Product Rant: Nylabone DuraChew Plus (Bacon)

I know, I know.
I am generally an advocate of Nylabones. However, that doesn't mean they don't have products that I simply do not care for. I wanted to take a few moments to touch upon that, and let everyone know that I am not a fan of every single Nylabone and I definitely don't believe the company (or any company for that matter) can do no wrong.
For instance, my household is not one for Flexi-chews, or Healthy Edibles. (Healthy Edibles claim to be edible, but they remind me of Greenies. Which I also don't like. Big pieces break off, and that I don't like.)

On a whim, I bought this particular Nylabone from Petsmart's website. I was skeptical the moment it arrived.

This bone is hollow. Hollow. It's a DuraChew - and it's hollow?

I handed it to Isabella and sat down near her to watch (Oh I've learned my lesson.) In 10-15 minutes she had a hole worked in the corner. 

Isabella is pretty good with her "leave it" command, even when it's something she enjoys, so she spit the bone out for me and I took the whole mess away. Much to her confusion. (Oh come on, I replaced it with her regular type.)
When I went researching this particular bone, I saw some better pictures showing that even the little red pieces come out. They are separate from the bone itself and actually dislodge! What on EARTH? For one thing, I can't imagine why Nylabone wouldn't make this a solid toy! For another, pieces that chip off like that? From my reading, I've come to find that, unfortunately, my experience wasn't isolated. (It's also worth noting that Isabella's friend, Abby the Doberman, chewed open one of these as well.)
I was very unhappy with this Nylabone and it found it's way to the trash. I will never purchase another one.

Now, here are the DuraChew models I have found last the longest. They are hard, dense, and large pieces do not break off. Please do not confuse these with the Healthy Edibles or Flexi-chew models. - Even with Isabella being an aggressive chewer, and Angel playing from time to time, these hold up for a while.
Since I often have out about 5-7 Nylabones at any given time and keep some in stock, it's hard to tell you for certain just how long they last. At night when I put the toys away I check them then for signs of over-use and toss ones that are starting to get too rough looking for my comfort level. Then just replace with a new one the next day. Keeping a variety out probably helps them seemingly last longer, as there are just so many to choose from. Which doesn't stop all of them from being drug out in to the floor during the day......

My absolute favorite, and the type we purse the most, are the plain old DuraChews (the first one linked.) We have them in Original, chicken, and bacon. They're always a hit, and they have yet to disappoint me.
In all of the bones we buy SOUPER size. Big dogs, big bones.

The last one I linked is the ring, which is available in LARGE as a size. I bought one of these on sale inside an actual Petsmart and decided to give it a go. (On sale it was even cheaper than Amazon, which, while we're on the topic, usually has the cheapest bones.) I was a bit hesitant but I have to admit, the ring held up well. I even bought a couple more. They're actually not as big of a hit with Isabella, for whatever reason, but Angel loves these.

So there ya go. A few Nylabones I don't like, and a few I do.
Thanks for stopping by!

Categories: angel, dog toys, dogs, isabella, nylabones, opinions, review, shopping, toys