Best chew toys for Catahoula Leopard Dogs

Getting ahead of this with a Catahoula is smart — they're a working breed with serious jaw engagement, and at 10 months they're hitting peak destructive energy before they mentally settle. The right chew toy for a dog like this needs to be durable enough to last but not so hard it risks cracking teeth — and the right choice depends a lot on how your dog actually chews and how strong those jaws are. What size is your dog right now, would you say they're a moderate chewer or do they really go to town on things, and what are you most hoping to solve — keeping them occupied, channelling energy, or getting ahead of any destructive habits?

25kg Catahoula going to town on standard rubber toys — yes, that tracks completely. Pet shop toys are usually made for moderate chewers and they're not built for a dog like her. At that weight and with that chewing intensity, you need something in a different category entirely. Can I ask — when she's chewing, does she tend to gnaw steadily in one spot, or does she shake and tear at things? That tells me whether I should be pointing you toward something she works with her molars or something that needs to hold up to more aggressive play.

Perfect — that's the most useful thing to know. A sustained gnawer who locks on and works a spot is actually easier to match than a shaker, because you need density and resistance more than structural flexibility. My clear recommendation is the Kong Extreme in Large or XL. It's made from Kong's toughest black rubber compound — significantly denser than their classic red range — and it's specifically designed for power chewers. The hollow centre means you can stuff it with something like peanut butter or Kong stuffing paste and freeze it, which extends the chewing session considerably and gives her mental engagement on top of the physical. At 25kg I'd go Large to start; XL if she seems to bottom out on it quickly. This is a toy she'll actually be working on rather than destroying.

She'll chew it plain and it'll hold up fine — the Extreme is tough enough that she won't need the incentive to engage with it. But honestly, stuffing and freezing it is worth doing at least some of the time. It turns a 10-minute chew into 30–40 minutes, and for a working breed like a Catahoula that mental effort is genuinely tiring in a way that pure physical chewing isn't. Even doing it a few times a week makes a real difference to how settled she is afterwards. Peanut butter is the easiest — just check it's xylitol-free.

Good call. One last thing — inspect it every week or so. The Extreme is tough but no rubber toy lasts forever under serious chewing, and once you see chunks starting to come away it's time to replace it. At her age and energy level it should last you several months at minimum, probably longer. You're doing the right thing getting ahead of this rather than waiting for a sofa corner to disappear.