What Dog Toy Is Good For Dogs?

That question is quite challenging to respond to, seeing that many dogs love chewing on many toys. For dogs, chewing isn’t a fun thing only – it helps strengthen their jaws and keep all their teeth cleaning. For the teething puppies, chewing helps improve the condition in the gum area (tooth sprouting is quite uncomfortable). To answer the question, the table captures the dog toys that are good for dogs:

Dog Toys Good For Dogs
Tug Toys	Floating Toys
Squeaky Toys (the Non-Plush kind)	Discs and Other Retrieving Toys
Ropy Toys	Balls
Plush Toys	Floating Toys
Food-Dispensing Toys

The Toys Themselves

Although the table only captures a few dog toys, the market is flooded with many of them (considering the different brands). This implies that choosing the right one for your dog can be a little overwhelming. So, how exactly do you pick the best toy that the dog will love to bits?

You will know which toy to get your dog depending on the canine’s chewing style and playing. If the styles are too many and the number of toys a little too much, you can prioritize. There is no harm in getting many toys for the dog and then introducing each one by one.

You should know that any toy type opens your dog up to many risks, especially if part or the whole item gets swallowed. On top of that, toys that have frayed or sharp edges can injury your dog immensely. This implies that you should supervise your dog while playing, especially if it is an aggressive chewer. You may think that a toy is tough and durable, but not; there is a chance that your dog may chew off some part of it. If you have any damaged toys around you, they should be destroyed or discarded before they get near the dog’s muzzle.

Now, this section will give explainers for each option in the table. You can use this read as a guideline for getting the best toy for your dog.

Tug (From Tug-Of-War) Toys

Human beings are not the only species that enjoy tugging each other; dogs do too. For the canines, it is a healthily excellent display of the dog’s predatory instincts. Also, it provides the dog with a chance to engage in physical and mental exercises.

The market is flooded with many tug toy types, and they come in various materials, shapes, and sizes. However, the ones you are most likely to see are the ones made of rope or rubber. As you make your pick, ensure that the tug toy is comfy and easy for you to hold and pull. Since your dog will be biting on it, it should have tough but accommodative material.

Since tugging on the toy may get it frayed or worn out, ensure that you make replacements when necessary. This will prevent them from breaking right in the middle of a tugging game and hurt you or the canine.

Until you’re ready to play, keep the tug toys away from the dog. Every time you bring it out, the dog will think that it is a new toy, and therefore, it will enjoy a fresher moment bonding with you.

Squeaky Toys (The Non-Plush Kinds)

These kinds of toys have flooded the market in many forms, sizes, and shapes. Many of them are usually made of plastic, vinyl, or rubber. You should know the material making the non-plush toy because it determines the durability of the entire item. If your dog is an aggressive, relentless chewer, you will need a squeaky toy that can withstand the canine’s bite force.

For mild chewers, you can get plastic or thinner vinyl toys, but always ensure that you supervise the dog. The one upside of getting a thinner non-plush toy is that you won’t have to spend so much. The caveat is that the dog won’t play with them for so long.

Ropy Toys

These types of toys are made using plastic or rubber parts together with braided rope. The dog can either play tugging games with it, fetch, or just chew on it. Depend on the level of your dog’s pickiness, it will either love the toy or have no interest in it.

As you get a rope toy for your dogs, remember that many canines can shred them effortlessly and ingest all the pieces. When the happens, the dog may develop digestive or GI issues like obstructions. So, you shouldn’t allow your dog to play with a rope toy without supervising it. If you notice that the rope toy is unraveling, you can just throw the item away.

For better dental health and cleaner teeth, allow your dog to chew on the rope toy at least once every day. The chewing action operates in the same way as that of brushing. Thus, it helps to deal with the building up of tartar.

Plush Toys

Plush toys are adorable to many people – even dogs. Your furry canine friend will love carrying it around and tearing it apart. Many times, these toys have some stuffing and squeakers too. Because of their curiosity, dogs will rip the toys open, thus sending the stuffing everywhere.

Some dogs see the plush toy as prey they need to destroy. Thus, they develop a killer instinct towards it and will try destroying it. When they think that the toy threat is neutralized, the dogs will either shake them or carry them around.

As with all the other toys, ensure that you supervise playtime. This will help you to stop the dog from swallowing the squeakers or the stuffing, which can bring about issues with GI blocking. If your pup is an aggressive chewer, do not expect the plush toy to last very long. However, the dog will still have more fun with it. If you want a plush toy that will last longer, get a product from a reputable brand.

Toys That Dispense Food

These are probably the toys that every dog owner should have in their household. Apart from mental stimulation and lots of fun, the dog gets a place to channel all its energy. While the toys come in different sizes and shapes, the main materials used to make them are plastic and rubber.

The most popular toy of this kind can be filled with foods like peanut butter, kibble, or even treats. Since food is a great motivator, your dog will be engaging with the toy for hours until it can get something out of it.

Float Toys

If your dog is a swimmer (or loves swimming), these toys are great for them. Float (or floating) toys include rings and balls that are either made of plastic or rubber. The toy is often tossed onto the water surface for the dog to retrieve it.

If you go for floating toys, ensure you choose those that won’t fill up with water and thus sink. To prevent the toys from growing any mold, ensure that the toy gets rinsed well and dried out.

Retrieving Toys (Such As Discs)

Playing fetch is probably one of the oldest dog games, and dogs absolutely love them. They enjoy retrieving discs and all the other toys, including balls. As compared to a ball, a disc has more versatility – it can change directions more than a ball can. This means that the dog won’t be retrieving it from the same place all the time.

Other types of retriever toys have unique shapes that dogs enjoy. Many of these toy types are made of rope, plastic, rubber, and other materials.

Ball Toys

I believe that many dogs have ball toys because they are used the most in playing fetch. The balls for dogs come in different forms, from the plain rubber or tennis ones to flashing-light and glow-in-the-dark balls. Also, many of them have squeakers fixed in them to make the play fun. Others are like food dispensers and come with openings that you can fill with dog treats. Others bounce really well, meaning that the dog can use them to play jump and fetch.

When you go shopping for the ball toy, ensure that you get one that is sizeable enough for the dog to carry in its mouth without the risk of swallowing. Also, it should not be difficult for the dog to carry. Many dog owners go for tennis balls because they are easy to carry and work well for most dog breeds. However, the market provides mini dogs for toys and small dogs and extra-large ones for medium-to-large dogs.

Generally speaking, ensure that you look away from tennis balls. You should do that because the materials used in making tennis balls increase the wearing down of the dog’s teeth. On top of that, GI obstruction and choking are risks that the dog could face if it swallows pieces of the ball.

Final Words

By my assessment, the best dog toy for your dog should be easy for your dog to use and will offer it the most fun. Like other dog care items, you should look for a toy that serves the dog’s well-being.

Toys ensure that dogs are not bored when you leave home and lock them inside. When a dog feels nervous, it beats the anxiety by engaging in play with the toys. This means that although you’re away, the toy prevents the dog from developing any kind of behavioral issues that would affect the canine’s quality of life.

As reiterated in each type of toy, you need to ensure that the chosen toy is safe. The safety value of the toy item is dependent on several factors like the dog’s preferences, level of activity, and size. Safety can also be determined by the environment in which the dog plays.

As you work your way through the different types of toys, you should know that dogs are suckers for danger. They get attracted to the things that cause them a lot of harm. So, to ensure that your home is dog-proof, remove rubber bands, ribbons, strings, pantyhose, and children’s toys – anything that the dog can be swallowed.

Remember to get an appropriately sizeable toy. A too-big toy may be uncomfortable for the dog to play with, and a too-small one can be easy for the dog to swallow. Remember, GI obstruction is a fatal thing, and you wouldn’t want to risk it. Dogs are our loves, and they need the best toys for them, so go for it.