Malamute puppy destroying toys? Fix it

A Malamute at 11 weeks — you're already getting a preview of what that breed is capable of, aren't you. Teething is one of the most intense periods of puppyhood at the best of times, but with a working breed that's been bred over centuries to haul and gnaw, you're dealing with a jaw that's genuinely built differently. Having the right chew toys available — ones firm enough to satisfy but safe for developing teeth, and ideally chillable to soothe sore gums — makes a real difference to how much destruction happens. So tell me: is it mostly toys being demolished, or are furniture and shoes already in the firing line too?

Relentless is exactly the right word for a Malamute. They don't rage-chew, they just never stop — it's almost methodical. The problem with rope toys and soft rubber at this stage is they're designed for average-sized breeds with average jaw pressure. A Malamute pup is already operating above that threshold, and once they've shredded something successfully, they know they can do it again. Before I make a recommendation — is he chewing more in the mornings and evenings, or is it fairly constant throughout the day? And are you home most of the time, or are there stretches where he's unsupervised?

That tracks completely. When a Malamute can't find an outlet, they make their own. What you need is something that sits in the zone between 'too hard to be dangerous for puppy teeth' and 'hard enough that he can't destroy it in ten minutes.' My recommendation is the Kong Extreme puppy range — specifically the black Kong Extreme rather than the red Classic. The black rubber compound is significantly denser, designed for power chewers, and at 11 weeks a size Medium will be the right fit for a Malamute's growing jaw without being so large it's unwieldy. Stuff it with a bit of wet puppy food and freeze it overnight — frozen stuffing slows him down considerably, soothes the gum inflammation he's definitely experiencing, and turns it into a 20-30 minute occupation rather than a 4-minute demolition job. It won't replace supervision entirely, but it gives you a reliable circuit-breaker when you need to be hands-off. He's very unlikely to get through the black compound at this age, and by the time he could, his adult teeth will be in and you'll be buying for a different reason anyway.

Good instinct to ask. The black Extreme is denser but it's still rubber — it has give when he bites into it, which is what you need. The danger for puppy teeth is anything that doesn't flex at all, like hard nylon chews or antlers, because those can fracture the tooth. Kong's rubber, even the Extreme compound, compresses enough under bite pressure to be safe for developing teeth. The rule of thumb vets use is the thumbnail test: if you press your thumbnail firmly into the toy and it leaves a small indent, it's safe. Kong Extreme passes that. Antlers and hard nylon don't. So yes — safe for where he is right now, and genuinely challenging enough to hold his interest.

Two is the ideal setup, yes. One in use, one in the freezer — you'll never be caught without a loaded one, and it becomes a really smooth part of the daily routine. Get them established as the go-to chew object now while he's young and you'll save yourself a lot of skirting board.