What kind of toys are actually safe for dogs?

This one I guess.

Hard rubber toys are great. nylabones, balls, kongs, etc.
Stuffed toys that do not have hard or sharp pieces like plastic eyes.
Most dogs love the Pig ears you can buy in bulk at various pet stores and feed stores. Maybe check out a local feed store for these.

Hard chewing – - Try antlers they come in different shapes and sizes, large well stocked pet stores ( not the big box types ). If they loses interest you can slip it in a pan or warm to hot no-salt chicken stock.

Rope is fine so long as it is made from materials the stomach can handle. Anything synthetic would no doubt be bad for them.

Our dog seems to really like tennis balls, they last a good long time too.

I don’t worry much about rawhide. Willow has been chewing and swallowing those things for the last 9+ years with no ill effects.

I never had any problem with rawhide. My dogs went through it like crazy. They liked to wrestle over collars and once the collar was off, eat it. I had nylon collars on them at first and it got tangled up in the males intestine and he had to have surgery. They also ate an azalea bush, blankets, rocks (2 surgeries), part of the doghouse and anything else they could get a hold of. Only the collar and the rocks caused problems.

Old socks tied in knots. We even fill longer socks up with balled up socks then tie the long sock up.

Destructive chewers require heavy duty items to chew (such as cow hooves, large rawhide tied into braids or bone shapes last longer), and they need things to occupy their time & mind (such as Kongs filled with dog food or peanut butter, treat balls & food puzzle balls, etc)

Keep in mind that what ever you give, once you are aware that you’re dog is destructive, you must keep inspecting their toys daily.

@SpatzieLover I definitely do that, and my dogs never chew unsupervised. She demolishes things way too quickly, I am scared that she will choke on something.

Here’s a chain link to one option.

Nylabones are great… I had a GSD/Lab mix who just loved plastic; she ate things like hard plastic measuring cups, the top of a thermos(DH was not pleased about that one, it was his thermos), and plastic plant pots. She would actually shake the plant so the pot would fall off, then drop the plant and eat the pot. She thought nylabones were the greatest thing ever- and so did I by that point.

You cant miss this which kindof resembles the first picture, but nylabone is great for tough chewers, I never buy my dog this specific model. This is Petcos description…Galileo, the world’s strongest dog bone, is made of super-tough virgin nylon and lasts far longer than other chew products. It is so strong that you don’t have to throw it away when the knuckles are chewed down. Discard it only when it is small enough for your dog to swallow whole. Galileo is safe to chew. The thin shavings that are raked off during chewing and swallowed pass through harmlessly. Galileo saves teeth by effective cleaning and vigorous gum massage and since Galileo is non-abrasive, there is no tooth wear.

I’ve had good luck with Kong Brand Toys.

Indestructible and oodles of fun.

I only use raw bones, the other stuff may not in itself be bad but it is usually covered with artificial smoke (nitrites) or soaked in chemicals. If you are going to use rawhide I would hunt for articles that are airdried only.

I notice here that raw bones from the grocery stores are expensive and very fatty. Are there any butcher shops left in USA, that is where I get my bones. If not I would hunt for a slaughterhouse and try to buy them directly. I prefer neck bones, they are soft enough to chew up without problems, but hard enough to keep them busy for awhile. And it keeps their teeth clean (well except for the little dog who has had tooth problems since she was a pup!)