Dogs are inherently social creatures and have their own array of needs and want. Besides spending time with you they also want to play and have fun just like a kid.
You love your dog, so it’s only natural you want the best for them.
Thus, you want your pooch to be happy, and that means you need to get them a good toy, but it can’t be any toy. As trivial as it sounds picking out the right thing can be a complicated matter depending on how you go about it. The toy needs to be healthy and can’t endanger your dog in any way.
That’s why we’re here to help. Let’s look at some tips for choosing the best toy for your dog.
Think About Their Personality
Remember dogs have their own personalities. I’ve owned a number of dogs, and each of them couldn’t be more different from one another. You can throw a ball at one dog only for them to just ignore it. On the other hand, another dog of similar age and even breed might not be able to control themselves. In a split second, they’re racing towards it to get it before anyone else does.
Different dogs have their own likes and dislikes. Observe your pup or pooch and see how they behave and what they like. The more they like a toy is, the happier they’re going to be. They’ll also be more distracted from engaging in another mischief too.
Do You Have One Dog Or More Than One?
On the one hand, you can get every dog the same toy. On the other hand, you could get each dog their own different toy. You might just have to do the latter, particularly when considering the above point on personality. However, you don’t want a scuffle to break out among your dogs over toys. It happens, and it could lead to you and them both being injured. According to a study by the University Of Bristol’s Veterinary School, many dogs treat toys like they do prey. That is they treat the toy like something they need to tear to shreds.
This isn’t something a dog can help; it’s in their DNA long before they were domesticated. This also leads to different dogs taking an interest in different types of toys. If you can get one dog a toy the other doesn’t care about, then you’ll be able to feel more relieved. Rest safe in knowing they won’t be fighting over a toy.
Consider Their Age
A young pup wants something soft to chew on. They don’t have fully developed teeth, and you don’t want to chip or damage them. Get something soft like rubber or safe fabrics. They won’t be able to rip it into pieces so you won’t have to worry about their health. Additionally, as they age, many pups begin teething. They’ll spend a lot of their spare time just chewing on anything they come across. At that point still, keep the toys soft and avoid hard plastics or rubber.
At the adult age, you can break out a variety of toys including rope and hide based toys. Do note that as dogs age though you should be observant. Don’t give them things that would damage their teeth.
Mind Size and Breed
Dogs come in a number of sizes. A lot of the times this is based on their breed. Different breeds of dog have different sized mouths and different jaw spans. They may even chew differently. Keep this in mind if you want the best toy for your dog. You don’t want them to damage themselves trying to enjoy a toy. Furthermore, if your dog is big and has considerable jaw power then think about their safety. You don’t want a toy that could break or split and cause stomach problems. This can lead to a serious crisis including internal damage for your dog. Thus you want to avoid small, soft and easily shredded toys for the bigger dogs out there.
You’ll Need to Buy More Toys
If you do the same thing all the time, you’ll get bored not so? Dogs are no different in that regard. The more familiar a toy becomes to them the more likely they’ll just throw it aside and forget about it. When this happens, you need to get a new toy for them. There are ways you can improve longevity though. Get toys that entice them with smell or taste such as meat and hide based chews. Toys that make sounds might also keep some dogs hooked on them as well. Either way at some point in time you’re going to end up needing to go toy shopping again.
Mind Health and Safety
Remember we mentioned that dogs treat toys like prey. This means they’ll want to eat the toy too. Rawhide chews and meat-based toys might sound perfect but be careful of them. Some dogs are allergic to the compounds that make up these toys and the chemicals used to preserve them. Toys like these can also be a breeding ground for bacteria so you might want to clean them off every so often both for your safety and your dog’s.
It may sound complex but it really isn’t. Just follow these tips sensibly, and your dog will be the proud owner of a healthy toy they love in no time!
The Dog Zone is where dog owners can go to get general tips, advice on their dog’s health and help training their dogs.
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