How To Pick The Best Toys For Your Puppy

Just like kids get bored with their toys so can your puppy. We recommend that you have at least five dog toys so you can rotate them around. There are countless creative and entertaining ways to interact and bond with your puppy, as well as keeping them stimulated when you’re not around.They only need one puppy toy at a time, so set up a toy box for your dog and give them a new toy every day to keep them excited about the toys.

When choosing a toy for your puppy look for products that are made from softer materials and also that are designed to help with your puppy teething. But ensure you purchase well made toys as although your puppy may be small, it has his razor sharp puppy teeth so even small breed puppies can do considerable damage to its toys.

Safety tips when picking puppy toys

Toys should be picked to suit the size of your puppy - they need to be large enough to accidentally swallowed.
Make sure toys are made out of soft materials such as rubber so as to not break or damage puppy teeth.
Toys should not have any sharp parts or form sharp edges when chewed.
Always supervise your puppy when it has toys and remove any pieces that may pose a choking hazard.
Avoid toys stuffed with beads or beans.

Teething toys for your puppy

When your puppy is between 3 and 7 months old, the teething phase is in full swing, and your pup needs to have the right toys to bite down on to help relieve the discomfort or pain in his gums. Your pup may be little, but his teeth are razor sharp and even small breed puppies can do considerable damage with a bout of determined chewing. So it is important to provide your puppy with suitable safe chew toys so as to deter inappropriate chewing of shoes, furniture and other household items. By providing lots of toys you are able to teach your puppy what to chew and what not to chew. By diverting unwanted chewing onto a chew toy. But be sure to not select toys that look like items you do not want your pet to chew, like a toy cellphone or a squeaky rubber shoe toy, as this may confuse your pup. When selecting a teeth chew toy for your puppy consider the shape and texture of the toy to ensure it will satisfy your puppies need to chew.

There are many chew toys especially designed for teething puppies. These toys are especially soft so as to not damage your puppies soft baby teeth. But it is important to note these toys are not suitable for adult dogs as they are soft so dogs with adult teeth can easily chew and break off pieces, and if these pieces are swallowed they can cause intestinal issues. And regardless of your dog’s age, any toy should be replaced when it starts to show wear and tear, for example if a rope toy has loose fibres that your dog could swallow.

Puppy plush toys

Puppies may feel anxious at times especially at night. Your puppy may find it soothing to snuggle up with a soft toy that might even become his security toy. Some puppies will snuggle up and sleep with them and others will chew them apart and tear the stuffing out. Choose the plush toy most suitable to your puppies characteristics. As some puppies are prone to ripping open or de-stuffing plush toys so monitor their behaviour as they grow up to ensure your puppies safety.

Squeaky toys for your puppy

Although squeaky toys can be annoying for owners! They are generally loved by dogs and puppies due to the instant reward that comes from the noise that happens when they bite the squeaky toy. A dogs love for squeaky toys comes from their descendant the wolf, as wolves hunt for their food and the squeaking of a toy draws on your dogs natural prey drive. As a toys squeak sounds kind of like an animal that is injured or scared, which drives your dog to keep chewing and playing. Although this may sound a bit cruel or sad - allowing your dog to act on their instincts is healthy and is a great way to relieve pent up energy. So getting a squeaky toy for your puppy is a great way to play with your puppy.

Rope toys for your puppy

Rope toys are great for playing tug of war which is an easy way to play with your puppy while satisfying their chewing needs. Although it is important to play tug of war in a controlled manner and teach your puppy when to 'drop it' and calm down when the game is over.

Interactive/boredom busting puppy toys

These toys are designed to keep your puppy occupied and active. Many interactive toys provide your pup with a challenge such as puzzle treat toys that encourage your puppy to problem solve and try to get treats out of them. Although boredom Buster toys come in a variety of styles from treat toys to interactive toys and sensory toys that stimulate your puppies sense of smell. sight and hearing.

Fetch toys for your puppy

Great for active play at the park, backyard or beach and are great for helping ensure that you can keep your puppy running around and active. When looking for fetch toys make sure these toys are suitable for the size of your puppy so they are easy for your puppy to pick up and carry back to you, such as a ball or frisbee. Playing fetch is a great way to get out your puppies excess energy. But it is important to teach them to fetch and bring the toy back to you while they are young.