New Toys

Just to prove how much Brady & Cooper love their new toys from Petstages that my mom brought them a few weeks ago, I thought I'd post a few pictures of the boys & their toys. Enjoy!

I swear that they like them even if they don't look so happy in the photos - I think they were nervous that we were going to kick them off of Brinkley's bed :)

A Yes and a No

You guessed it! It's time for another product review. After spending three days with three very large and rather rambunctious dogs (Brady, Cooper & their cousin Brinkley), I am able to offer you a review of two more Petstages dog toys. As I've said before, I love dog toys by Petstages. The people at Petstages have developed a number of great toys for chewers, and they also offer a variety of well-made interactive toys as well.

When my parents came to visit this past weekend, my mom brought a new toy for the three boys to try out - the Hearty Chew (show below). This interesting contraption proved to be a favorite for both chewing and a rowdy three-way game of tug-of-war. The ball in the middle is soft, yet durable as are the ropes that extend out of each side. The three boys played with this toy for hours, and I have a feeling that it will quickly become a favorite of the boys.

We purchased the second Petstages toy (shown below) a few weeks ago. Called the Good Tug, this toy (made with super thick cotton rope) seemed like it would be a great one for the boys, given the fact that they love to play tug-of-war with Cooper's favorite football. I assumed that since it was made for playing tug-of-war it would be a durable, long-lasting toy, capable of withstanding the strong jaws of our two labs. Granted, this toy is listed as an "interactive" toy rather than a "chewing" toy, but I still would have thought that the plastic balls located on either end of the toy would have lasted longer than 30 minutes. Not so much. Cooper quickly chewed through the outer plastic, requiring me to cut off all remaining plastic from the toy. Yes, they can still play with the rope, but we soon realized that the two plastic balls are in place to keep the center piece from sliding off the ends of the rope. Fatal design error? Probably not, but I'd like to think they could develop a better design for future tug-of-war toys.

Overall conclusion? Definitely buy the Hearty Chew but I wouldn't waste your money on the Good Tug if you have chewers in your house.

For the chewer in your life...

Our boys, like many dogs, LOVE to chew things. Unfortunately, cute stuffed toys live a short life in our house. The boys figured out a system early on that enables them to rip open toys and disembowel them in approximately 2.7 seconds. Ok, they're not really that quick, but you get the picture. If we leave them at home with a stuffed toy in their crate, we come home to a crate that looks like the scene of a massive pillow fight - stuffing everywhere.

We still get them stuffed toys from time to time because they love them so much - they'll happily carry around the shell of the toy even after the stuffing has been completely removed. I realize, however, that buying stuffed toys is not the best investment and that these types of toys don't really help out with the chewing tendencies of our two labs. Luckily, we have found several great toys that stand up to the boys' powerful teeth and have long outlasted a variety of other toys that we've tried.

So, who makes these great toys, you ask? A company called Petstages has a wide variety of toys in their Orka line that are ideal for a dog that loves to chew. We've purchased the Orka Bone in both sizes (the small one when the boys were puppies and they have the larger bone now). We also have one of their chew toys called the Barbell Chew, another great find. The toys in the Orka line are made from a durable, non-toxic rubber and feature a variety of textures that allows your dog to exercise his or her jaw muscles while also helping improve dental health. You can read more about the Orka line of toys as well as Petstages' other products on their website.

And where do you find these great toys, you ask? We found our first Orka bone at Target, but you can also purchase them at PetSmart and many other pet shops across the country.

Has anyone else tried a toy from Petstages or found another durable toy for chewers? If so, feel free to share!