# Chew toys for a BIG time chewer/shredder



## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

Hi all,

Ceylon just _loves _to chew, and he also loves to shred. Granted, he is teething right now, but still... His favorite toy so far has been his loofa, but it already has a couple of holes in it (after just a week!!) and I am paranoid about him swallowing pieces of fluff from _anything_, so that toy will only be used under supervision from now on...

His breeder suggested Nylabones, so when I first got Ceylon I bought him a puppy pack of 3. She had said not to buy the clear kind, because they tended to disintegrate - well, he has chewed on the (non-clear) Nylabones so much that I found shards of the Nylabone earlier tonight and the Nylabone itself that he had been chewing on earlier was completely soft, partially ripped, and falling apart (again, after just a little more than a week!). So, Nylabones are out as well, at least for any sort of solution that will last longer than a week!

I searched through this forum and I found a few suggestions. I have a couple of kongs already, but those are supposed to be his 'special treat' for when he has to be left alone for an hour or so (though, he doesn't seem to interested in them so far - maybe he just doesn't like the puppy filling that I got for him? Or perhaps, because he only gets them when he is left alone? I dunno...). I think that I don't want anything else that he can actually consume, such as pig ears, frozen liver, rawhide, etc - after everything else that I have heard about Havs being possibly picky eaters, I am pretty determined to keep him on a strict diet of only high-quality puppy/dog food, at least until he is older (I don't give him treats or human food either, obviously, and he is doing really well with that overall). And since he is a voracious shedder (I could tell you stories about that as well, but I am sure that you can imagine!), anything such as loofas or Tuffies are out as well.

I will for sure get him some antler bones tomorrow, and I am hoping that those may just solve my problem. The only other thing that might work, I think, is raw bones - - but I am worried about splinters, bacteria, choking, etc. Does anybody else have a hav that was this voracious about chewing/shredding, and do you have any thoughts about antler bones, raw bones, or any other suggestions for good, long-lasting chew toys that he would actually like to chew on, that won't disintegrate within a week?

Thanks so much!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Besides the Antlerz, which Kodi is only mildly interested in, the only chew item that we've found that can hold up to Kodi's teeth are the real, hollow bones they sell stuffed with "stuff". They have various flavors, and the food quality of all of the stuffing isn't great. But once you have a few of the bones, you can easily refill them with anything you want. 

I've found that the long bones work better for Kodi than the short ones, because he can't get everything out of the middle without me pushing it through for him. therefore he has to work at it longer, while getting less out of it. I also try to find ones with as narrow an opening as possible. 

After he's finished the stuffing they come with, I either re-stuff them with canned food and freeze them, or just smear a little peanut butter on the inside with a finger. That keeps him happy and busy for a LONG time without adding many calories to his diet. For a while, I mixed kibble into just enough PB to hold it in place, but I found that he likes it just as much with just a smear of PB, and then I don't have to worry about the food going bad in there.


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## dbeech (Jun 16, 2009)

Karen, where do you get the stuffed bones?


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Did you get the Nylabones that are labeled for 'strong chewers'? Augie still has those around - in one piece.  I occasionally hear him chewing on one. We kept losing them - under the refrigerator or furniture. I don't think Augie was near the strong chewer as some on the forum have been. He does manage to go through most stuffed toys - the seams give out - I have a whole basket of them I keep meaning to sew back up. I love the Skineez that have no stuffing - haven't had problems with those yet.


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## evaofnc (Feb 22, 2011)

We give out frozen marrow bones from the supermarket as a treat. Only thing is they get messy as they melt so the dogs are only allowed to chew them outside or in the kitchen. Keeps their teeth nice and shiny too


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

dbeech said:


> Karen, where do you get the stuffed bones?


They seem to have them everywhere. I can get them at our local independent, or at Petco. I usually avoid Petsmart, but they have them there too. I THINK they are Red Barn, but I'm not positive about that... I don't have a wrapped one around at the moment.


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## dbeech (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks, Karen. I will look at Petco. 

Riley was never much of a chewer. He will savor a flossie for days. He still has his original stuffed animal toys. None have ever been torn.

Now my new girl is a different story...she can go through a flossie in 5 minutes. I need to find some longer lasting chew things for her.


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

Thanks everybody, I will give all of your suggestions a try!


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

Himalayan Dog Chews! Has anybody tried these??

They were recommended to me by my cousin, and I finally got Cey one earlier today. So far, I like them! Ceylon LOVED it, and I loved knowing that he was chewing on a high-protein, low-fat treat made out of natural things! And for all of the chewing that he did (I think he chewed on it for hours, until I finally took it away from him!), it seemed like he _barely _scratched it... though we will have to wait and see how it holds up over time of course.

If you have used these before with your dogs, am I silly for putting it in the freezer?? I figure first of all, it will give him a harder object to chew on, and secondly, I am always a bit wary of bacteria, even though in researching this it seems like it would be just fine left out for weeks...


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

Also, silly off-topic question, but does anybody know why this thread has a 'thumbs down' flag? Did I somehow do that, or did somebody give it a thumbs down, or how does that work?

I wouldn't be offended if somebody didn't like my posts lol, I was just wondering how it got there since if I did it, I certainly didn't do it intentionally


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I think if your pup can grind down a nyla bone you might have problems with any kind of chew . I found pigs hoofs and they last over a mo. I wish mine liked the nyla bones! I had problems with raw Bones my girls both got sick I got it from the botcher hardly had any meat on it but both were very sick.


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## Suzy (May 9, 2008)

I'm puzzled by the "thumbs down" too. Maybe someone will have the answer. The chew suggestions are good.


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

How is the new girl doing? I haven't seen any new pictures of them together or I am missing that thread? Hope they are happy together. 



dbeech said:


> Thanks, Karen. I will look at Petco.
> 
> Riley was never much of a chewer. He will savor a flossie for days. He still has his original stuffed animal toys. None have ever been torn.
> 
> Now my new girl is a different story...she can go through a flossie in 5 minutes. I need to find some longer lasting chew things for her.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I don't see any thumbs down on my screen... Are you sure you didn't somehow do it yourself?

ETA: Oh, never mind... now I see it... at the very top of the thread. I suspect it was an accident... I can't imagine anyone would have a problem with this thread! I'll ask one of the moderators!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

heatherk said:


> Also, silly off-topic question, but does anybody know why this thread has a 'thumbs down' flag? Did I somehow do that, or did somebody give it a thumbs down, or how does that work?
> 
> I wouldn't be offended if somebody didn't like my posts lol, I was just wondering how it got there since if I did it, I certainly didn't do it intentionally


When you are in the advanced mode (for writing a post) there are a list of post icons right below the text area, you probably accidentally hit the thumbs down not realizing it.

I changed it to a smiley face for you 

Kara


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

I have not been able to find anything that mine can't chew apart. I tried the nylabone at the breeder and trainer's suggestion and kept buying the ones for the larger breeds but w/in an hour they are no longer good and they are pretty expensive. Keep me updated on how the Himalyan does for Ceylon


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## rdanielle (Sep 2, 2008)

You might try antlers and if he's teething cold carrots help soothe the gums.


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

Thumper said:


> When you are in the advanced mode (for writing a post) there are a list of post icons right below the text area, you probably accidentally hit the thumbs down not realizing it.
> 
> I changed it to a smiley face for you
> 
> Kara


Oh thanks, both for the info and for changing that for me!


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

hmmm, himalayan dog chews, where do you find those?
Tillie isn't a HUGE chewer, but she does LOVE her rawhide bones and has gotten WAY to good at tearing those apart, so I can't let her have them anymore as I know they aren't safe... right now she has a plastic hanger and a small knuckle bone that she chews on, but she doesn't have the same "joy" over the top LOVE that she had for her rawhide...


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

TilliesMom said:


> hmmm, himalayan dog chews, where do you find those?
> Tillie isn't a HUGE chewer, but she does LOVE her rawhide bones and has gotten WAY to good at tearing those apart, so I can't let her have them anymore as I know they aren't safe... right now she has a plastic hanger and a small knuckle bone that she chews on, but she doesn't have the same "joy" over the top LOVE that she had for her rawhide...


I got ours at Mud Bay, a 'Natural Cat and Dog Food Store' in the Pacific Northwest - I would check any specialty sort of dog food stores in your area, somebody should carry it! Or you can order them off of Amazon


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

thanks!


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

How do you know if it's safe to put a little peanut butter in the hollow bone...do you just try it and hope your dog doesn't have an allergic reaction? I guess I'm thinking about how many children have peanut allergies...? What would you look for if your dog was having an allergic reaction? I found the hollow bones and bought them...they seem to kinda like chewing on them with nothing in there but if they get bored I would like to add something to keep them interested........


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