Indestructible soft toys for year old Irish Boys ....

[Delia Bryce]

Hi

 

Looking for your advice, Murphy really seems to enjoy soft toys but the thing is they dont last! Bought a kong one they other day and he even looked disappointed when he ripped it to bits and lost the small ball on the top.........

Maybe he just shouldnt be left alone with them, he loves to catch and bring back but cant leave him with it as he chews it and its done!

The squeak and the fact it is soft seems to work but wondered what your experiences were ........

 

Thanks

[Teresa]

i don't trust my dogs with their toys when they are alone, unless the soft rope ones. by some miracle they seem to enjoy playing with the rope toys for a long time and don't try to destroy or eat them.

I kept their toys in a toy box to keep them safe, but obviously Romã found out how to open the box in about 2 minutes. It still worked, because now thy focus on opening the box and not on destroying the toys. I also found out that quietly placing some chewing bones in the middle of their toys will keep them busy for a long long time!

under supervision i allow them to play with all their toys, but they don't seem to find soft toys all that appealing... Pitanga is terribly scared of the squeaky noises and panics every time she hears that kind of toy - for some reason she finds chicken shaped rubber toys the absolutely most scary thing in the face of the Earth. Chicken toys and baby cars are the only things Pitanga is afraid... Strange dogs, setters! :)

 

[Howard Glansfield]

I find those rubber chicken toys scary!

My dogs now have a toy pile,the box long being destroyed.Fred likes the biggest soft toy he can find and he carries it around proudly and when he goes to bed it goes with him,he really has the 'Ahhhh' factor!.For some reason they don't destroy the soft toys apart from the occasional destuffing.The kong toys are gone in minutes.My vet sold me an indestructable one,not to a setter it's not! Soft spongy balls are not allowed as they destroy and eat them.Tennis balls are ok but they end up in two halves and skinned.Rope toys seem to last for ages and the puppy enjoys swinging the rope which has a heavy solid rubber ball on its end,but bruises happen! I have found that toys made for babies seem to last longer than those made for dogs.

[Delia Bryce]

Someone bought him a squeaky pig and he was afraid of it ...... plus they are incredibly loud and we werent so keen either...... He has a rope ball which I had forgot about and it has lasted so maybe the soft rope toy as you mentioned!

Oh and god yes no toys or chews left with him at night time or when alone ...... Last soft toy he played with then took it to his mat and promptly tore it to bits in front of us! And thank god as when I took it away and looked at it was very dangerous inside! Good point Howard about the baby toys as they will be made to safety standards too I would hope!

[Sherry Miller]

I have had Irish Setter's since 1973....a favorite toy here is to take a heavy plush material....sew a long tube that will encase two tennis balls....tie knots on each side of each tennis ball....and one knot in the center....I fringe cut the edges after sewing them shut....good for a game of fetch....or for that wonderful Irish game of "shake myself silly".  Our Miss Molly loves squeaker toys so her Christmas one had a squeaker toy in one end and a tennis ball in the other. Another thing I have found to work really well is to braid the same plush material tightly for tug of war games or for her to just swing around...little more forgiving on my leg when she is swinging it inside than her rope toys.  I have also found that the new furry toys with no stuffing have really held up well though they do have squeakers in them.  I tried the furry ones you put an empty plastic water bottle inside and  Miss Molly just loved it but chewed right thru the fur to get to the plastic which I do not allow her to chew on.  I may try the one's made out of fireman's hose for her this spring.  Has anyone tried those?  I have also used various baby and toddler balls over the years and they hold up well  Miss Molly does not unstuff many toys so she has her toy box of animals .  Out in our yard I leave an old water polo ball....not quite full of air which is a great favorite for playing soccer with or for her to wrestle with or even carry around. Hope you find the toy that helps keep your Irish busy.

 

[Ilona & Gina]

It's a hard one...

Anton's and Gina's favourite toys chew toys were: bed posts, door frames, wooden cupboard handles...

 

But seriously, why not go to a hardware store and get some good quality rope? Not these cheepos made in China. Something made of sisal, something sturdy.

Or better, an old kitchen towell.

 

Tie some knots into rope or towell, and there you have a cheap soft toy.

Anyway, it's always best to watch them when they play. My two dogs ripped everything to pieces when they were that young.

 

In my view, soft squeaky toys can be dangerous.  Anton and Gina once pulled out that squeaky thing, and it's so small, they can easily swallow that thing.

Rawhide bones - you never know how they bleached them or where they come from. Added to which, they tend to be like glue, yuk....

Tennis balls can be ripped to pieces, and the felt cover can be swallowed.

Just wanted to suggest "Kong" - until I re-read your post. OK, my two setters once chewed a kong to pieces. There went 30 Aussie Dollars - within minutes! 

Good luck!

[Howard Glansfield]

Arthur has just dug up, in a matter of seconds,  half a vinyl floor tile off the kitchen floor.I found the patch first then him and then the remains of the tile in the garden! I was not happy but one look with those big brown eyes and I was lost!

Howard

ps

The material used in those composite chews you can get from most shops are also used to make wall boards.I avoid them!

pps

Rawhide chews blocked one of my dogs gut and made him very ill.

 

[Sue and Cash]

My dog loves to play tug a war with his dog friends at the park and we made all different lengths of rope from the hardware store.  We used this super strong sailor's rope.  They break almost every material but that.  It has a nylon feel to it I guess and doesn't break down from their saliva on it.  I swear my dog must be super soft mouthed because he carries stuffed toys around all day long and never chew them but sucks on them for hours instead.  We have had ears come off from his suckling on them.  He uses them like pacifiers!  And lives for squeaky ones.  If another dog has a squeaky tennis ball in the park my dog will follow him crying the whole time we are there and not play unless that dog let's him have it.  I guess he is squeaky obsessed.  The only thing I will monitor is a rawhide.  Cash will go hide if it a piece comes off because he knows I will take it away from him.  We reserve those for evenings when I am right there holding it for him.