Dog toys are essential components of playtime for your pup, helping prevent boredom and curb unwanted behavior like chewing.
Toys come in all sorts of materials and designs, but the most important considerations when purchasing toys for your pup should always be safety and their preferences. Too small toys could pose a choking hazard while something too big could prove frustrating or leave them bored of playing with it altogether.
Balls
Balls are timeless canine toys, offering endless hours of amusement. There are countless varieties to choose from: foam, squeaky, bouncy and glow-in-the-dark! Whatever type of ball you go for it’s important that it fits with your breed in terms of size for optimal safety purposes and to avoid potential choking hazards or other issues.
Herding balls provide herding dog breeds with the perfect way to satisfy their natural desire to chase and herd, providing an outlet for this instinctive behavior and burning off excess energy while helping prevent behavioral issues like digging and chewing.
Chew Toys
Gnawing on chew toys is an instinctive canine behavior, helping keep teeth clean and soothe inflamed gums, particularly during puppy teething. Chew toys also keep dogs mentally and physically stimulated, helping reduce boredom or destructive chewing behaviors.
Built with powerful chewers in mind, this sturdy bone features small raised bristles that clean teeth as pups chew. Furthermore, its variety of flavors and textures will surely catch their interest!
Montana-made, this Montana-made chew toy is built tough enough for power chewers; one Rover pet parent reported it lasting through two large dogs and their chewing guests! Useful for tug or fetch, it also recycles into new toys when worn out!
Treat Dispensers
Treat dispensing toys offer your dog a fun mental challenge that engages their brain while helping reduce boredom, destructive behaviors and separation anxiety. There is a wide selection of shapes, sizes and materials available – and even ones equipped with cameras to monitor your pet while traveling or suffering from separation anxiety! These toys make great additions to their playtime sessions!
Many treat dispensers are constructed from hard plastic, which is durable enough to withstand teeth and chewing, whereas the softer varieties made from fabric or stuffing may not be as sturdy.
Capacity and size are also crucial considerations. A dispenser that’s too small could easily be chewed up by your pet and become a choking hazard; toy size should reflect their jaw strength and chewing habits.
Rope Toys
Rope toys fall into three main categories: chew toys, tug toys, and fetch toys. When selecting one for yourself or your pup to play with, look for strong materials with designs that allow easy maneuvering during play time – such as nylon rope material that won’t break easily or designs that make for simple tug-and-pull interactions between owner and pup!
This non-toxic rope toy features a built-in squeaker that emits smells such as meat, chicken, peanut butter, cheese, bacon, sweet potato and holiday gravy – the ideal option for chewers looking to burn some energy without chewing up fingers or furniture! However, long strands of rope may become swallowed and pose potential safety issues so it is recommended that all solo play be closely supervised.
Frisbees
If Frisbees aren’t your thing, there are still plenty of fun toys for your pup to enjoy. Puzzle plush toys such as Hide-A-Squirrel are excellent choices for dogs who like burrowing into holes in logs; while a ball launcher allows you to set distance settings and can automatically shut off after 15 minutes to prevent your fetch-obsessed pooch from getting bored too easily.
There are also discs designed specifically for Ultimate, freestyle and disc golf that you may encounter. These discs tend to be denser and heavier than Ultimate-grade Frisbees, with special flight profiles designed to increase or decrease stability and distance. Some even contain luminescent fluid or batteries for nighttime play! It may be especially challenging for small dogs with shorter legs to catch them midair!
Kongs
An interactive KONG toy can provide an effective and convenient way of enriching mealtime for pups. Instead of eating directly from a bowl, using KONGs allows dogs to chew, lick, and paw at them which promotes better oral hygiene and mental stimulation for pups.
Fill your Kong with peanut butter, cheese pieces, canned food or soft foods such as mashed potatoes. When plugging the hole, put something sticky (such as peanut butter or cream cheese ) inside to prevent dogs from licking out the contents of the Kong.
Use a KONG filled with high-value treats or smells they love such as bacon, hot dogs or fish to encourage scent detection in your dog. Hide it around the house or yard so they can find and sniff it – this activity is also excellent enrichment for older pups who require extra mental stimulation.
