Choosing Dog Toys.

One of the greatest pleasures for a dog owner is watching your dog play. Dogs bring so much pleasure to so many, walk in the park or along the beach and you'll see children with their dogs, mums, dads, old people, young people all having the time of their life playing with their dogs. But often my blood runs cold when I take a look at the dog toys they are playing with. It is as if the owner hasn't given the slightest thought to the dogs safety or what they hope to achieve by giving the dog something to play with in the first place.

Dog toys fall roughly into two types. Those were the dog will be supervised and those were it will not. It seems to me that dogs sometimes are in the greatest danger when they are with their owner.

Dog Toys For Supervised Play

Have you ever heard the nursery rhyme "sticks and stones may break my bones", well they might not break their bones but stones do break dogs teeth and sticks can damage the delicate lining of their mouths. Sorry, no sticks and stones.

What about the old favorite throwing a ball for the your dog (or even our friend the stone), great idea! You can both have plenty of exercise and teach it to fetch at the same time. You can if your game doesn't choke your dog to death because the ball (or stone) was too small. Never ever use a golf ball (or similar), they are the perfect size to block the dog's throat. Tennis balls are better and not a bad size for a small dog but even they are too small for a some dogs if you have German shepherd sized dog get a bigger ball. If you do use a tennis ball remember that an old tennis ball is better than a new one, the rough outer surface is abrasive until it has been worn down. But even then once a ball shows signs of cracking or tearing it should be immediately discarded.

Be careful with plastic throwing toys (I'm thinking Frisbee here), some of the more inexpensive ones tend to splinter and could cut the dog's mouth, or cause digestive problems with swallowed fragments.

Ideal choices for the throwing game would be the hard rubber toys like the famous Kong variety or a good quality rope toy. (more on these later)

Dog toys for unsupervised play.

These are the toys that, if chosen correctly, will not only help alleviate boredom and loneliness, they will also safely occupy the dogs jaws and mind when you can't be there to watch

If the toy is to be used unsupervised it would be best to go for very hard rubber toys like Kongs, Biscuit Balls and Molecuballs which are safer and last longer than most of toys available. They can also be stuffed with healthy dog treats Dog Treats when you want them to act as "distraction" dog toys. The right size Kong can keep a puppy or dog busy for hours. Only by chewing diligently can your dog access the treats that you've hidden inside, and then only in small bits - a great idea! The Molecuball toys are large rubber molecule shaped toys that present their own challenge for the dog. Only by moving the cube around with his nose, mouth and paws, can your dog access the hidden goodies. Lots of owners these days are using peanut butter to bind the tit bits I personally think a check with your veterinarian about the suitability of peanut butter for to your particular dog might be advisable, but a great idea even without peanut butter.

Rope bones are also a good choice, especially for teething pups, probably the best ones are nylon or similar they help to massage the gums, clean the teeth, and promote general oral hygiene. For safety reasons they should have knotted ends. Ropes are good for fetching, chewing, and carrying around. But some dogs do tend to rip them to shreds and swallow the bits, so monitoring is necessary, at least in the beginning, to avoid potential problems. A last word on ropes, buy a brand that is machine washable it will help your dog stop collecting unwanted germs (and smells).

Dog Toys in General

Provide several toys that offer a variety of uses, you might have toys to keep the dog occupied, a toy to carry around, probably a comfort toy and perhaps even one to "kill". Some dogs want to shake or "kill" the toy, in that case the toy should be the size that "prey" would be for that size dog (mouse-size, rabbit-size, or duck-size) you get the idea.

The comfort toy could be almost anything, The dog will probably choose it (you just make sure it is safe) it could be dirty laundry, such as an old T-shirt, towel, or blanket. The dog will be looking for comfort so it will probably choose something that smells like you! Be warned that the item could be destroyed by industrious fluffing, carrying, and nosing. Go easy on the dog, just remember that well chosen dog toys help prevent behavioral problems by minimizing separation anxiety and reducing stress, don't take it off him because to you it looks spoiled.