What are the best dog toys for your dog and how and when to use them. Dog toys can be used to develop your relationship with your dog, to teach important skills and behaviours and make your puppy’s life a lot more fun.
Dog toys break down into 4 main categories
Chew Toys
Dental Toys
Interactive Toys
Plush Toys
1. Chew Toys are designed to be chewed, punctured and gnawed on on a regular basis. They are generally made up of tough rubber or silicone.
Chew Toys should be available all the time to your dog. Puppies trained to use chew toys from the beginning. Make sure your dog has free access to these as they please and encourage to chew, this is very calming. A chew toy trained dog is comfortable being alone and tends to stay out of trouble when left alone alleviating boredom.
2. Dental Toys, are a variation on chew toys. They are designed to massage gums, scour teeth and promote blood flow in the gums. These toys have knobs, scales, ridges to work on the dogs teeth and some are consumable. Dental Toys may be freely available too as long as no dog tooth paste is used. If you use toothpaste with the dental toy, your dog should be supervised and the dental chew toy should be cleaned after. Dental toys should be checked after each use, if any dental massaging studs or ridges begin to come off the toy should be throw out.
3. Interactive toys have a wider variety of toys, such as Country Pet Tuff Toys, Tug Toys, balls, reveal dummies, puzzles and games etc. These are toys that your dog will interact with rather then laying down and chewing. Interactive toys provide mental stimulation and training
opportunities.
Interactive Toys are only available when a play session is initiated by you.Interactive toys & plush toys are only brought out when you say so and when you are playing too. Your dog shouldn’t have free access to interactive toys. By controlling access you can control these toys and activities as training and rewards.
4. Plush Toys are primarily stuffed animals or shapes. coming in an endless array of shapes and sizes for dogs. Plush Toys are the most misunderstood dog toys. Most people buy plush toys for their dogs and allow them to destroy them. Which is wrong and may lead to your dog destroying other things it may find like slippers, shoes and children toys. A dog should never be allowed to destroy one of these toys. Chew toys and Interactive toys should get all the wear and tear. Access should also be restricted to supervised play.
NOTE: ALL TOYS SHOULD BE CHECKED ON A REGULAR BASIS. IF THEY GET TOO WORN IT THE DOG TOY SHOULD BE RETIRED.