DOG TOY SELECTION 101 

Here are some super important tips to think about when buying your best friend toys. By their very nature, dogs explore everything with their mouth, so choose your toys with this in mind. A few things to consider is their chewing style, toys with bells or squeakers, the material a toy is made of and the appropriate size of toy for your dog. We explore each in more detail below.

CHEWING STYLE

There is no such thing as a completely indestructible toy, as this depends on the type of chewer your dog is. A soft plush toy might be perfectly fine if your dog is a nibbler, but if they're a vigorous chewer, a tougher rope toy might be more appropriate! So consider your dog’s chewing habits and choose your toys accordingly. Regardless of the toy material, as soon as you notice any disrepair it’s time to get rid of the toy. You don’t want any lose strings / pieces of fabric / pieces of rubber coming off a toy as these become a choking hazard and an ingestion hazard. If your dog does consume part of a toy you should call your vet for advice ASAP.

TOYS WITH BELLS OR SQUEAKERS

Dogs LOVE bells and squeakers – these will be the first things that your dog will go for. Always supervise playtime with these toys, you don’t want to end up at the vet after your dog has swallowed a bell! Squeaky toys can also be quite frightening in the middle of the night if your pup gets up to have a play with one!

TOY MATERIAL

The variety of materials that toys are made from are endless. Rubber, rope, nylon, fabric, and plastic are just a few. Each dog will have his or her own preference as to how to play with their toys. Some dogs like playing fetch with a ball, some like to have a toy to chew to shreds. My dog loves playing fetch with his frisbee during the day but loves a plush toy to ‘suck on’ at night while watching TV!

It’s important that you always supervise your dog while they play with a variety of toys so you know what style of play they have – like my friend’s 14-week-old puppy who was left unsupervised with a cheap rubber ‘chew’ toy - he literally ate half of it!

RIGHT TOY SIZE

Much like Goldilocks searching for a bed, you need to ensure your pup has a toy that is an appropriate size for his or her mouth. If the toy is too big it will be too hard to play with; if it’s too small, it could become a choking hazard.

If you’re after a high-quality toy for your pup that tick all the boxes, check out Barker & Bone's rope dog toys!