My Bonni girl is a 9mth old American Staffy and very excitable. We go for many walks, runs ,bike rides, and swims at the beach, but once home again and revitalized, my young excitable pup is back,she will dig, she buries bones more than she, chews them and seems to do silly things just to get any attention( well thats what it seems like anyway).  I was hoping for some ideas for toys, that she wont chew in a heartbeat, and some ideas to keep her occupied in the backyard when she is on her own.

A filled kong?

There's a UK based website called Happy Staffy that do particularly tough toys for Staffs.  I know of it because my Labs love chew toys but few are tough enough for them.

Aussiedog has to be the ultimate in tough dog toys http://www.aussiedog.com.au/aboutus.php very expensive though.

>We go for many walks, runs ,bike rides, and swims at the beach,

Your pup should only have 45 minutes walks per day.  That is 20 minutes each way, and having many walks sounds to me as if she is being over exercised.  Sorry if I have misunderstood but when you mention keeping her in the backyard and occupied, she can't be expected to be left alone for lengthy periods, and expected to occupy herself with no supervision at this age.

Jean, with respect, we're talking Aus here.  :)

I'm afraid in a LOT of cases, dogs are permanently kept in their back garden with little or no human interaction for the majority of the day and night.
I'm not saying that is the case in this particular instance, but sadly it IS a fact of dog ownership over here.

There was a little American Stafford turned up on my door step not so long ago.  Wandered across a pretty busy road and I guess must have smelled my two and plodded on over.  I'd been hearing a distinct Stafford scream for some days prior to this, so wondered if it was the same little man from the garden I'd heard the noise coming from.  He was very very young (turned out to be 5½ weeks old!!!).
I brought him into the house and gave him a drink, etc, popped him in a crate to keep him secure (he started the screaming then, so I was pretty convinced I knew where he'd come from).
Anyway, the occupant of that house arrived home some time later, I went over to her and asked if she had a new pup, she replied that she did, so I replied 'not any more you don't!'  :)
Long story short, he'd been left alone in the garden all day, had become very distressed and managed to get out and wander over to my house.  I gave a bit of a lecture (more advice than lecture really) A) about him being left alone for so long at such a tender age and B) the breeder who let him go at such a young age (apparently the breeder and vet said that it was fine!!! *roll eyes*, he'd had no health testing & has no paperwork).
The latest is... rather than spend more time with the pup and socialise, etc, the young couple have gone and bought themselves another one - of the same age!  Oh joy...... :(
Considering the discussion regarding changes to legislation (and not just at State level, but possibly Federal) and 'dangerous breeds' here in Aus at the moment (which I know is a completely different topic, so apologies), my stomach churns at the thought of yet more people buying un-papered, un-registered Am Staffs that are UNsocialised & UNtrained.
Again, I'm not saying at ALL that this is the case in this instance, just want to share my experiences.

I'll get off my soap box now!! lol

I agree with the amount of exercise mentioned though, Jean, it does sound rather a lot for a 9 month old if we've read correctly.

I'm just replying again, because I feel a bit naughty not even replying to the original topic.  Sorry bonnigirl.  In response to your original question; I'd suggest perhaps a stuffed, strong Kong or perhaps a tough Nylabone - you can get the tougher ones designed for strong chewers.
:)

>so I replied 'not any more you don't!'  :-)<br />

Well, I have to say good for you.  It's the sort of thing that I would have said.  I guess I have difficulty in trying to imagine a dog left for those sort of hours though.  I guess Aus has a different view on animal welfare that I just can't get my head around.

>Well, I have to say good for you.  It's the sort of thing that I would have said.  I guess I have difficulty in trying to imagine a dog left for those sort of hours though.  I guess Aus has a different view on animal welfare that I just can't get my head around.>

Bless you, thank you.  I could have been a bit more harsh toward the owner I suppose, but sometimes you get to the point where you think what's the point! lol

Sadly, in my experiences here so far, yes, some Australian residents do seem to have a very different view on animal welfare :(

Boomer ball - it is like a football but made of hard plastic. You get different sizes suitable for different dogs. Mind you it is pretty noisy depending what your backyard is made of .