Types of Dog Toys Available

Types of Dog Toys Available

There are as many different toys for dogs as a person or dog could imagine. You will find a very large selection of toys if you go to your local pet store or look at a printed or online catalog, each with its own unique purpose. Dog toys are classified three different ways: chew toys, play toys or food dispensing toys. Some, such as hard rubber treat balls that are enticing for your dog to play with even when empty, fall into more than one category. 

Chew Toys:

These types of toys would include rawhides, Nylabones and Greenies. Toys in this category are first and foremost designed to be eventually edible. They also fulfill a secondary purpose of dental care, cleaning teeth or massaging gums and teeth. This secondary purpose makes them especially useful with a teething puppy. Chew toys usually come in a selection based upon the dog’s age and size. For example, a chew toy for a St. Bernard puppy would be a different size than a chew toy for a Dachshund puppy. It is imperative that you find the correct size of chew toy for your dog because a St. Bernard puppy could easily choke on a chew toy designed for a Dachshund. You should always supervise your dog with edible chew toys to avoid the dog breaking off and swallowing a piece. Some chew toys, made of hard rubber, are intended to entertain your dog when he or she is alone. Unless your dog is capable of tearing apart these durable toys, it is all right to leave him or her unattended with one or more of them. It is possible to find toys of this nature even for the strongest of chewers, when necessary.

Play Toys:

The primary purpose of toys in this category would be for play and to be thrown and retrieved by the dog and the owner or tossed around by the dog by themselves. Examples would squeaky toys, tennis balls, flying discs and dumbbells for water retrieval. Generally these toys are durable and designed for different size mouths; however, they are not made to be chew toys, and, thus, should not be left alone with a dog. For example, I know that the skins of a tennis ball can be torn off and chewed and swallowed, and a squeaky toy can be de-squeaked by the dog pulling out the plug at the bottom of the toy or by chewing through the fabric of the toy itself to remove the plastic squeaker. Both these examples can be deadly to a dog if swallowed. Some hard rubber balls or ring-shaped toys would make appropriate play toys for when the dog is alone. Although rope bones are a popular form of play toy they may shred and cause a choking hazard or an impaction in your dog’s bowel if swallowed.

Food Dispensing Toys:

This is a newest category of toys that has been developed within the last five to 10 years. Without the food in them, they can also fall into the chew or play toy category. With food stuffed or frozen inside, they fulfill a type of “babysitter” and “entertainer” role that goes beyond the chew or play toy. Examples of these types of toys would be Kongs, sterilized bones and Buster Cubes. These toys have openings where different types of food like peanut butter, kibble with canned food or just dry kibble are inserted. The object of the toy for the dog is to get the food, often frozen, out of the center of the toy. Depending on the dog, the type of toy and whether or not it is frozen, will determine how long the dog is entertained for. These toys are great for dogs with separation anxiety and can be given to the dog just as the owner leaves, thus changing the dog’s focus from, “Why are you leaving me again?” to “Hurry up and leave so I can have my Kong!”