How to choose a puppy toy?

And let’s start with the most important thing that every dog ​​owner should know about. It is strictly not recommended to use children’s toys, bones and other items not intended for playing with pets as toys for a puppy. Why? They can be dangerous! For example, under the pressure of the teeth, plastic toys and bones break into sharp plates that can seriously damage the baby’s oral cavity. And paint from children’s balls can cause a severe allergic reaction.

Which toy is right for my puppy?

Each puppy is an individual. The kid may still be quite a crumb, but he already has his own personal preferences in toys and games. Some love to run after objects, others love to pull the rope with the owner, and still others prefer to gnaw and gnaw again everything that gets in the way. Take into account the strength of the jaws. There are dogs that love to procrastinate toys, and there are those that tear them apart in the blink of an eye. 

It is from such features that it depends which toys are suitable for your pet. And since we are dealing with a puppy, it remains for us to focus on age, breed characteristics (dog size and jaw strength) and experiment, offering a variety of toys for different types of games. Don’t worry: you will soon get to know your pet better and learn to determine which toys will make him happy and which ones will lie around idle.

The more toys your puppy has, the better. But don’t give your baby everything at once. It is better to remove some toys for a while, and then get them again. So the old toys will again be “new” for the puppy, and he will not lose interest in them.

Choose a toy according to the size of your pet. A puppy of a miniature breed will not fit toys for adult large dogs – and vice versa. Models of the wrong size can adversely affect the condition of the jaws, and toys that are too small can be accidentally swallowed by a large dog.

What toys are there?

• Textile. Many puppies love to play with soft textile toys. Toys for dogs need to be stronger than for children, so you should only buy them from pet stores. As a rule, they are made of more durable textiles or have 2 layers of textiles and a double seam. To stimulate additional interest in a puppy, these toys can be equipped with various “squeakers” and rustling elements. At the same time, do not leave your puppy unattended when he plays with a new toy, especially a textile toy, because such a toy is very easy to chew and eat.
• For teething. In pet stores, you can easily find toys that will help strengthen your puppy’s jaw muscles and maintain healthy teeth and gums (for example, Petstages Orka). These toys are made from a safe, flexible material. By the way, children’s teethers are also made from it. During the period of changing teeth, such toys reduce itching and pain in the gums, and this is a real salvation for both the baby and the owner. After all, many puppies are having a hard time during this period and whine around the clock.

• For dogs that love to chew. Durable puppy toys with strong jaws are made from safe, non-toxic material. It does not crack or crumble under the influence of teeth (for example, Petstages toys with natural ingredients Deerhorn, Dogwood, BeyondBone, as well as heavy-duty Zogoflex, Kong toys). Specially for terminator dogs that quickly deal with toys, some manufacturers (for example, Zogoflex) produce anti-vandal toys with a guarantee of replacement in case of their destruction.
• For independent play. These are interactive toys and puzzle toys that can be filled with treats (TUX, Zogoflex; Kong Classic). In this case, the baby is offered an interesting task: to get an appetizing treat. This activity captivates the puppy so much that he can spend several hours in a row with him. Thus, you will save the pet from stress during your absence and save the apartment environment from the destructive behavior of the baby-electric broom.

• To play together with the owner. These include toys for fetching, frisbees, various balls, tug ropes and others. You can play with them both at home and on the street. But please note that it is not recommended to play tug with puppies under one year old: this can have a bad effect on the bite.

Do not buy toys with defects, strong chemical odors, peeling or cracked paint, fragile parts, or damaged packaging.

Toys are a reliable and effective way to deal with stress and boredom, an assistant in raising and establishing contact with a pet. A puppy engaged in an exciting game will not miss his mother, whine, spoil things, and the joint games of the dog and the owner will help tune in to a wave of mutual understanding and trust. In addition, toys satisfy the dog’s natural need to chew and contribute to the proper development and maintenance of good physical shape.

Much to the delight of our pets, pet stores offer a large selection of toys. This is a huge number of squeaky, squeaky or, on the contrary, completely silent toys, toys with the addition of bone meal for greater attractiveness, waterfowl toys, tug-of-war toys, puzzles, etc. etc. Do not hesitate, your dog will be eternally grateful to you for the attention, care and joy that games bring to his life!