Silicone Corn Dog Chew Toy

You come back into the room and the chair leg has fresh teeth marks in it. Teething puppies and bored dogs don't tell furniture from a toy. Your dog will chew something today, so make it this.

This silicone corn dog chew toy gives them something built for it: a ridged corn cob that flexes under the bite, springs back, and has a hollow channel down the middle for a treat strip.

What's inside the corn:

• Corn-kernel nubs: textured bumps on the outside and ridges inside the channel rub the teeth and gums as they chew from every angle
• Treat channel: a hollow through the center takes a meat strip from either end, so the chew becomes a puzzle
• High-elasticity silicone: compresses under the bite and returns to shape, so it doesn't crack or leave sharp edges
• Tug friendly: the husk end gives you something to hold, so it works for a pull as well as a solo chew
• Rinses clean: silicone doesn't hold odors, so warm water after a session is enough

Thread a treat through it. Jerky strips and dried treat sticks push in from both ends and sit inside the channel. Getting them out keeps a short attention span busy for a while.

Squeeze it and it comes back. The silicone is thick and springy, kneads flat in the hand and returns to its corn shape, which is what a puppy jaw needs.

Hold the husk end and it's a tug toy. Pink, green or blue, three pastel colors in the same shape.

Getting the size right

One size, 5.3 in (13.5 cm) long and 2.4 in (6 cm) across with a 0.6 in (15 mm) treat channel, weighing 4.7 oz (134 g). That suits puppies through to medium dogs.

A large, determined chewer will get through it faster, so treat it as a treat-dispensing chew rather than a heavy-duty one.

Specifications

• Material: Food-grade silicone
• Size: 5.3 x 2.4 in (135 x 60 mm), 0.6 in (15 mm) treat channel
• Weight: 4.7 oz (134 g)
• Treats: Meat strips and dried sticks, loaded from either end
• Care: Rinse under warm water
• Colors: Pink, Green, Blue

Safety note: Supervise chewing and retire the toy if it tears or if pieces come loose. Count the treats you load into it as part of the day's food.

Push a strip of jerky into the channel, hand it over, and the chair leg loses its appeal.