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It’s fun watching your pooch go crazy with its favorite toys. However, it’s important to understand that for dogs, their toys are more than just luxury, they’re vital for their physical and emotional development. That’s right, along with getting exercise, dogs also release stress and anxiety playing with toys.
Moreover, toys are also important to help the pooch engage in something meaningful when it’s boring. This is especially true when they’re alone after you leave for work. Playing with their favorite toys in your absence can help your dog steer clear of developing symptoms of separation anxiety and other problematic behavioral conditions. In light of this, we’re going to talk about some of the best types of toys that you should get your dog.
But first…
Make Sure The Toys are Safe for Your Pooch
There are a lot of things that can make a particular toy dangerous or safe for your pooch. And a majority of those factors depend on how big your dog is, how active it is, and its preferences. Moreover, before buying a toy for the dog, determine where the pooch spends most of its time playing around. While it can be difficult for anyone to specify which toys are safe and which are not, some basic guidelines can help you make the best decision.
Try to remove anything that your pooch can swallow. Typically, your dog’s always going to want to play with something that may ultimately be pretty dangerous as well. For example, rubber bands, kids’ toys, strings and ribbons, and more. These are things that the pooch can accidentally swallow, and it may become sick or worse. So the best course of action is to remove everything that can be dangerous for your dog.
Be careful with squeaky dog toys. While your dog is going to enjoy the heck out of it, if left unsupervised, it may end up swallowing the toy. You see, dogs have predatory instincts as well, and hearing the toy squeak, it’s going to want to shred it to pieces. You need to make sure your dog doesn’t do that.
Immediately throw away toys that are damaged or appear to be cracking or breaking. Small pieces of plastic and rubber may start to fall off when your pooch starts playing with toys – it may unknowingly ingest those components. So, it’s recommended to buy a new set of toys every month or so.
When it comes to dog toy essentials, balls are a must. Why? Well, your dog is going to have a fun time playing fetch with you. Moreover, there are different types of balls that you can get. For example, you can opt for tennis balls, rubber balls, neon balls (that glow in the dark), and many more. In addition, some balls are designed to squeak and others are made to bounce pretty high, which means your dog’s going to enjoy retrieving them.
When opting for a rubber ball for your pooch, opt for something that has an adequate size – you need to make sure that your dog doesn’t accidentally swallow it when carrying the ball in its mouth. Most dog owners typically use tennis balls to play fetch with their dogs. Tennis balls have ideal size, bounce, and come in different colors. However, just ensure that your dog doesn’t start chewing on it when you’re not playing fetch with it. Keep them stored out of sight.
If your dog enjoys playing with tennis balls, it’s going to have fun playing with frisbees and discs. Moreover, discs are designed to be more durable than tennis balls. Plus frisbees like the ones from Kong are also more versatile in the sense that when you throw it away from the dog, it’s going to go further and will considerably curve along the way, making the activity more challenging and enjoyable for the pooch.
A lot of dogs enjoy playing with soft toys or plushies, like a kid carrying their favorite dolls around with them, dogs practically do the same. Once they choose a favorite plush toy, no force on earth can take their toy away from them. Unless they choose to completely annihilate the plushies. And that’s more common than you think. Moreover, a lot of plushies are also designed to squeak, which can make things even more interesting for the pooch.
Because dogs are attracted to the squeaky sound made by their toy, there’s a high probably your pooch will tear into it at one point or another. This basically means you’re going to have to replace the toys more frequently than you think.
However, keep a close eye on your pooch when its playing with squeaky plush toys. You have to make sure the dog doesn’t tear into the component that makes the squeaky sounds and swallow it – which is going to cause some gastrointestinal discomfort and you’ll probably have to take your pooch to the vet.
Although soft toys or plushies won’t really last that long given that dogs usually rip them apart, you’ll have a great time watching your dog doing some strange things to its favorite plushy. Moreover, you can opt for more durable plush toys, but they’re going to cost a bit more.
When opting for a rubber ball for your pooch, opt for something that has an adequate size – you need to make sure that your dog doesn’t accidentally swallow it when carrying the ball in its mouth. Most dog owners typically use tennis balls to play fetch with their dogs. Tennis balls have ideal size, bounce, and come in different colors. However, just ensure that your dog doesn’t start chewing on it when you’re not playing fetch with it. Keep them stored out of sight.
You can also get your dog toy ropes and strings. Toys ropes are basically made with durable strings and ropes braided together with plastic components. You can use these toys in a variety of different ways. For example, you can play tug-of-war with the dog, you can even play fetch using the toy rope. However, while some dogs absolutely adore toy ropes, others may show no interest at all. So, you’re going to have to experiment with the product first.
Also, keep in mind that if your dog is an aggressive chewer, it’s going to probably going to chew and shred the toy rope into tiny pieces. You have make sure the pooch doesn’t ingest the smaller pieces that break off. Moreover, toy ropes can also be an excellent chew toy for the pooch, helping the dog clean its teeth.
When it comes to tugging activities, a lot of dogs love playing tug-of-war as it displays their strong predatory instincts. Plus, tugging games help keep the dog in shape, and it’s going to be a healthy mental exercise for your pooch as well. The market is full of different types of tugging toys and a vast majority are made from durable rubber and/or braider rope.
Select a tug toy that’s proportional in size compared to how big your dog is and in light of its chewing habits. In addition, make sure the toy is comfortable to grip and pull on because you’ll be playing tug-of-war with your dog. Your dog’s going to violently pull on the tug toy, so make sure it’s strong enough to withstand the pooch’s sheer pulling force.
These are basically toys that are made with harder materials, and they come with squeaky sounds. Most non-plush squeaky toys are made from rubber, vinyl, plastic, etc. How long-lasting the product is will depend on the material you choose. For example, vinyl will outlast plastic and rubber. But honestly, it will depend on how aggressive your pooch is with the toy.
The best way to buy a long-lasting toy for your pooch is to first assess its chewing habits. If the dog is an aggressive chewer, you’ll fare better with a rubber squeaky toy. For mild chewers, it’s better to get plastic or vinyl.
In all, these are some excellent dog toys that you can get for your pooch. Moreover, you can also choose to get all of these items instead of getting more of the same type of toys. You need to provide your pooch with a healthy variety of toys to keep it well-engaged, healthy, and focused.