Be Canine Kind
How to Choose the Best and Safest Tough Dog Toys for Destructive Dogs
How to Choose the Best and Safest Tough Dog Toys for Destructive Dogs
By Perky Tails
If there’s a destructive dog in your family, it can be challenging finding tough dog toys that last more than five minutes with your pet. In addition to the cost and frustration of having to replace your destructive dog’s toys frequently, giving a destructive dog (or a big, strong, or bored dog) the wrong toys can lead to serious health emergencies for your pet and serious costs for you.
Every year, thousands of dogs need veterinary treatment due to esophageal or intestinal blockages (when a foreign body gets stuck, like part of a non-indestructible toy), costing about £2,500 and £3,000 to £7,000, respectively! Plus, some recent studies suggest that the plastics used in not-tough dog toys can be toxic when ingested (for example, nearly half of dog toys contain lead).
That’s why it’s so important to buy toys for strong dogs, bored dogs, and just generally destructive dogs that are made to withstand heavy chewing, rough tugging, and anything else your (intentionally or accidentally) destructive dog can do to it! At Perky Tail Toys we make toys for bored dogs that’ll turn them into happy dogs. Our tough dog toys that will alleviate your dog’s boredom, burn their excess energy, and even improve their health without putting them at risk for injury or accidental ingestion. Check out our full line of tough and interactive dog toys for bored and destructive dogs, or keep reading to find out more about the best kinds of toys for destructive dogs!
How to Choose the Best and Safest Tough Dog Toys for Destructive Dogs
Whether your dog is truly a destructive dog or just gets a little destructive when they’re bored, buying tough dog toys and interactive dog toys is essential to their quality of life. But that begs the question: how do you even look for tough dog toys or interactive dog toys for a dog who destroys all toys? When you have a destructive dog, a good rule of thumb is to treat every product you buy them — even non-toys, tough dog toys, and specially-made toys for bored dogs who are home alone — as if they are not actually indestructible dog toys. The key characteristics you should consider are:
1. Non-Toxic Materials: It goes without saying that you want whatever kind of toy you buy — whether it’s a tough dog toy or not — to be made of safe, non-toxic materials. No country currently has an internal regulatory board for pet products, so it’s up to you to find out what toys are made of (literally and figuratively). To that end, Healthy Stuff has an online catalog of toxicity test results for pet products, the US FDA maintains a small (but helpful) list of dangerous and recalled pet products, and you can conduct a test at home to determine
Whether your favorite indestructible dog toys contain lead on any exposed surfaces (or, for non-indestructible dog toys, surfaces that your destructive dog has exposed!). You should also consider, if you’ve got a destructive dog that eats what they love, whether materials may be toxic if ingested. For example, some soft stuffing in plush dog toys contains toxic-to-ingest chemical treatments designed to make fabrics less hospitable for the growth of bacteria, fungi, mites, etc.
2. Choking, Blockage, & Sharp-Edged Hazards: Dogs, are at a high risk of esophageal or intestinal blockages. Destructive dogs are at exceptionally high risk for these kinds of injuries, as they are often at their most destructive when no one is around to take away broken toys or broken-off toy parts. While you can never think of everything, it’s important to check new toys — even tough dog toys and especially interactive dog toys — for small parts that could be easily broken off and swallowed.
This is especially important for parts with ribbon, elastic, and other materials that could get tangled or constrict around the digestive tract. What’s more, hard plastic and rawhide toys break apart in sharp pieces and can cause mouth injuries and internal punctures in destructive dogs, proving that not all hard materials actually make for indestructible dog toys.
Finding Tough Chew Toys For Destructive Dogs
When you’re shopping for indestructible dog toys, truly tough chew toys are hard to come by. What’s more, chew toys for destructive dogs are often made of hard, solid plastic, without any of the bounce, squeak, or fun of a regular toy.
Consequently, you end up spending your money on tough dog toys that your dog doesn’t want to play with. It doesn’t have to be that way, though! If you know where to look and what to look for, it is possible to find tough chew toys that can withstand the kind of play destructive dogs love without being hazardous to their health. What’s more, some tough chew toys offer health benefits (in addition to the exercise and intellectual stimulation that comes with play) like dental cleaning/tartar control.
For example, Perky Tail Toys’ Dog Ball Set is made for rough play. This tough chew toy is made of non-toxic heavy-duty rubber, so it’s durable but still bounces and compresses/squeezes in ways that destructive dogs love. Plus, it squeaks, so it’s great for both play and training! Moreover, these chew balls are designed to improve the dental health of even the most
destructive dogs.
Where traditional tough chew toys made of hard plastic can actually damage teeth — causing cracks, chips, and even abscesses if sharp pieces splinter off — the small, soft spikes lining the outside of these chew balls gently cleans the tartar off dogs’ teeth as they play. Considering that hard plastic (and bone) chew toys promising the same dental benefits are actually some of the most dangerous tough dog toys out there, these tough chew toys are a big step up from anything ever offered before for destructive dogs.
Picking Safe & Stimulating Interactive Toys For Bored Dogs Who Destroy Things
Interactive dog toys present some unique benefits — and some unique risks — to destructive dogs. On the one hand, many destructive dogs are bored or lonely. Being left at home while owners are away leaving them feeling upset or unamused, so they destroy toys as a way to entertain themselves or relieve the stress of separation anxiety. Interactive dog toys aim to diminish these kinds of behaviours by giving dogs a way to play that is actively rewarding and soothing without fuelling destructive behaviour. It’s no surprise, then, that the most common Interactive dog toys are treat dispensing toys.
Most dogs (even the most destructive dogs) are food motivated, so solving the puzzle to get the treat inside is a bigger reward than they joys of destruction! That said, interactive dog toys can be among the most dangerous toys for destructive dogs. They often have small, moveable parts and pieces made of hard (potentially sharp-when-broken) plastic, as well as flexible tethers like strings, ribbons, or elastic. These kinds of interactive dog toys are categorically wrong for destructive dogs, even when they are closely supervised.
Rather, pet owners shopping for indestructible dog toys with interactive elements should focus on finding toys made of rubber, with few parts, that can be kept in one location. These characteristics will help prevent injuries due to broken parts and foreign body ingestion, which most often happen when destructive dogs can carry a toy away to really work on it. That is what makes Perky Tails’ Wall-Mounted Treat Dispenser a good option for supervised play. However, pet parents looking for unsupervised interactive dog toys should consider one-part treat dispensers made with thick rubber and at least two holes for treats.
Buying The Best & Safest Rope Toys For Destructive Dogs
Rope toys are possibly the most controversial toys for destructive dogs, as they can be incredibly tough (withstanding even the roughest games of tug) but also incredibly bad for dogs’ health. By their nature, rope toys are made of fibrous materials — rope, string, strips of cloth, and even bungee-material — that are durable as long as they’re not frayed.
Once destructive dogs begin chewing on a rope toy, however, it’s often only a short amount of time before rope toys prove they’re not tough chew toys at all. This poses an immense risk to dogs’ health, as strands of toy can easily become entangled in or wrapped around parts of the digestive tract. Consequently, the best rope toys for destructive dogs, in addition to being very tough, are also very supervised.
Some of the most highly-recommended rope toys for destructive dogs are, like interactive dog toys, those that stay in one location so the dog cannot take it away to eat it. Some rope toys, for example, come with equipment to hang them from trees or poles. These kinds of “spring pole” toys can be fun for destructive dogs who love a good game of tug-of-war, but who are a little too strong for their human playmates.