Indestructible plush dog toys
November 20, 2013 11:23 AM Subscribe
Can you recommend a plush squeaker toy for dogs that's durable?
Since his adoption in June, as my dog has doubled in size from a wee 4 month old puppy to a handsome 9 month old behemoth (obligatory pic), he's become more destructive when it comes to toys. He still loves plush squeaky toys, but he's likely to find their weakest seams and unstuff (then try to eat) them in a matter of minutes. He loves this kind of toy, so I'd like to find one that might last a little longer. Any good experiences that you can share finding the right dog toy? (I know this question exists, but it's a few years old, and I'd like updates, in case there are newer better toys on the market.)
Since his adoption in June, as my dog has doubled in size from a wee 4 month old puppy to a handsome 9 month old behemoth (obligatory pic), he's become more destructive when it comes to toys. He still loves plush squeaky toys, but he's likely to find their weakest seams and unstuff (then try to eat) them in a matter of minutes. He loves this kind of toy, so I'd like to find one that might last a little longer. Any good experiences that you can share finding the right dog toy? (I know this question exists, but it's a few years old, and I'd like updates, in case there are newer better toys on the market.)
Best answer: The Tuffy's brand of dog toys are pretty darn sturdy. My dog is much smaller but he is quite destructive and it takes him a long time to tear apart their Mega toys.
posted by radioamy at 11:37 AM on November 20, 2013
posted by radioamy at 11:37 AM on November 20, 2013
Best answer: We gave our dog this Tuffy dinosaur a while ago. He immediately (within 45 minutes) chewed off the the head and pulled the stuffing out of that section and he chewed off all the sticky-up parts along the back. The rest of the toy has remained relatively intact, although the tail was gone within a day or two.
It looks like many of the Tuffy toys don't squeak, which is actually fine with me since squeakers drive me nuts. I'd buy another Tuffy toy, although I'd try to find one without so many small parts to chew off. Nothing else we've gotten has lasted nearly as long.
posted by Squeak Attack at 11:46 AM on November 20, 2013
It looks like many of the Tuffy toys don't squeak, which is actually fine with me since squeakers drive me nuts. I'd buy another Tuffy toy, although I'd try to find one without so many small parts to chew off. Nothing else we've gotten has lasted nearly as long.
posted by Squeak Attack at 11:46 AM on November 20, 2013
I've found with my dog that durability isn't the issue; I just have to not buy plush toys with any stuffing. She'll instantly shred and dissect a toy with stuffing, but a cheap stuffing-less toy with a squeaker at each end that's just floppy fabric she hasn't ripped at all and she loves it. The "fur" has some texture to it and she just likes to nom it around in her mouth, but she hasn't ripped it at all. It was like $6 at the grocery store.
posted by rawralphadawg at 11:49 AM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by rawralphadawg at 11:49 AM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
the reality is that if your dog is the sort to become obsessed with new toys and play at them and play at them to get the squeaker - then there is no such thing as a durable squeaky toy.
posted by JPD at 11:53 AM on November 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by JPD at 11:53 AM on November 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
but a cheap stuffing-less toy with a squeaker at each end that's just floppy fabric she hasn't ripped at all and she loves it.
This is an excellent point. One of my dog's favorite toys is Flat Duck, a plush stuffing-free duck with a squeaker. He likes to drag it around, toss it up in the air, and like rawral's dog likes to nom it around in his mouth. Flat Duck was something like 5 bucks in an impulse bin at petsmart.
posted by phunniemee at 11:54 AM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
This is an excellent point. One of my dog's favorite toys is Flat Duck, a plush stuffing-free duck with a squeaker. He likes to drag it around, toss it up in the air, and like rawral's dog likes to nom it around in his mouth. Flat Duck was something like 5 bucks in an impulse bin at petsmart.
posted by phunniemee at 11:54 AM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: He tends to rip the stuffing-less ones and get to the squeaker significantly quicker. I'd be open to the idea of stuffing-free ones that have really strong seams, but so far those ones are the ones he demolishes the quickest.
posted by .kobayashi. at 12:01 PM on November 20, 2013
posted by .kobayashi. at 12:01 PM on November 20, 2013
Our Yoda is chiweenie (chihuahua-dachshund) that kills [almost] every toy he meets. These are his/our recommendations.
Once stuffie we absolutely love:
Kyjen Invincibles - He has a 4-squeak gecko. My mom bought it for him months ago off some special online deal, and he played with it CONSTANTLY for a week, and plays with it every couple of days. He drags it out of his toybin on his own. The little orange spines were chewed off in minutes, but there has been no other identifiable damage to it since. All squeaks still work, no open seams anywhere.
We've been meaning to get him a snake or two, and some more geckos, just to have some variety. (They come in different sizes.)
Three non-stuffies that work okay:
Small Ball - He loves this one. It's great for playing fetch with, and as long as we take it away if he's in a really chewy mode at the end of fetch, it retains its squeak for quite a while, a month or so. It gets used daily, so we consider that pretty good mileage for this toy. None of our local stores carry it, which is REALLY frustrating. They're cheap at WallyWorld if you have a not-tiny one in your town.
Medium Ball - He has a couple of these, hasn't killed one yet. They're a little bit big for him, especially with the bumps on it, but he will occasionally cart it around. Probably would work better for a bigger dog.
Bone - He also has a couple of these, both still working. The way they're made makes them hard to kill, but they're just sort of awkward for him to lug around, and he refuses to fetch them. Other dogs might like them better.
posted by stormyteal at 12:02 PM on November 20, 2013
Once stuffie we absolutely love:
Kyjen Invincibles - He has a 4-squeak gecko. My mom bought it for him months ago off some special online deal, and he played with it CONSTANTLY for a week, and plays with it every couple of days. He drags it out of his toybin on his own. The little orange spines were chewed off in minutes, but there has been no other identifiable damage to it since. All squeaks still work, no open seams anywhere.
We've been meaning to get him a snake or two, and some more geckos, just to have some variety. (They come in different sizes.)
Three non-stuffies that work okay:
Small Ball - He loves this one. It's great for playing fetch with, and as long as we take it away if he's in a really chewy mode at the end of fetch, it retains its squeak for quite a while, a month or so. It gets used daily, so we consider that pretty good mileage for this toy. None of our local stores carry it, which is REALLY frustrating. They're cheap at WallyWorld if you have a not-tiny one in your town.
Medium Ball - He has a couple of these, hasn't killed one yet. They're a little bit big for him, especially with the bumps on it, but he will occasionally cart it around. Probably would work better for a bigger dog.
Bone - He also has a couple of these, both still working. The way they're made makes them hard to kill, but they're just sort of awkward for him to lug around, and he refuses to fetch them. Other dogs might like them better.
posted by stormyteal at 12:02 PM on November 20, 2013
Seconding Kyjen's Invincibles. The large snake lasted almost a year....and crazy heeler doxie Wilson Andrew is quite the determined chewer.
posted by answergrape at 12:21 PM on November 20, 2013
posted by answergrape at 12:21 PM on November 20, 2013
We have a couple of destroyers, and honestly, the most effective management technique we've come up with so far is just buying a lot of cheap stuffed toys at the thrift store and cleaning up polyfill a lot. (AVOID BEANBAG BEANS. You can actually spot the people looking for dog toys because we fondle stuffies looking for that bean stuffing.)
We also have a Tuffy toy (Jersey Shore Pete) that's been intact for over a year so far, but I think that's partially attributable to our biggest toy-destroyer being weirdly maternal with things that look like octopuses. (I dunno, man. She hasn't been entirely forthcoming with us about it, but she clearly has a back story.)
posted by ernielundquist at 12:25 PM on November 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
We also have a Tuffy toy (Jersey Shore Pete) that's been intact for over a year so far, but I think that's partially attributable to our biggest toy-destroyer being weirdly maternal with things that look like octopuses. (I dunno, man. She hasn't been entirely forthcoming with us about it, but she clearly has a back story.)
posted by ernielundquist at 12:25 PM on November 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
My 7-month old Golden Doodle pup loves nothing more than a stuffed or unstuffed plush toy.
After a recent visit to the ER when we had to have a squeaker removed (I was out of the room for minutes when he opened a small hole above the squeaker) and then an afternoon when he destroyed 4 ultra strong plush toys in 30 minutes, we decided to stop letting him have any plush for now. He can't have blankets anymore and last night I woke up to the sound of his bed being shredded.
Apparently, it can be the end of teething. Sometimes, it's just the dog. Most of my new buddies at the dog park say he'll grow out of it at about 18 months.
We used to give him antlers, but apparently they can break teeth.
Huge carrots have been excellent as a diversion for about 10-15 minutes.
We have this one and it is pretty awesome so far.
We have some rope toys, but only let him play with them with a human and then we put it away. Rope pieces can get stuck and accumulate in the abdomen.
Good luck! He's a handsome dog!
posted by mamabear at 12:28 PM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
After a recent visit to the ER when we had to have a squeaker removed (I was out of the room for minutes when he opened a small hole above the squeaker) and then an afternoon when he destroyed 4 ultra strong plush toys in 30 minutes, we decided to stop letting him have any plush for now. He can't have blankets anymore and last night I woke up to the sound of his bed being shredded.
Apparently, it can be the end of teething. Sometimes, it's just the dog. Most of my new buddies at the dog park say he'll grow out of it at about 18 months.
We used to give him antlers, but apparently they can break teeth.
Huge carrots have been excellent as a diversion for about 10-15 minutes.
We have this one and it is pretty awesome so far.
We have some rope toys, but only let him play with them with a human and then we put it away. Rope pieces can get stuck and accumulate in the abdomen.
Good luck! He's a handsome dog!
posted by mamabear at 12:28 PM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
3rding Invincibles. I thought sure my dingo would kill it in minutes, but its almost a week now of hard squeaky fun and still going!
posted by The otter lady at 12:38 PM on November 20, 2013
posted by The otter lady at 12:38 PM on November 20, 2013
I got my sister's dog Flea and Tick. Mischa LOVES to play with her toys and as a 60 lb Portuguese Water Dog is pretty rough on things. Flea and Tick are both in fine shape and enjoy an occasional bath in the washing machine.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:47 PM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:47 PM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh forgot to mention that I always see the Mega toys at Ross and the like.
posted by radioamy at 12:59 PM on November 20, 2013
posted by radioamy at 12:59 PM on November 20, 2013
There are a few lines of toys out there that are deliberately not stuffed with anything, presumably for this purpose.
I have one that is unstuffed, with a hole at the bottom perfectly sized for a water bottle. The idea is that you put an empty water bottle inside, which provides endless hours of chomping enjoyment, AND if the dog wants to disembowel the thing, it's just hollow plastic inside instead of stuffing.
Downside, there is no squeaker.
posted by Sara C. at 1:11 PM on November 20, 2013
I have one that is unstuffed, with a hole at the bottom perfectly sized for a water bottle. The idea is that you put an empty water bottle inside, which provides endless hours of chomping enjoyment, AND if the dog wants to disembowel the thing, it's just hollow plastic inside instead of stuffing.
Downside, there is no squeaker.
posted by Sara C. at 1:11 PM on November 20, 2013
Response by poster: Right. Again, he tends to destroy the stuffing-less ones even quicker than the ones with stuffing. And with the non-stuffed toys he not only gets straight to (and tries to eat) the squeaker more quickly, he tends to try to eat full fabric strips from the shredded toy too. Ironically, a toy designed to prevent him from swallowing bad stuff just seems to raise that risk. For this reason, I'm really not looking for the stuffing-less toys right now. Lots of good stuffed possibilities here, though. Thanks everyone!
posted by .kobayashi. at 1:17 PM on November 20, 2013
posted by .kobayashi. at 1:17 PM on November 20, 2013
Best answer: My dogs can kill and gut a stuffy in under two minutes. The ones that last the longest in our experience are Tuffy brand toys. We have had 4 (lobster, lizard, ring, and tug of war toy) and the only one they've been able to gut is the lizard. Now all the outer fabric is off the lobster,but the guts have not been breached. The upside is my dogs will continue to play with the unstuffed shells...
posted by cecic at 1:35 PM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by cecic at 1:35 PM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
The stuffy-free fabric toys have been an absolute fail here, too. And the Mega and Tuffy toys - while they might last an hour or two if we're lucky, that's a pretty short lifespan for the cost, so we've given up on them. If we let him chew on a tennis ball, he's got it in pieces within moments.
So while yes, Yoda has other toys in his toybin, the only reason they're still there is because he won't play with it, not that it's kill-proof.
posted by stormyteal at 6:04 PM on November 20, 2013
So while yes, Yoda has other toys in his toybin, the only reason they're still there is because he won't play with it, not that it's kill-proof.
posted by stormyteal at 6:04 PM on November 20, 2013
I give my destroyers an old small knotted towel. Much cheaper and the dogs are just as happy!
posted by Agatha at 7:22 PM on November 20, 2013
posted by Agatha at 7:22 PM on November 20, 2013
Response by poster: We've tried a few toys now. The Tuffy lobster that cecic describes is the one that's both survived and maintained his interest. One of the lobster's legs is gone, snipped away when he had it hanging by a triple-stitch. But apart from that, it's solid and well-loved.
posted by .kobayashi. at 6:40 AM on December 6, 2013
posted by .kobayashi. at 6:40 AM on December 6, 2013
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Now, obviously since I just got it today I haven't been able to let my dog road test it, but just holding it in my hand it looks like it'll be pretty ok. It's stuffing-free and has a rubber cage inside around the squeaker.
I also really like the Kong Knots toys. No stuffing in these, either. It took my dog a LONG time to destroy the frog. The first thing to go was the squeaker, but it did take some doing. He eventually chewed the frog off of it, but the rope inside of it is still a perfectly tough and serviceable toy, good for tug of war and just plain old chewing on.
posted by phunniemee at 11:31 AM on November 20, 2013