Best Dog Toys for Dachshunds

One thing we found out quickly after getting our sausage dog boy was that they can be extremely destructive with toys, even as puppies. This is something we’ve heard from several dachshund owners as well, suggesting it is quite typical of the breed, which makes sense as they were originally bred to hunt so have a natural prey drive. Any soft toys or toys containing a squeaker are now banned in our house, due to their inability to last more than 5 minutes before they are ripped open.

With that in mind, choosing the right sort of toys that are less like to be destroyed in minutes (or even seconds) of ownership is needed to make sure you aren’t wasting money on toys that will end up in the bin. That is especially relevant in the current climate where costs are even more of a consideration.

Our dachshund has even managed to chew through the most “extreme” of rubber based toys and treat dispensers from great brands like Kong - photo evidence below! We really liked a lot of the Kong toys when he was a puppy, but since he has been fully grown, on the whole these have been easily destroyed as he is such a strong chewer.

Ropes

Some of the most successful toys we have bought for our dachshund have been rope-based, as these tend to last much longer than anything soft, with a squeaker, or made of rubber.

Traditional ropes have been good, but our dog has had a tendency to “de-string” them by pulling out strands from the knotted ends of the rope.

We have found a really successful type of rope are the ones made from knotted or plaited fleece. There are numerous examples of these available to purchase both online and in pet shops, but the I have personally bought several from a seller called DogDirect London on Amazon who offer rope toys in a wide variety of colours. Initially I thought these really wouldn’t last long at all, but they have so far managed to withstand over a year of rough play and chewing, so were really worth the money compared to other toys that have gone in the bin within minutes.

Another really similar fleece based rope toy that we have bought a couple of times is the Equafleece Dog Not Fleece Dog Toy which is a great environmentally friendly choice as Equafleece make these with the upcycled offcuts from fabric used to make their dog jumpers and coats.

Balls

Another toy that has been really popular and successful for our dachshund is balls, however not every product is equal, with some being far less destructible than others.

Our boy loved tennis balls when he was a puppy, but since he’s grown and become a stronger chewer, tennis balls are often destroyed, with him having a particular love for “de-fuzzing” the outside of any tennis ball in reach.

We also found that any rubber balls that are made from solid rubber (often very hard and fairly heavy) are also a big no, as they have seemed to be easy for dachshund teeth to pick out chunks of the rubber. Similarly, any rubber balls with textured ridges or nobbles on the outside tend to lead to the same result, even under supervision.

We have found the best type of ball to buy for our dachshund boy are any bouncy rubber balls that are easy to squash, as these seem to be much harder to be chewed up. We were able to pick up some great rubber orange bouncy balls of this type cheaply at Pets Home, an example of a really similar product is the Sponge Ball Dog Toy which they sell as a single item, or even cheaper per unit in multi packs of three or six balls. We also have bought similar balls from a brand called SPORTSPET which come in an array of bright colours and can also be bought in multipacks from places like Amazon.

Another ball our dog loves and has yet to destroy is the 3 Peaks Rubber Caged Ball which we also purchased at Pets at Home (we picked the red colour). Similar to the basic rubber ball, these balls are easily squashed so more difficult for little dachshund teeth to pull off bits of the rubber.

Whatever dog toys you choose for your dachshund, make sure you always supervise them during play wherever possible. From experience, our dachshund has the power to destroy even the most “indestructible” of toys, so it’s always best to keep an eye on your dog while they are playing to avoid them ingesting or choking on any rogue pieces of broken toy.