Kyjen Squeak Toys
I have to give a shoutout to Kyjen. This big box of dog stuff arrived on my doorstep and when I opened it up, something squeaked and Beans’ ears went like this: ^-^.
If you don’t know Kyjen, they’re the makers of the Outward Hound line along with a boatload of other dog toys and accessories. I was hesitant to get any toys because my dogs are aggressive chewers and can eat their way through just about anything. They also disembowel just about every stuffed toy they get and kill the squeakers within 5 minutes. Kyle from Kyjen assured me that I might be surprised at how my dogs interact with their toys. I was intrigued so I agreed to give ‘em a shot. What did I have to lose?
The package contained an Invincibles 6-squeaker snake, a Ricky Raccoon squeaker mat (out of the corner of my eye this thing looks just like Beans — they’re the same size!), a Heavy Duty Travel Bowl, a 2-in-1 Porta-a-Bowl, and an Excursion Dog Backpack.
Ah, Kyjen, where were you when we lived in San Diego and went hiking?
OK, so back to the toys. They are huge! Ricky Raccoon (above) is as big as Beans and the snake (below) is as long as Lulu! The best part about these toys is that they don’t have stuffing inside. I don’t buy my dogs toys with stuffing anymore because they’re chewers, and if I leave the room for one minute and come back there’s always turtle or bunny insides all over my floor.
How silly is this face?
I’m also hesitant about squeakers. Lulu is like a fox when it comes to squeakers. She hunts, finds them and punctures them and then they squeak no more. But, Kyjen’s toys’ squeakers are puncture-proof. They keep on squeaking even when they’ve been punctured. It’s definitely true — they do seem to still squeak!
So, I broke out the camera and let the dogs loose with the toys.
Here they are checking them out: *sniff*sniff* They had a great time playing all afternoon. It was funny to watch them try to decide which toy they wanted. They always seem to want what the other one has. There was also some intense tug-o’-war with the snake.
Lulu on the hunt for squeakers.
Beans gives hugs and kisses to his new friend. We call him Sammy the snake.
So, what’s the verdict? I don’t know how this is possible but I still have two squeaking toys on my floor. However, there was some carnage. Ricky’s tail actually had some stuffing in it — leave it to Lulu to find it and de-stuff. Also, the last squeaker in the snake’s tail has been removed and destroyed. Overall, I’m surprised that these toys are still in such good shape.
Interesting. I LOVE their Outward Hound stuff – I wear my belt on every one of our (city) walks, especially useful in summer because it has a water bottle holder (mine will drink right from the bottle, no need for the bowl). My guy also destroys toys within minutes, not worth the $$$…but may check these out, so thanks for the assessment.
I’m always impressed by the great finds you come across and post for us. These toys look great and I have to agree that stuffing-less toys are a must-have. I am, however, always disappointed to see choke chain collars on the dogs of someone so educated on great dog products. I’d love to see you do some research on positive reinforcement training and the amazing tools available to train your dog without force or pain!
Hi Kerri,
Thanks for your kind words and your concern. What is right for my dogs might not be right for someone else’s. My dogs are happy, healthy and treated very, very well (probably better than some kids out there!). They are well-trained, well-behaved, socially adjusted, don’t mind fireworks & thunder, and probably couldn’t live a better life elsewhere.
When training, we use positive reinforcement techniques (which are great!) among other popular, widely-accepted methods. My dogs don’t really get much additional training these days, though, since they already know the basics and have no chance of being show dogs
Oh wow, I’d love to find some toys without stuffing for my shiba. She loves her toys, knows a few by name, however its always very sad when she finally gets through their plush coating to their soft fluffy centre.
Now, if only I could find some Kyjen stuff here in Australia…
I watched a video at Kyjen’s website for the Invincibles: Kyle actually uses his knife to poke holes in the squeakers, and they do keep making noise. It’s pretty impressive.
I know! It must be some sort of physics thing because it’s way over my head.
Awe…. my doggy would love this!!
i’m a bit late to the party but had to post a kudos to kyjen. i have several of their toys and my dog had been left alone with one of them which he broke. i had contacted them in the hopes that i could just get the inside part and instead found them offering to replace the toy as well as a toy of theirs that i had in the past. sure enough, a box of brand new toys came to me. that kind of customer service has made me become a faithful customer of theirs. hooray for them and their toys!