chew toy recommendations for a puppy?

[Jenn Suchniak]

i see a lot of conflicting information on nylabones. i understnad they are a close-watch chew. but is there anything else that anyone would recommend for puppy teething? we're working on our little guy mouthing, and i want to have a good alternative for him. he so far has not been interested in the kong, but i haven't tried many things since we were working on the poop issue (that we now know is giardia).

he loves his unstuffed racoon toy, but i was looking more towards the actual chew toys.

thanks!! :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What you have to do is try different things - gets expensive - until you find what your dog actually likes.  We tried puppy Kongs and none of mine liked them, but some dogs LOVE them. So, we stood in the toy aisle and chose toys that looked different from each other and bought a few.  As adults, my guys love stuffies (ruin them in minutes but love them), soft rubber toys (oddly, once they de-squeak them they enjoy carrying them in their mouths, sterilized bones, Nylabones, antlers, but none ever developed a liking for Kongs. The thing about Nylabones is that you have to match the chewing strength with the dog.

[Wendy and Myla]

My Myla loves the Nylabone (we call it a "Mylabone") We got her the mid chewer and a hard chewer but we find the hard chewer too hard!  She always takes that and her "teddy" (a big stuffy) to bed with her.  Outside, what she LOVES to chew on is a water bottle - when she was a puppy we took her camping and we put some gravel in the water bottle and she loved it!  She moved it along all over the place - now she just loves chewing on the bottle!  Her favourite chew is a huge piece of driftwood that I brought home from camping - I was going to debark it and sand it and put it in our garden but she started chewing on it and I didn't have the heart to take it away.  It just sits on the lawn and she is always chewing on it!  She is 4 1/2 months old and her mouth is really sore - poor girl - I have a picture of her chewing on it and want to post it because it's the cheapest chew toy ever and she is alway on it (but I  haven't had time.  We are leaving in a couple days to go camping again and are debating whether to take it or not - I'm sure we'll find another but not sure if she'll like it as much!  LOL

[Ginny Nightingale]

I like to give my dogs cow hooves--plain with no filling--they love them. They are a bit stinky, but they last a long time--take them away when they get small, but otherwise, they are great--and cheap! I buy mine at an agriculture supply store but other places have them too.

[Katie and Sophie]

This is a favorite around here too!  They are great.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Auggie seems to enjoy bully sticks. Monty has never been a big chewer and I had to soften the bully sticks for him, but ever since we brought Auggie home, there is a competition of who can eat more bully sticks. They stink, but they are supposed to be easy to digest.

[Rachel and Ollie]

Ollie seemed to like this brand when teething -

http://www.petco.com/product/106918/Petstages-Mini-ORKA-Bone-Dog-To...

They are kind of like teething rings for dogs. I would get them wet and freeze them and it seemed to help a ton. Nylabones where good...but when his teeth were loose and sensitive it was a little brash on them. These toys have a little give which helped him so much. Frozen ropes were amazing too. 

[Rachel and Ollie]

Oh and you can by this brand at Target and Petco

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Roo and Tigger vote for Antlerz and"bones" made from Zogoflex.  Antlerz -the very smallest ones for a puppy as they have very little to no marrow - they are actually the tip of the antler.  Zogoflex is a soft/hard rubber, start with the very smallest things and work up as he grows.  They are very chewable but also nearly indestructible.  Roo and Tigger like the Zogoflex toy that can be stuffed with peanut butter or lowfat cream cheese (mix in a bunch of Charlie Bear treats too) much better than kongs, which they never cared for.

[Shannon and Finn]

Rope balls are great too, we got them from the pet store. We also tied a wet washcloth into a tight knot and froze it while Finn was teething. He loved chewing them. Now he also has a few deer antlers and they are amazing for holding up and endless chewing. Kongs aren't his favorite for chewing but they work to keep him busy for a few minutes while I fold laundry and don't require his assistance!

[Jenn Suchniak]

thanks so much everyone! we went to the pet store yesterday. i let each of the kids pick something out, and then i got a bully stick and a half antler. he looooves the antler! the woman who worked there did not want me buying any nylabones. she really kept pressuring me to put it back, lol ... i did end up putting it back when i saw the antlers, but it was pretty funny. why carry them if you're going to tell people not to buy them! :)

but we're well stocked now and have a happy pup! :)