Riley is a great dog besides the fact that she likes to jump when she's excited, specifically when people walk through the door and besides the fact that she likes to play bite when it isn't play time. Ri loves play time and loves to play with her toys but most of her toys don't make it past 2 hours. We've discovered through the purchases of MANY toys that Riley is an aggressive chewer and most toys don't work for her. The plush toys that you can get at Walmart or the pet store literally last Riley a minute or two before there is fluff EVERYWHERE.
It took us a while to find toys that worked for Riley. Once we found the ones that lasted more than a day and ones that she actually likes playing with, we just buy them over and over. I decided to write this post in case anyone else has issues like we did and can't seem to find toys that your dog likes.
Here are some of Riley's favorite toys and toys that are great for aggressive chewers:
This toy was one of the first toys we found for Riley. This toy is made from a dense "foam" material which is why it's great. Riley's teeth sink into the toy instead of through it. Now after a few days there are bits and pieces if this toy all over our house but the fact that this toy lasts her more than a day is a miracle to us. After a week the toy is down to a 3 inch section but she loves playing fetch with that in the house so it still has a purpose.
A ball within a ball, what more could a dog ask for. This one is GREAT for your dog if they are active and like to play fetch. The outside ball in a rubber material that squeaks and inside is a normal tennis ball which most dogs love. It has thick handles on it for your dog to grab to bring it back to you. Riley enjoys this toy by herself even and will roll it around.
When we first got Riley, her foster mom gave her a tiny purple dino that was Riley's favorite toy for a few months. Once she got into her teething stage, she of course destroyed it but kept the head of it and would carry that around with her. When she got bigger, we discovered that the pet store had a bigger dino that was more of Riley's size. What I love about this toy is it isn't filled with plush and the material is thicker than most dog toys. It has a few squeakers in it so that keeps Riley entertained for a bit but even once she has gotten those out, she still likes to carry this toy around.
I don't know how or why but some how this toy has lasted a whole year with Riley. We bought it for her last year when we were in New Hampshire and she's had it ever since. And it pretty much looks the exact same as the picture, just some spikes in the middle are missing. This is her favorite toy to play fetch with. It has squeakers on both ends and is a rubber material. Riley never chews on this toy for some reason but she loves to carry it around or put it in your lap so you know she wants to play.
5. Rope Toy
These I buy at Walmart or the pet store and there isn't a specific brand that I buy. It's just the generic rope toy that most dogs love. In addition to playing fetch, Riley likes to play tug a war so this toy is perfect for that. I do buy the bigger, thicker ones because they last longer since Riley will chew on these occasionally. She's also strongly so the wimpy ones break quicker than the thick ropes.
I think this toy is a staple in any dog owners home. When Riley was a puppy, we'd put peanut butter inside and freeze it. Now, she just likes to chew on it. Ri has the large pink one and we bought it before we brought her home so it's lasted for almost a year and a half. It's fun to put treats inside for her to get our throughout the day and she enjoys carrying this toy around as well.
A few other things we have found that Riley enjoys are the Kong Knots Animals, Nylabones (like the pink one below), and then she loves water bottles as well. We just remove the cap, plastic label, and the plastic ring. Again, Riley had an amazing foster mom who let us in on a few secrets, water bottles being one.
I've linked the amazon page for each toy besides the rope toy if you're interested in checking these out! If you have an aggressive chewer, let me know what their favorite toys are - we're always looking for new toys for Riley.