Welcome to another “Lucky Dog” series article. No dog toy is truly indestructible. Still, millions of dog owners continue the never-ending search for a toy that is nearly indestructible, safe, reasonably priced, hoping to find the perfect toy that provides many hours of fun for their beloved dogs. As the dog-owner and dog-fosterer, I have had cause to test quite a few dog toys on the market. My main “tester” is a 54-pound rescued pit bull named Lucky, and the “assistant testers” have been a parade of foster dogs who have spent time living in my home, under the auspices of the local SPCA shelter.
Toys came from a variety of sources, including local non-chain pet stores, large chain pet stores, and an online store (www.dog.com) that often has the lowest prices for a wide variety of toys. Some of the toys lasted less than a few minutes before the canine test team completely destroyed them. Other toys were able to stand up quite well. The top five toys had to stand up for a reasonable amount of usage, as well as providing entertainment. After all, a toy that a dog finds uninteresting is of no value.
Based on the unscientific responses of the canine test team, here are the top five toys for power chewers, in descending order.
The Kong Power Chewer ($7.76 at Dog.com) is another canine-tested favorite. By applying some care as to how this toy is given to the dogs, our second Kong Power Chewer has managed to withstand months of abuse from multiple dogs in my house, while the first Kong Power Chewer met with an early demise. This is another toy that offers a food/treat delivery option; it can be filled with kibble, small treats, or stuffed with soft goodies such as peanut butter or cheese wiz. The first Kong Power Chewer was destroyed within a day when it was given to main canine tester, completely filled with soft cheese. That one was replaced with an identical Kong Power Chewer, but rather than completely stuffing it with cheese, it is filled with bits of treats and kibble, and soft cheese or peanut butter is only used to seal the kibble in. Used this way, the second Kong Power Chewer has lasted many months, so it now also makes the bargain list too.
The Everlasting Treat Ball is another favorite of our canine testers. While the “everlasting treats” are not truly everlasting, they do provide a challenge for our canine testers to remove from the ball. Usually the treat can be removed within twenty minutes, but then the treat still keeps dogs busy as they work on the treat itself. Even without the treat, the ball itself is a source of entertainment. After several months of use, the Everlasting Treat Ball only is showing a small tear, barely noticeable, in the rim on one side. This toy is somewhat less of a bargain however, since it gets the most use when it is filled with an actual Everlasting Treat. The Everlasting Treat Ball and the associated treats come in three sizes – small, medium and large, and the prices vary accordingly. The treats are sold in packs of two, with a variety of flavors available. The least expensive price for a large two-pack of treats is $4.99 at Dog.com; however, the site sometimes is sold out of this for months at a time. The treats are more readily available at stores such as PetSmart, where the treats can cost up to $8.99 for a two-pack online, and even more in the bricks-and-mortar stores.
The Busy Buddy Waggle toy description on dog.com reads: “This unique toy has a super flexible middle that allows it to be playfully “wagged” and shaken back and forth. Treat MeterTM randomly dispenses treats for kibble-loving pooches”.1 Neither of the dogs that were given a chance to test this toy were able to figure out how to get the treats out. As a treat-distribution toy, this toy appeared to frustrate the testers. However, as a toy to gnaw on, carry, play, throw and even tug with, this toy quickly became a favorite. The more dominate dog liked the Busy Buddy Waggle toy so much that shortly before bedtime, she quietly hid the toy underneath my bed. Then during the night, she slipped off the bed, retrieved the toy, and hid it in my bed underneath a pillow, where it would be safe from the other canine testers. The Busy Buddy Waggle toy seems fairly well made, and looks like it will hold up at least for a few months. Purchased from Dog.com for a mere $7.99 for the large size, this toy makes the bargain list. (The smaller size is available for just $5.99).
Kong Squeakers toys come in a variety of shapes – sticks, dumbbells, donuts, balls and jacks. Our canine test team quickly became expert at finding the squeaker piece and removing it from the rest of the toy, an obviously dangerous situation. Once the squeaker piece was disposed of, the toys still retained the interest of the canine test team, but most of the toys had a maximum useful life measured in weeks, not months. Still, with prices as low as .99 for a triple-pack of balls, the Kong squeaker toy series can be useful for even some tough chewers. However, supervision is needed, as some dogs may strip and eat the tennis-ball like covering on these toys. Owners may also want to consider removing the squeaker piece before their dog does it for them.
The Busy Buddy Twist n’Treat delivered treats with a much higher degree of frequency, leaving the canine testers happy as treats and kibble came out rather easily. Once the toy was empty, it offered a bit of entertainment as a chew toy and it did not take long for it to begin looking quite a bit worse for wear. Accordingly, this might be a good toy for mild to moderate chewers, but not for power chewers. On sale for $12.49 at dog.com, is not a bad deal for the mild-to-moderate chewers. Owners of power chewers will need to supervise the use of this toy closely.
Some of the other toys that were tested but did not make the top five list include the Buster Food Cube, the Tuffy series of toys, and the Nylabone, among others. The Buster Food Cube was interesting for less than a few minutes; the dogs quickly decided that the effort required to get the treats out was not worth the effort. Several Tuffy toys were tested; some lasted as little as a half hour before being utterly destroyed. None lasted more than a week. The Nylabone held up well, but it did not retain the interest of the dogs for very long at all.
About the author: Sharon McCuddy is the author of the “Lucky Dog” article series, which includes the above article. In part, the author draws on her experiences as a dog owner, rescuer and dog foster home to provide educational articles in the Lucky Dog series. Readers are strongly encouraged to consult with their veterinarian for any medical related issues, and to use the information provided in the articles as a basis for self-education as a responsible dog owner.
