The Dog Toy Dilemma

If you have a dog this post is for you. Specifically a “destroyer”. I’m talking about the dog that lives to rip his toys to shreds. No piece is left untouched. No ball of stuffing is left attached. You come home and it looks like it SNOWED.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a dog that simply likes to play with their toys, or even just snuggle with them, then lucky you! You can still benefit from this post, though your dog might not need the “extras”.

I’ve included my referral link at the bottom of the post so you can benefit from this great deal!

Now I can’t show you his actual favorites, because well, they’ve since been torn up. But here’s a look at his box for the month!

A Shortage of Toys

There’s a real shortage of toy options when it comes to dog toys, specifically the stuffies. There’s lots of rubber types, but as I said, my dog likes to chew and rip apart. He doesn’t get the same enjoyment out of those types of toys (in fact he rarely touches them).

When you have a destroyer, their main mission is getting to the inside of their toy as fast as possible. It’s amazing (and scary) how fast he can find the weak spot in the toy. If he puts his mind to it, it’s de-fluffed in minutes. (Funny enough, some toys he keeps for weeks! But something eventually snaps, and boom. Shredded.) His goal is getting that squeaker out of the toy, which of course requires tearing apart the whole thing.

Now you can imagine that if my dog shreds a toy in minutes, I go through a lot of toys! This brings me back to my previous point – the lack of options in dog toys. Because of this, I was forced to buy the same toy over and over, increasing the speed in which he tears into them! He knew EXACTLY where the weak spot was.

His focus is getting that squeaker out of the toy, which of course requires tearing apart the whole thing. I will say, even though he shreds them, he will play and chew on the fragments that are leftover for weeks. It’s the funniest thing! He’ll try to get you to play tug with that little shred of material.

I’ve done some research behind why some dogs do this, because it just baffled me that he refused to keep them in tact!

The Science of Shredding

BarkBox’s blog actually wrote an article about “11 Reasons Your Dog Loves to Destroy Their Toys!”, but I’ll sum it up for you. It all boils down to their instinct. Yes, your fluffy, cuddly, best friend is tearing into that stuffed toy because his instinct is to gut animals in the wild. They may be domesticated, but they still have those trace qualities that remind us they’re wild animals!

It’s even more prevalent when they’re bored. A busy dog is a happy dog. Just like us, they get a little stir crazy! (If you had to sit at home all day you might start destroying things too!) If your dog is utterly destroying every toy immediately, it’s probably time to take them outside for some frisbee or a nice long walk. (I’m 100% guilty of not doing this enough). 

For the times when you can’t be there to entertain and love on your furry friend, BarkBox is here for you!

BarkBox – A Dog’s (and Your Wallet’s) Best Friend

I knew I was just throwing money away, but this is my baby and he loves his toys! I had seen advertisements for BarkBox before, so I decided it was time to give it a try. This would bring new toys – different textures and shapes – to the mix. In reality this is actually better for your dog’s stimulation anyway!

You fill out a questionnaire about your dog’s size and behaviors and they tailor it to them. It’s just like a Birchbox for dogs. You can even add an extra toy to your box each month – for those dogs that barely make it the month!

They include 2 bags of treats every month and some sort of chew. They’re also themed – the latest one was Art Museum items (which honestly was a little random). But the one before that was summer themed. It had a toucan and a Pina colada! This means the toys and the treat flavors are themed! (How cute is that?!) He gets SO excited when his box arrives. It’s like Christmas every month, except now he thinks every cardboard box I get is his…

As for the cost, it is such a bargain! Go to the pet store and buy 3 bags of treats. That alone right there would cost me roughly $21 for 3 bags of the same number of ounces as the BarkBox bags. Add 2 toys at $10 each from the pet store, and a beef chew for $4. You’ve just spent $45 for the content of a BarkBox that would cost you $20!!!! I opt for an extra toy in mine, which brings me up to approximately $30. That’s still cheaper!

Extend the Excitement

Generally I keep each toy stored away and only give him one at a time. It seems to last longer that way. If I give him all the toys at once he destroys them all one after another and there’s less excitement throughout the month. I make sure to pace him, that way he gets something new more often. I also like to have one on hand in case I have to be gone for a longer period than usual. I’ll give him a new toy so he stays occupied.

I want to mention again that you get more variety than ever possible from a BarkBox as opposed to if you buy from a pet store. I’ve never received the same toy twice. I’ve never received the same bag of treats before. (Of course they always come in chicken, beef, duck, etc…but they have something else mixed in.) Koda has never turned his nose away from any of the treats. (Take that with a grain of salt, because he eats pretty much anything!) 

If you’re interested, I’ll leave my referral code here! http://www.barkbox.com/r/70JK7GD5SH  You get your first box free with my link (and I get a free box too!).