Kongs

[CarlLivingstone]

I have a American staffy cross who likes to chew. He chews his bed and destroys toys and balls in minutes. Even when I given him a frozen Kong he chews the top off to get the treats quicker. How do I stop this behavior. I've already gone through 3 kongs and 1 being an extreme. 

[Adrienne]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums!

For dogs chewing the bed, I made this troubleshooting guide. You may find some tips/solutions on how to redirect and reduce this behavior. 

To destroy a Kong Extreme, your dog must be a very powerful chewer! With this toy, most likely it gets destroyed because he happens to chew on the rubber to try to get the food out. I don't think there is way to stop this behavior because the toy gets destroyed as your dog tries to get the food out or because it smells like food. Sometimes, a little food remains trapped in the top grooves which leads to dogs chewing this part too much leading to excessive wear and tear. Sometimes washing the Kong in the dish washer can help to remove any remnants and decrease this behavior, although not always. Dogs seem to know what parts of toys are most fragile and like to focus on these. 

As a side note; If you ever need to remove a toy from him because you think he's destroying it and may ingest parts, always make sure to swap with something else that is superior in value to prevent resource guarding. I like to toss a bully stick the opposite way and grab the toy while the dog heads in that direction. With dogs I do not trust, I toss the bully stick passed a door so I can close the door and safely remove the toy. 

I think there are some dog toys that offer some type of guarantee, such as Goughnuts or West Paw Zogoflex. Not sure which one, but I think one of them replaces their toys if they happen to be destroyed. Maybe worth a try. 

Other options that come to mind is using toys that don't encourage much chewing. A Kong Wobbler used as a kibble dispenser makes dogs focus more on getting the kibble out. This leads to more pawing at it rather than chewing. You can also provide edible chews (make sure they are safe! Ask your vet for recommendations) so you to provide an outlet for the strong urge to chew. 

Brain games can also provide outlets to instinctive behaviors such as the Muffin Tin game, Treasure Hunt Games etc.