German Shepherd Proof Dog Toys

Maybe this is something I should’ve known, but nobody told me that it would be nearly impossible to find a dog toy that lasts longer than 24-36 hours with this little girl. Meet my 1 ½ year old German Shepherd who thinks chewing toys apart is a race. She’s the sweetest little baby, but gets horrible chewer’s anxiety without something to constantly play with.
  
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen for all the common claims on dog toys. You know, the ones that say they’re tough, durable, etc, etc. They obviously don’t test them with a wide range of dogs. We’ve gone through countless toys, bones, and hard ropes that were lucky if they made it longer than a couple of days. Not all dog toys are very cheap and I wanted to share some that have been thoroughly tested by my beautiful companion to be good quality so you can be informed of what’s worth your money and what’s just a joke.
No surprise here! The first toy I wanted to talk about, I couldn’t find where little miss has hidden it now. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the Classic Kong that you put a treat in, fill with peanut butter or whatever else. She’s done really good with this one. Although that may be because she doesn’t typically play with it unless there’s something in it, but it’s obvious that it’s made of good quality material and doesn’t break with a couple of chews.
One of the baby’s favorite toys to play with are tennis balls. The only problem is that she likes to chew on them, causing them to break and no longer bounce. I found the Kong Ball one day and decided to give it a try. She hasn’t been able to break it at all, which is good news. It’s made out of the same tough rubber as the Classic Kong, so it probably wouldn’t be good for dogs that don’t have a strong bite since it has so much extra weight.
This next one was mentioned to us by a man who also had a German Shepherd. We were discussing how difficult it was to find lasting toys and he recommended the Kong Jumbler Ball. Since it has a tennis ball inside, I thought she would love it! Well, she does love it but she cried and just stared at it the first day because she couldn’t get the tennis ball out of the middle. She likes to play with it now, but it can get annoying when she squeaks it nonstop. Anybody else have that problem? Like when you’re trying to talk to someone, so your dog decides it has to squeak louder?
We love playing tug-of-war with her, but she breaks and chews apart all the ropes we’ve gotten in the past. The Kong Safestix are just as fun. It’s a little more difficult for her to get a grip on compared to a normal rope, but she finds a way when she really wants to play. I know I’m mentioning a lot of Kong products and they’re not the cheapest toys available, but they really last and pet stores have sales all the time where you can get them cheaper. I usually only buy them if they’re at least buy one get one half off so I can get multiple.
I also couldn’t find where she put this toy outside, but she does like playing frisbee from time to time (I told you fetch is her favorite). The Kong Flyer is consistent with most products in their line and made from tough rubber, so she can’t crack it like other frisbees. It flys really good for having extra weight from the rubber and it’s also easier for her to pick up and bend when it’s laying flat on the ground.
Although the Nylabone DuraChew S Bone is one of her favorite toys to chew on when we’re just sitting around, it’s not at the top of my recommendations solely because it’s the hard plastic that’s almost as bad, if not worse, than Legos when you step on it. I know it doesn’t look like it’s held up, but she’s had this for around seven months I believe. You will have to be careful with this one because the plastic can cut their gums when it gets sharp, but she loves chewing on it anyway. That would probably be because this one tastes like bacon. She loves tearing off little pieces and probably laughs every time I step on one and freak out. Not cool, dog!
 
With her love of fetch and tennis balls, this is probably both her and my favorite. I found this Chuckit Fetch ball at Marshall’s one day and don’t know why I didn’t think to look for something like this before. The medium is the same size, if not a tiny bit smaller, than a normal tennis ball. I’ll probably end up buying her a bigger one to fit her mouth better. It’s made from a soft rubber, so it squishes every time she chews which she loves. It bounces the higher than any others we’ve tried and it’s the most light-weight. One of the best parts, for me at least, is that it can’t get soaked with slobber or water when she drops it in her bowl like normal tennis balls do.
I hope this helps you if you have the same problems as I do in this situation. Let me know what you’re favorite dog toys are in the comments below. I’m sure my spoiled puppy would love to try any and all recommendations. Have a fabulous day!

~Christina~


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