Dog Chewing and Eating Things / Toy Concerns

We had a beautiful Labrador for 9 years and were quite lucky that she didn't really chew / swallow things that much .... unless being a Lab it was food in which case it didn't stand a chance

We've started looking after assistance dogs at weekends and they all seem determined to chew and I guess swallow anything they can get hold of.

They all make a beeline for any flowerpots they find in the garden and we live near the beach so there have been a few children's buckets that have been had as well. They're both fairly brittle plastic and chew them to bits in a fairly short space of time and I'm concerned about the small bits they may swallow and if it would harm them?????

Whilst we've made a determined effort to hunt around and clear the garden as much as possible they still find sticks which with the best intentions isn't quite so easy to keep a garden totally clear of them at all times.

The soft dog toys ... it doesn't seem long before you hear the inevitable rip and they're pulling out and chewing the stuffing which I would have thought is a choking hazard and tennis balls including an over sized one made as a dog toy and they're ripping the outside fur off and trying to eat it along with the constant retrieval of stolen socks before they swallow them ... although again are now drying them where they can't be reached.

Bouncy balls bought from a pet shop and again it's not long before they're chewing bits of the rubber off

How concerned should I be, the small plastic bits from pots, if they swallow them would they harm them ... they seem to have sharp ish edges ... sticks I'd be concerned they got lodged in their intestines and could cause a rupture.

I've been genuinely surprised at how little time dog toys actually last, trying to find some new ones that might fare a bit better I came across the Kong Flyer Frisbee ... the extreme version is meant to be pretty dog resistant but it wasn't long until I found a youtube video where a Husky had started to make inroads to the edge.

Am I being paranoid and they'd just pass most of it through or should I remain concerned / vigilant ... really interested to hear what others think???

You're supposed to plat with the dogs and the toys not just give them to them and walk away. Most dogs destroy their toys given half a chance. No stick generally wont just pass through and yes the sharp bits of plastic can cause problems.

Yes I gathered that but when you throw a ball to the other side of the garden for the dog to fetch and instead of bringing it back it lays down at the furthest point from you and starts to chew it and runs off with it if you try to approach .... it's not quite as simple as that.

Oh really, I never knew that. I've had dogs my entire life and you have to find what motivates each individual dog, if he's not into fetch find something else, take a look in pets at home in the toy section for ideas, watch what other owners do up the park. Buy an xxl black Kong that will last longer than a tennis ball. Are they into tugging, squeaky toys etc find their buttons and use them.

All you can do is your best. If you only have the dogs on weekends, it's going to be harder to set up a routine so the best way is to try to dog-proof the yard as much as possible and bring toys out one at a time under close supervision. Teaching a 'leave' command is really useful, but to establish it is going to be much harder if you only have them part time.

You don't say how old the dogs are, but my guess is that they are still puppies? If so, hopefully, things will ease as they get older

Ours likes squeaky toys and (empty) plastic water bottles. I take the lids off and he runs around chewing them - I think he likes the noise they make when he crushes them but I don't let tear them to pieces.

Oh! I've got a chewer and a destroyer. Some dogs are worse than others. You need to watch them them (eyes in the back of your head) when they have toys and reliably train them to give something up when asked. Mine is also a thief and scavenger to boot. There is always a risk of ingesting something unwisely chewed with a chewer, so they have to learn to obey "leave it" - could save their life. Some of the retriever breeds are the worse for chewing, which is surprising because they usually have very gentle mouths. Best thing I got for my chewer - and it really does satisfy his need to chew - is an antler. It's not available to him all the time - but it saves the furniture and other things. Keeps him occupied and seems to relax him when he settles down for a good chew. It lasts for ages and to refresh it I soak it with a stock cube.

A retrieve is useful as it provides both interaction and exercise. However, it may need to be trained for - by using lots of encouragement, and only over very short distances to begin with. It should be fun for both of you once the dog understands how this game is supposed to work.
Once the dog has learned to retrieve and carry different articles, he can begin to use his nose and search for them too. Use rewards and praise to make yourself the focus of his attention.

I would get a very large plastic ball , like horses use for fun
he will have fun chest pushing it around & not likely chew it.