Question
So I've been leaving my dog's toys scattered about; she'll come ask me for fetch or tug by bringing me a toy. I've been recently reading, however, that I shouldn't leave tug ropes out, because she'll chew on them and swallow strings of yarn or whatever it is they're made of and that's bad for her. The thing is, her favorite tug toy is her favorite toy period; she carries it around the house and often asks for tug with it (at least 4-5 times a day). Should I take it away from her and put it up and only get it down for play sessions? She's a shelter dog and I'm trying to give her a sense of security and "home" as well, she was clearly abandoned in a yard before and she hates to be out of my sight.
Answer
Does she actually obviously damage this rope toy? You say in a comment that she destroyed a different rope toy (that had a ball attached), but if she doesn't show any signs of causing damage to this specific rope toy then she's unlikely to wake up one morning and immediately rip it to a dangerous state. You should monitor it for wear over time and be ready to replace it when it starts wearing out--but that's something you should do for all toys anyway.
If she is obviously damaging it to the point where she can wear through it quickly, then yes you should take it away from her when she's unsupervised...but try to find something else that she likes that's safer. Perhaps if she likes the texture of the rope then she would like some of the textured rubber toys (look for teething toys, those have a lot of texture)... Some of the rubber toys are also tug-type toys.
Answered By - user3067860