# Long lasting Toys



## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Hi everyone! Miles turned 9 months today and has been out of his kitchen barricade for about a week now. We have been trying to find toys to keep him occupied for part of the day to keep him from being destructive since he has access to the entire downstairs and office upstairs now (bedrooms and bathrooms closed.) We have tried the Everlasting dog treats (screw and dome shaped one) and that was gone when I got home. We have tried some sore of "busy bone" toy that the pet store would last about an hour and he worked through that in 10 min when we tried it out last night. He is a Kong toy expert, working through the bone and snowman shaped black toys quickly. 

Does anyone have any toys that work well when they leave their dog alone and lasts at least an hour? The only thing that seems to work is the antler and I think he's a bit bored of it.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

1) Kong Wobbler - Riley has had this since she was 6 months old and she still loves it.

http://www.amazon.com/Kong-Wobbler-Treat-Dispensing-Large/dp/B003ALMW0M/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_2

2) Primal Raw Marrow Bones - Riley will chew on these for about 1 hour for each section

http://www.primalpetfoods.com/product/detail/c/11/id/31

3) Tuffie Toys - Level 8 takes a few weeks for Riley to destroy, level 9 takes a few months.

http://www.tuffietoys.com/page/2

4) Bully sticks (take Riley about an hour per 12 inch stick)


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## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

There's no such thing!

We have not found a toy that Gus cannot destroy in 15 minutes. 

I have found these big, beef knuckle-bone things at a local specialty pet store that he will chew on for hours, but pieces somethimes do break off, and I don't let him chew it unattended. 

What we do is a beef bone (one of the big hollow white ones) that we fill with peanut butter and freeze. He can't chew the bone to pieces like he can a kong, and if you freeze the peanut butter in it, it will last for a while!


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Frozen canned food in the kong


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## KAsDad (Aug 4, 2011)

Kaylee pulls the stuffing out, but plays with the "rags" for months.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

The short answer is........ 'There is no long lasting Vizsla toys"   Unless your Vizsla loves chewing on rocks, nothing will last very long. If you have two, they last 90% less time!!!!   

A piece of rope has been about the longest lasting toy I have found. This is excluding a Kong, as these also last, just not what's inside!!!


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Ozkar said:


> If you have two, they last 90% less time!!!!


So true!

We discovered this last week... the two pups were playing tug-o-war with a toy and repeatedly ripping it into smaller and smaller bits. In the end, they were tugging on a 6in piece of fabric. ;D


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

*
threefsh*, don't you just love watching your dogs play tug of war?? Our old dane just loves it. It is just great to see him pick up a toy in the evening and take it over to Boris and say come on and they tug and tug until I stop them. A lot of the toys get damaged this way, but it is worth it.

The konk is great, but even with frozen food in doesn't keep him occupied too long. 

The one toy besides the kong that has lasted 6 months now and still has all the squeeks in it is the green alien from Tuffiestoys.com - see threefsh earlier post for the link.


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Milesmom, don't forget he is still very young and at that age I know the regular entertainment options were not enough. Therefore he didn't get freedom when we weren't home. Go back to the smaller safe area and try again in a few weeks or months. Or if someone returns half way, do half days with more freedom. No biggie. He's still a baby and needs to mature before being trusted.


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## AKGInspiration (Aug 23, 2012)

MilesMom said:


> Hi everyone! Miles turned 9 months today and has been out of his kitchen barricade for about a week now. We have been trying to find toys to keep him occupied for part of the day to keep him from being destructive since he has access to the entire downstairs and office upstairs now (bedrooms and bathrooms closed.) We have tried the Everlasting dog treats (screw and dome shaped one) and that was gone when I got home. We have tried some sore of "busy bone" toy that the pet store would last about an hour and he worked through that in 10 min when we tried it out last night. He is a Kong toy expert, working through the bone and snowman shaped black toys quickly.
> 
> Does anyone have any toys that work well when they leave their dog alone and lasts at least an hour? The only thing that seems to work is the antler and I think he's a bit bored of it.


Alright I may just be reading this wrong but why are you not crating him while you are gone?? That is the easiest way to keep him and your house safe. Or at least an xpen in the kitchen... not trying to offend but crates are an amazing tool for dogs period, and should not be seen as a negative. If you fulfill their needs before you leave and after you return you should simply see it as their safe home till you get home. My girl will be 5 in december and I still crate her (and our lab) if we are off property for more than 20 minutes. Not because they have done anything, but simply for peace of mind. Please don't take the crate out of your options it is an awesome tool for travel and when others want to care for your dog for you. 

In anycase antlers are amazing for the buzz saw jaws some of these pups have... frozen kongs are good too and there are lots of ways to make them more challenging with close fitting treats etc stuffed in. Maybe hide these items so he has to search them out? I am not a huge rope toy fan if your pup chews them up and eats them as they can easily cause blockages. Kongs, bones, and antlers really are the only things I would ever leave with my dogs unsupervised.
Keep in mind that any treats and chews they ingest while you are gone are going to increase the need to eliminate too.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

AKG, not everyone uses a crate. You may find them great, not everyone does however!! 

I gave them a crack, but in the end, I prefer mine to be out of the crate. Just personal preference. If you could see my dogs, you would know it has had no negative effects on them. Zsa Zsa can't be trusted around soft furniture, but, I never had her as a pup. She was a rescue at 12 months of age and came with a whole host of issues, soft furniture chewing being one. 

Astro loves to chew things, but won't touch the furniture or anything in the house, Ozkar could be left alone with the most valuable household items without fear of damage. None have been crated. 

As for travel, mine are trained to sit and stay. Works as well as any crate!!!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I've never used a crate for my dogs, either, although I have kept them restricted to one dog-safe area of the house while they are still young. As mature dogs, they have always had full freedom in the house, with no ill effects.

Once, when I was offering a foster home for dogs in need at the Michigan Humane Society, I did purchase a crate, but long story short... I donated the crate to another rescue group. 

Miles is only 9 months old... still a baby... and so letting him out of his safe area might be a little premature. "They chew 'til they're two."


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## AKGInspiration (Aug 23, 2012)

Ozkar said:


> AKG, not everyone uses a crate. You may find them great, not everyone does however!!
> 
> I gave them a crack, but in the end, I prefer mine to be out of the crate. Just personal preference. If you could see my dogs, you would know it has had no negative effects on them. Zsa Zsa can't be trusted around soft furniture, but, I never had her as a pup. She was a rescue at 12 months of age and came with a whole host of issues, soft furniture chewing being one.
> 
> ...


I'm fully aware that not everyone uses crates, and that some dogs simply can't be crated due to anxiety etc. I was not trying to point fingers or offend in the least... a crate just seems the most logical thing to do, especially for such a young pup. And I understand it's personal preference I leave mine out much of the day as I work from home, but to me it is peace of mind to have them in their crate at night and when I am gone... and they honestly don't mind being in there and I feel they settle even better when in their crate. They are going to curl up on the couch or dog bed anyway so why not just curl up in the crate for the day.

As far as travel I was speaking more of if you are at someone's house or a hotel, having a dog crated is usually the safest and easiest way to keep everyone/everything happy and intact. Some places won't even allow uncrated dogs (yes I know others do) and IMO I would not subject someone else's home to the "free run" test as you can't expect your dog to know that the rules apply to their home just like yours... They are not the best at generalizing and sometimes people don't know how to reinforce such rules either. But again it comes down to preference, I personally probably would not even offer to watch one of our Vizsla friends if I could not crate them while gone. It's not worth my stress or the possibility of damaging my property or someone elses when they are just as content in their crates with a good kong.
Another entire reason I crate is in case of emergency. Take natural disasters for example crates are often used in conjunction with rescuing animals and keeping them safe as order is restored. If your dog is not used to a crate they could stress out even more in an already stressful situation. 
I know many people involved in fostering who make every effort to work with the dogs who come to them not liking crates... they make amazing efforts to get them to be comfortable in crates as it just helps everyone involved including finding their forever home.
Sometimes we also just have to shape methods around each individual dog and our lifestyle. Some simply will never be able to be trusted with full freedom, and it is neither the fault of the owner or the dog, just how it is.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Yep, I guess it all depends on your lifestyle choices and the relationship you want to have with your dog. Whatever works for you!


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

In response to the crate comments, Miles is crate trained. We chose to stop using the crate because it has been really hot in San Diego the past few weeks and I feel bad leaving him in a crate because he likes to sprawl out to lie down which would require a massive crate the way he likes to lie down. 

He is not being destructive in our house. He is really well behaved and knows he is not supposed to chew on our stuff or furniture. We are just looking for long lasting toys because wouldn't you be bored in the house all day? Of course having long lasting toys would also help prevent possible destruction, but we are just trying to keep him happy and occupied while we are away. 
I come home every day at lunch and take him for a walk and make sure he is safe. 

Overall we are happy he is crate trained for travel and for when someone babysits him, but at this time if he is happier lying in the living room or office, I don't see why we should crate him. He has access to food and water all day and can stretch out.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

I guess I should have clarified in my first post, that he is not destructive, we are trying to keep him busy so it won't be an issue


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## AKGInspiration (Aug 23, 2012)

Not trying to start arguments so I won't reply anymore about crates, sounds like you are on the right track with things with your boy anyway.

I think hiding some puzzles (all sorts of dog puzzle toys out there now that you can put kibbles in), chews, kongs around the house will keep him more entertained than having them out for him. That way he has to kinda search for them.
I think there are even kong/treat dispensing apparatuses where they release them on a timed schedule. I saw it on a TV show once... they had it up on a shelf and it would drop a toy or chew at set intervals. 

You mentioned the antlers, those are fantastic but I hear you on the getting bored thing. One easy way to help counter this is to have several bones, antlers, kongs that you rotate... if they don't see that one for 2+ weeks and you give it to them he probably will act as if it's new to him. 
They are expensive though so you might want to check out : http://www.yellowstoneantlers.com/products.asp?ID=4 
They sell elk antlers by the lb in all sorts of sizes. Makes it much more worth it in the long run.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

I use a crate for Darcy, but only when I have to go to work.She is never in it for more than a few hours a couple of days a week. I originally used it to stop her chewing my house when she was a pup, and now she is 18 months of age I put her in it to keep her safe as she tends to jump about and go a bit wild.We all accept that crate's are not for everybody and we all respect this,at the end of the day care of our wonderful Vizsla's on this forum is what brings us all together.......NUFF said..
on the subject of toys/chews, I find these antlers brill, Darcy has had hers for a couple of months now, they are expensive but for your loved one, it's only money..


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