answer 3

I don't know if this will be help to you but my puppy receives toys all the time. Today she received a Christmas toy (shaped like an intimate) somehow she got a hole in it and tore out all the stuffing. The other week I bought her two new expensive toys from Pet co and she tore them up that night and took all the stuffing out. I don't buy her toys all the time, instead I just clean up the stuffing mess that she makes and let her keep her torn up toys. She loves it just as much even with the leg ripped off of the toy or the head inside ouch as she lives the nice toys that she hasn't destroyed. I don't throw them away because it keeps her busy still. I also find that when I take the old toys and play with them with her she likes that more. Somehow we cooked up this game of retrieval. I throw her old toy or any toy and she comes back to me and drops it @ my feet or in front of me or keeps it in her mouth and I throw it again....

Sorry Know that doesn't answer your question but I'd though I share my experience with my puppy. Good Luck though.

Answer 4

Whgen you find out I would be happy to know, We have Shelties that can play for months with a stuffed toy, then we have 1 Jack Russel that can take a tough hard rubber squeaky toy and puncture the squeaky in seconds. and a stuffed toy is gone before you can cross the room. We have to keep all the other doggie toys up so he won't get them, but then the Shelties can't find their toys. A rope toy is good for the Jack Russell tho he can chew and it will last a while, he loves tennis balls but will peel the fuzz off them, but will play with them for a while before doing this.

Answer 5

I have a dog that is three and still ruins all of his toys and so does my sister's dog. They are not really aggressive or anything, it's just like they are so excited that they chew it up. I am sorry I don't know exactly what you can do to change it. I love my dog to have toys so I just buy cheap 88 cents toys from walmart since I know he will just ruin them anyways. It is probably just part of their personality. I think it is very normal for dogs to do this. I would try some outdoor toys and play a lot of fetch. Maybe if she gets tired out she won't have as much energy to chew up the toys you buy her. Good Luck

Answer 6

Yep, I have the same problem often as we always have very large dogs... you have to give them toys, so the ONLY option is to keep trying "indestructible toys" until you find one she likes... there is always something. Best thing I've found for my husky (finally... he's 1 year old now) is a tough bone shaped thing with hard rubber ends and rope like stuff in the middle that his teeth sink into rather than shred. You have to watch it too, because the ones they can tear up they can also choke on the pieces.

Answer 7

well first sounds like your dog still has alot of puppy left in her. my friend is oging through this with his dog, I give him old toys of my dogs so his dog will have some thign to tear up.... also you might just want to stop buying the toys and give your dog the undestructable ones you bought pretty soon they will play with them knowing they ain't got nothing else to play with.... get the ones that you can put treats inside of that will keep them interested for a while... good luck

Answer 8

Dogs are supposed to be able to chew their toys! If its a financial issue, you can use rawhides or similar...edible, perfectly okay to chew.

Find some sturdier toys for her to nibble on perhaps. I have found that giving a chewey dog toys for a larger breed last longer. And please remember to take your dog for long walks daily to burn energy that might otherwise be destructive.

You may also wish to teach the dog some retrieving tricks or games so that it learns to play in a different way.

Cheers!

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Try to find a toy called "kong". It isn't indestructable, but near to it. I had a huge rottweiller and she never manged to destroy it. They also come in different sizes.