Kojak Is A Power Chewer

It should come as no surprise to Kojak Nation that Kojak is a power chewer. He will chew on anything pretty much any time and he is a dog that likes to do a thorough job. When he’s finished chewing on something and finally lets it go, it is barely recognizable; in some case it isn’t and Libby and I just look at each other and wonder what it was.

He seems to have quite the taste for wood. We have one of those little fire enclosures on our back deck and have been known to enjoy a fire in the evening. I had stacked firewood on an old pallet so it was handy for a spur of the moment evening fire (the real wood pile is probably 100 feet away and it’s a chore to pull wood from the pile, especially in summer). I had also thoughtfully split some of the logs into smaller kindling and left the rest in about 4 inch diameter pieces.

Not thinking much about it, we let Kojak out and he made his way onto the deck and promptly pulled a stick of firewood out of the pile and settled in for some serious chewing. We didn’t know anything about it until he was ready to come in and the deck looked like the floor of a sawmill; chunks of wood and wood debris everywhere. He actually tried to bring in his “favorite” stick so he could continue reducing it to atoms in front of the TV. We now have all the firewood actually IN the fire pit, safely covered by the spark screen.

Over time we’ve figured out which toys are worth buying and which ones aren’t. Not that they’re bad toys, just not designed for a little puppy that has a bite force close to 400 PSI. We won’t buy any toy that has fabric, stuffing or a squeaker – Kojack takes the destruction of these toys seriously and usually accomplishes it in a single sitting. Rope toys are out as are any long fabric streamer type toy – these are simply edible and apparently delicious. However, they do carry a danger of swallowing – I’ll probably post about the things Kojak has swallowed and we have had to take a trip to the emergency vet…. but that’s a story for another day.

Here are just a few (of many many) pictures showing Kojak’s handiwork,

On the flip side, there are a FEW toys that have withstood the test of time (and Kojak). These toys have so far been impervious to Kojak’s best effort. In many cases, these are the toys he brings to play tug with (see Kojak Can Be Irritating) or he will gnaw on them for what seems like hours and they show very little signs of wear.

Kong Tug Toy and Goodie Bone

We’ve had several of these, not because they have been destroyed but because Kojak takes them out into the yard and we never see them again. We did have to replace one Tug Toy because chunks started flaking off of it, but this was back when we still had Xena and two of them would wrestle over the toy. I’ve played Tug (of course) with Kojak for over a year with the current Tug Toy and he has had a number of episodes of “special time” with the toy and it’s no worse for the wear.

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The Mighty Yellow Ball

Another toy that has held up surprisingly well is this little yellow ball. This is one of Kojak’s favorite toy and has had many a round of tug and chewing sessions. The ball shows surprisingly little wear, no breaks in the surface and has the added advantage that I can throw it in the yard and Kojak goes tearing after it. He does bring it back (sorta) but he STILL is struggling with “Fetch” and I have to wrestle the ball away from him before I can throw it again.

Something to consider before acquiring a yellow ball. Your dog may be as smart as Kojak who has discovered he can carry this ball to the top of the steps (which happens to be right outside our bedroom) and roll the ball down the steps chasing it all the way. Alternatively he will let it bounce down each step until it slams into the wall at the bottom of the steps THEN go charging down the steps after it. To entertain himself he’ll play this one sided game of “Fetch” which can be really irritating at 2 AM.

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The product listing calls it a “giant” ball – it is NOT a giant ball in my opinion. It is about the size of a volleyball or basketball which doesn’t hold a candle to a herding ball from a size perspective. It’s big enough for some good entertainment and it’s as solid as a car tire – probably weight 3 or 4 pounds – and very dense. Holds up very well, Kojak’s been chewing on it for several months and I can’t find a tooth mark on it.

Playology

We’ve also had excellent success with the toys from Playology, they’re giving Kong a run for their money! We usually chose the teal ones that are peanut butter flavored (or really scented, more on this in a moment). We can’t give Kojak a tennis ball sized toy as he’ll go crazy over it and just won’t give it up even for meal times. So we go with some of the other toys like the triangle (which they don’t appear to make anymore) and the fetch toy (also seems to be discontinued although I got both at Wal Mart).

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The scent is not unpleasant but it is strong and lasts a long time (months). Libby occasionally complains of a “musty smell” in the living room (for example) and we’ll look under the couch to find one of the Playology toys. Of course Kojak is delighted to be reunited with his toy and goes prancing off to give it some “special time”.

Just thinking about all the chewing makes me want to go check on Kojak right now to see what he’s chewing on.