Destructive Free

[Vanessa]

Everytime we buy toys, Chance de-stuffs em. It may just be more economical to give em an old sock instead.
Socks are a favorite in our house. Another treat is when we get junk mail. I will give Chance a piece of paper so he can destroy it.
I've sat there and just watched him destroy something. I think it is the sound they like (paper) Once he destroys it, he will just walk away.

[Ninabeana26]

@Vanessa:

Another treat is when we get junk mail. I will give Chance a piece of paper so he can destroy it.

What a great idea! It's like having your own personal paper shredder :p We get plenty of junk mail that he can enjoy!

[nala121498]

As I'm sure you're seeing, each dog is different. My B was very much like Keoki until this past year (she turned 9) with the chewing of every bed! We were very lucky she "passed" everything she chewed. The odd thing is that she loves those faux sherpa toys and has had one since she was a pup! Go figure. I know Kongs are pretty indesctructible, but Nala never cared for hers…not in the least.
I'm sure you'll figure it out as time goes by...looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing the stories!

[hdolbow]

high socks tied in a knot.. Rocky loves them & its easy to distinguish between if they have a sock thats okay or one that you were gonna wear tomorrow:D

[tanza]

We do the same with paper bags from the store, we put them on the edge of the counter just so OJ (even at 16+) can steal them and shred them..gggg.

[JazzysMom]

@tanza:

We do the same with paper bags from the store, we put them on the edge of the counter just so OJ (even at 16+) can steal them and shred them..gggg.

Empty paper towel rolls are a big hit here.

And at Christmas it was HILARIOUS to see Keoki running proudly through the house with the empty wrapping paper rolls. He loved those!

We don't give them socks to play with. Keoki LOVES socks, so we want to make sure he gets that NONE of them are okay to play with… ha! eat.
No socks ever.

[Basenji_Boy]

@tanza:

And about toys,… it is pretty common for B's to "unstuff" toys... but mine always played with the remaining flatten covers of the toys...

So do ours, like a gutted critter!

Buy lots of very cheap toys!

[wizard]

EL D has only destroyed (including the ones labeled as indestructable) his toys (pulled all the stuffing and squeekies out) and occasionally will rip up the handles on paper shopping bags. He has TONS of toys (I don't toss them out until they are in little pieces) and if they're in decent shape I'll shove the stuffing back in for him to pull out That seems to keep him busy enough to not bother with furniture etc. Last fall I won a large stuffed toy at the state fair and EL D likes to run around the house with that flopping all around him (even with the stuffing mostly gone). The other day I had just put some lotion on my hands and picked up the big floppy and must have gotten some lotion on it because EL D just went wild. He threw it around a bunch and then tried to roll in it. Too funny

[Craigh]

@tanza:

And about toys,… it is pretty common for B's to "unstuff" toys... but mine always played with the remaining flatten covers of the toys...

Yep, when Alex was a little younger, his favorite activity was to rip open, unstuff and remove the squeaker from those $10 lambs wool stuffed toys. The really well made ones lasted a couple of hours.

On the subject of bedding, I found a "chew proof" pillow style dog bed at Orvis.com. It was guaranteed to be replaced if your dog destroyed it. The bed cost $75 for what amounted to a big pillow, but I figured that in the long run it would be cheaper than buying a new $10 one every week.

When it came time for me to return the third one within a month, I was just told that they'd give me a full refund rather than replace the bed again. It was then suggested that I needed to look for another brand. :rolleyes:

[tanza]

For crate pads or just pads in general, Bully pads are great and really hold up to abuse… and they wash really easy and dry fast. I used them for everything including whelping litters...
http://www.aah-pets.com/bullydogbeds.html

[Kebasmom]

My dog once at the collar off the other dog. I never found the buckle, but she never passed either…..

[lvoss]

At our house we have lots of "skins" of old toys which are a favorite especially of the puppies. My dogs particularly enjoy the fuzzy hedgehogs from PetEdge. They pluck them, unstuff them and then proudly parade aroudn the house with the "skin". As for non-stuffed toys, a big favorite in the house is the Busy Buddy. We will put their kibble in their Busy Buddies and let them work it all out as a way to eat a meal and keep them busy.

[youngandtired]

My B, Sahara has never unstuffed her toys, she loves the Hedgehogs as well, got her one when she was very young and it is still one of her favorites. She has lots of toys b/c she does not destroy them. She likes to destroy my stuff instead, lets see, here's the list: chewed marks into my new coffeetable, chewed into new endtables, chewed spindle in wooden daybed in guest room, have replaced my glass frames 1 time, lenses 2, chews anything plastic(clothes baskets, large plastic tops of bins, handles on scissors, handles on brooms, plastic covers for her can food, ink pens) my hubby's glasses, my upper teeth plate(that was expensive to replace and embrassing) my bedrooms shoes and countless other items. This was mostly done when she was a puppy, except my bedroom shoes I just got for Christmas. I used all I could fine to deter her from chewing and nothing worked except time and making sure she did not get things off of my counters, and tables. She still surfs for things but we have learned the hard way to PUT THINGS OUT OF HER REACH, AND THOSE LEGS ARE LIKE HANDS. I buy her things to chew on all the time, even when she was a puppy. She is much better now since she is older, but will chew on things now and then if given the chance. We never give her socks either, she is a bandit and will steal things out of our clothes basket like socks, and underwear if we leave the door open (have a new basket that seems to be more trouble for her to open now). But to be honest I think it is our fault now if she gets things we don't want her to have, we are smarter now, we KNOW she likes to chew. I also suggest you buy stuffed toys that are cheap til you find out if you have a degutter basenji. haha!!!!!Oh and by the way, she got those scissors when they were left on kitchen counter, she brought them to her with those long legs she uses like hands, I thought I was going to have a heart attack b/c she wanted me to chase her for them. This B is a real character and that is why we LOVE HER SO MUCH! She makes us laugh everyday over and over and things are just things, but she gives us love unconditionally!!!:D

[BasenjiDiva]

All the dogs we've ever owned have gutted their toys….except for Cory. Cory has only gutted one toy and it was a little long legged creature. She gutted it immediately and then killed it for good when DH left it on top of the crate when he crated her so he could go run an errand. Cory managed to grab the leg of the toy and pulled it into the crate...where she then did everything but vaporize the little critter. She doesn't mind the crate but hates to be left alone so something had to suffer. :eek: Cory has 2 crates - one is her bedtime crate and it stays in our room. She does no damage to that bedding. The other crate is her crate for being fed, left alone, or going on a car trip. She destroys any bedding put into that crate and so we accept old towels and sheets from family and friends to use there. For her bedtime crate, we found cheap ($4 each) fleece throws at Big Lots. One is wrapped around some covered foam. The other is bunched up in there and she burrows under it until no basenji can be seen. It is funny to see.

I recently saw a catalog that advertised a dog bed that was supposedly indestructable. In fact, if the dog destroyed it, they say they will replace it. I would love to see someone with a destructive basenji give that promise a test. I think it was Orvis but can't swear to it.

Pat

[tanza]

Watch anything that is foam wrapped…ggg... been there seen what they can do with foam.. and it ain't pretty.... I don't buy anything that is foam wrapped

[tanza]

And remember what ever you buy, Basenjis like to dig… they dig in their beds to get that "nest" just perfect... and all they need it one thread.. and the party is over...

[BasenjiDiva]

@tanza:

Watch anything that is foam wrapped…ggg... been there seen what they can do with foam.. and it ain't pretty.... I don't buy anything that is foam wrapped

When we first got Cory, I found a 3 sectioned preschool naptime mat. It was made of foam wrapped in vinyl and each section was almost exactly the size of the floor of Cory's crate. The way the sections were seamed made it easy to cut into 3 separate pads. "Won't these be comfy", I thought VERY naively. LOL! Well the first time I crated her with one of the mats, she destroyed it and then redestroyed it for good measure. I didn't know that foam could end up in that small of pieces!! Now I have the last remaining section of the doomed mat in a pillow case, and then wrapped in a fleece in her sleeping crate. So far so good….but that's only because she really, really likes her nighttime nest.

Pat

[MacPack]

Ah yes, I had a latex mattress years ago. Foam can be divided into many small pieces. You gasp, not quite believing your eyes….and the dogs are so proud of their work.

Anne in Tampa

[tanza]

@MacPack:

Ah yes, I had a latex mattress years ago. Foam can be divided into many small pieces. You gasp, not quite believing your eyes….and the dogs are so proud of their work.

Anne in Tampa

Exactly…:D

[Ninabeana26]

Thanks for the info everyone! I found out we go pick him up on the 24th so I imagine I will go next weekend to the mall & look around for a nice bed but nothing too expensive. I might try used blankets from goodwill though before putting in a bed to see if he destroys it. As for toys, I think we've decided to stick with things like rubber balls, kongs, & bones.

Does anyone recommend greenies or nylabones? I have heard good things about both but just recently heard from someone that greenies can be bad as well (?) I know my dogs go crazy over them though!

Also, what type of foods does everyone recommend?