Dogs
All about dogs - dog breeds, dog training and behavior, news affecting dog owners or handlers, puppy pics, etc.
Rules (Will be refined later on).
-
Don't be a dick. This should cover most things, just keep in mind that everyone started somewhere and try to be helpful rather than rude or judgmental.
-
No personal attacks based on training style or tools.
Discussion of balanced training including proper use of aversives is allowed here. -
All breeds and mixes are welcome. You can criticize backyard breeding practices but don't pile on people because they own a specific breed or prefer purebreds or mixed breeds.
-
Do not support backyard breeders or puppy mills. Please do not link to or suggest buying from high volume breeders or those with an obvious lack of standards and testing.
-
Do not help or support fake service animals. Please do not encourage people to buy fake service dog vest or ESA letters to get around rental or other restrictions & do not give advice on how to misrepresent a dog as a service or support animal.
view the rest of the comments
You don't need stronger toys. You need more entertainment and enrichment. If the dog is picking apart the toys it's because they're bored. With that said, natural hemp rope is great. You can buy 40 ft of it and make a whole bunch of chew toys and pull toys.
I can understand this assumption, but this is just how she approaches any toy I give her. I have plenty of puzzle toys (food based) that I use and of course she is high energy so she gets plenty of exercise and play. But when it comes to non food toys, she just wrecks them.
I'm not saying that you're not providing things to do. I'm just saying your dog is enjoying ripping the toys apart because it's challenging. They're going to pick apart the rope too. But that shouldn't cause any problems. And yes I am using assumptions here as I have had multiple shepherds and huskies over the years that behaved the same.
Yea. I think the hemp rope is a good idea. I got one with tennis balls on it but she chews the tennis ball fuzz of it when we aren’t playing tug. Just a rope might work though, so thank you for the suggestion!
Simply not true. Some dogs really just enjoy pulling things apart. Our old girl - a golden retriever - could bite through a “super tough” kong in 10 minutes. She had no other interest in her toys beyond breaking them.
I would not recommend rope toys to a dog that enjoys destroying toys. They’ll end up swallowing it.
We found the “safe” wood chews worked best. You go through them quickly but they’re supposed to be destroyed by design. In Australia they’re called “coffee wood chews” but names no doubt vary from country to country.
Not enough exercise can make enjoyment of chewing into a destructive habit. Yeah, a dog that gets exercise might still love to chew things up, but lack of exercise will make it worse.