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Our Toby is a tiny thing, but man does he have jaws of steel. He doesn’t just love to chew things – he demolishes them! We found ourselves quickly asking what are the best dog toys for aggressive chewers? If your peanut likes to destroy every toy you give him, this article is for you!
I’m not going to try to tell you that any dog chew toy is indestructible. I don’t think there is any such thing. Over the 2-1/2 years we’ve had Toby, though, we’ve tried about everything and have come up with some clear winners.
The toys I’m going to show you should give you a good idea of what to look for, and help you to experiment with some toys that will at the very least last more than an hour!
Table of Contents
Kong Dog Toys for Aggressive Chewers
Kongs have been our tried and true toy since the night we brought our Cockapoo/Bichon home. You can’t go wrong with stuffed dog toys for an aggressive chewer. It can literally keep my dog entertained for hours.
We started out with a puppy size Kong (size small) thinking we would eventually get a larger one.
Our dog is now full grown and, at 19 pounds, the puppy size is still perfect for him.
In 2-1/2 years, we’ve only bought 2 Kongs. And, BOTH are still intact despite nearly daily use. Now that’s a tough toy!
Why is the Kong one of our favorite dogs toys?
- Durable, tough rubber material – super hard for a dog to destroy
- Use commercial snacks or what you have on hand
- Helps with crate training – we call this a “Toby Treat” and our dog willingly goes to his crate every single time. He can’t pass this toy up!
- Super cheap! Hey, if your dog does destroy this, they are very inexpensive to replace
I stuff our dog’s Kong with all kinds of things: Peanut butter, mini dog treats like Zukes, dog jerky (we love Pet’s Barn dog jerky), mashed banana, mashed sweet potato, broken up Milk Bones… you get the idea!
Toby’s favorite treat is a peanut butter stuffed Kong with dog jerky stuck in the top. Looks kind of like a dog popsicle, lol.
Speaking of which.. during the summer you can freeze your prepared Kong for a cool treat for your dog on a hot day!
Durable Dog Toys for Powerful Chewers – The Jack
This next toy also ranks up there in terms of durability, but I have to say some of it does depend on the size you get (at least in our case). It’s called a Busy Buddy Jack Dog Toy and it’s outlasted nearly daily play for about a year and a half now.
Why does he love it so much? Like the Kong, it has tasty treats that go along with it! The Jack unscrews and there are little round, flavored rings that fit on it.
You can get what’s called “gnawhide” rings or flavored cornstarch rings. My dog loves the Bacon flavored cornstarch ones.
The first Jack I bought, I decided to get the recommended size for dogs 8 – 20 lbs (He weighed around 15 lbs at the time). Unfortunately, that was a mistake.
My dog chewed it down to little nubs in about a month. Tried it again. And, yep, about 6 weeks later, it was so little the entire thing fit in his mouth.
So, I went with the medium size, which is intended for dogs 20 – 50 lbs. This was the perfect size! We nicknamed the toy, “Jumbo Jack”, because as you can see in the picture above (the first day he had it), it’s about as big as his head.
Even though it’s big, he can still carry it around, and after 1-1/2 years, he still has it. You can also kind of see in the bottom center of the picture the small Jack. Yes, he still played with it, but he favored the larger one almost immediately.
To the right is a close up of what it looks like today. Pretty chewed up, but still safe to play with. He really loves this thing!
Why is the PetSafe Busy Buddy Jack one of the best dog toys for aggressive chewers?
PetSafe Busy Buddy Jack Dog Toy
- Keeps my dog entertained for a long time – especially after loading it with new treats
- Very durable – the medium size has lasted 14 months so far
- Reasonably priced treat refills (last a long time, too!)
- Great way to help with separation anxiety – it is distracting and keeps your dog occupied
One thing to note: I saw a question on the Amazon site about where these are made. The response from another customer was China. If you go to the PetSafe site itself, it states that the treats are made in the USA.
I think that the toy itself is made in China (as are many dog toys!), but the treats are made in the States. I am comfortable with this and have no reason to doubt PetSafe, but I wanted to mention it.
Tough Dog Toys for Aggressive Chewers – Filled Femur Bones
Last, but definitely not least on our list, are femur bones. Ewww right? Yeah, I know; but, dogs go nuts over them.
And, not just any femur bone mind you – a STUFFED femur bone. Without a doubt, these are one of the best dog toys for aggressive chewers.
Toby goes absolutely gaga over them. I originally found these in a pet store, but found them to be much cheaper to buy in bulk on Amazon.
Now you’re probably asking, can’t I just stuff it myself? Yes! You can. If you want to buy just one, that’s fine.
Once your dog finishes off the stuffing, you can put peanut butter or mashed sweet potato or banana… whatever you want in there.
But, if you want a hassle free, ready for your dog treat, you can’t go wrong with a bulk purchase – especially if you’re a multi dog household!
You can find these in a couple of different flavors. Toby goes BANANAS over the peanut butter filled bones. The 3″ size is the perfect size for him, too (he’s a 19lb Cockapoo/Bichon).
Why we love Femur Bones
Peanut Butter Filled Femur Bones
- One of the toughest dog toys for aggressive chewers
- Last a LOOOONGGGG time – We have several that are nowhere near “done”
- The ones I buy are made in the USA
- Pop in the freezer and it becomes a “pupsicle”!
- Can use a wide variety of food to stuff after initial filling is gone
- Long shelf life (about 2 years)
So, there you have it, a few of the best dog toys for aggressive chewers as tested by a dedicated chewing Cockapoo!
Some of the key things I keep an eye out for are: durable materials, great reviews or ratings on different sites (I buy almost all my dog toys on Amazon), and toys that have a thickness to them, if that makes sense. Super thin material will not last long.
You may find that you need to experiment a bit to find just the right toys for you, but I can all but guarantee at least one of those mentioned above will undoubtedly become a favorite for your furry friend.
I love my little dog!
I have had a bigger dog so it was such a shock to find the differences with a smaller dog. I think these toys are perfect for a little dog.
Thanks Rose! I agree – there is such a difference between small and big dogs! I love having a little one <3