Puppies and dogs love dog toys. Provide safe toys and they will play with them forever. Deprive them of toys and you are depriving them of something essential for their well being.I've seen dogs deprived of toys as puppies and if you try to get them to play with one later, you'll get a blank stare. However when a dog's desire for play has been reinforced, the benefits are numerous. For one, training is much more crisp. Also, teething discomfort can be lessened by playing with frozen toys.
Puppies should get used to feeling a wide variety of sensations in their mouths (hands not included). So as soon as you bring your puppy home, make sure there are a few toys available. He'll immediately feel more comfortable in his new surroundings. The question is, what kind of dog toys?
There are two places online that we shop for almost all our dog toys. Dog.com is one of the fastest growing dog supply websites. Clicking on the banner below will take you right to their dog toys page. The selection is great.
Our other favorite is DogToys.com. They have been providing top quality products online for over 10 years. The selection here is unbelievable, and they'll even help you choose toys based on your dog breed. Click on the banner below to visit their site.
Obviously safety is our first concern, so as fun as they may seem, soft rubber toys with squeakers should come with a warning. A determined dog will easily have the squeaker removed in no time and swallowing it is a definate hazard. We're not saying never get this kind of toy, but we highly recommend your pet play with it only if you are around. That way when you see it starting to tear you can take it away.
If you're playing ball, make sure it's too big to swallow. And if it's made of rubber, again only use it when you are around to play with him. Take it when you are done playing. Dogs can chew off pieces and swallow the bits of rubber. In fact that goes for most rubber toys. Pieces of swallowed rubber or squeakers or any other foreign objects can wreak havoc with his intestinal tract.
What's left? One of the best toys is a simple beef bone cut to the appropriate size for your pet. Not only are they safe and fun, but great for teething pups as well. Nylon bones that don't chip or splinter are also good. Rawhide chews are safe as long as they are made in the United States. A few years ago there were problems created due to the chemicals that some foreign rawhide toys had been treated with.
Very hard rubber toys in various shapes are fun and safe. Same with balls that are too large to be swallowed. Rope toys are enjoyable because puppies love to tug. A note of caution, small children should not play tug games with the family dog because generally speaking, they don't know when to let up. But if adults are present it can be great fun.
Again, any toy that can potentially be chewed, splintered or broken is not recommended unless you are around to supervise. As always, do some research before buying any toys for your dog.