How To Choose Dog Toys For Your Pet

Everyone is aware of the standard chew toys and tugging styles of dog toys. Generally dog owners like these as they allow the dog to chew as much as it want and wear him out. But have you considered toys that stimulate a dog’s mind as well as teeth?

If your dog chews, digs, or barks constantly, maybe it’s just his way of asking you to involve him more, play with him more, and get him some stimulating dog toys.

Dog Psychology and Dog Toys

Dogs like to work and also like to play. Best of all, they like to be involved.

They are pack animals and therefore need structure and interactions. For a pet dog, that means you are the pack. You need to care for your dog’s mental health and that involves more than locking the dog out in the yard with chew toys.

Somewhere out there are dog toys that are right for you and your dog. Below are a number of options for dog toys that will improve indoor playtime beyond the simple and rather repetitive games like fetch and tug of war.

Hide and Seek Dog Toys

Dog toys that consist of a cute yet hunt-able animal and a place for it to hide will amuse both you and your dog, and satisfy your dog’s hunting instincts. You stuff the toy in its toy hiding place, and your dog must root it out.

Your dog can destroy these dog toys over and over without actually destroying it. These dog toys have built in squeakers, so you can get your dog excited before setting him on his mission.

These are great toys for smaller dogs (under forty pounds), especially terriers. Terriers, named for their digging, will love digging the toys out. These dog toys will also make your dog smarter by encouraging him to figure out how to get the dog toys out of their hiding place.

Dog Toys With Hidden Eggs Give Your Dog Something to Gut

Alternatively, there are dog toys available with squeaky eggs in their stomach. They operate on the same principle; your dog practices gutting his prey, and his prey-your dog toys-live to be gutted another day.

Dog Toys With Rewards Inside Give Your Dog A Sense of Accomplishment

Most dogs love those old standards, chew toys. Many dogs are quite content to gnaw their chew toys to oblivion, but most dogs need more mental stimulation, at least some of the time.

For a challenging puzzle, give your dog a toy with treats inside that they must get out of the dog toys. For instance, there is a plastic cube with dog treats inside. The dog must find a way to get the treats out. The cube features adjustable difficulty levels so your dog won’t get bored.

This type of dog toys includes a rubber ball that helps clean your dog’s teeth when he plays with it. Your dog bites the slits in the ball. These chew toys come in various sizes for different sizes of dog, but also come in different degrees of toughness so you can adjust for the destructiveness of your dog’s chewing ability. Here’s how it works: His teeth sink into the grooves. The grooves stimulate the gums and clean the teeth, and dispense treats or kibble for your dog.

Dog Toys That Help Your Dog Maintain An Active Mind

All the toys described above have the special ability to stimulate your dog’s mind as well as can your dog as the task is completed. This provides mentally stimulating play for your dog, which can help keep them from being bored, and a contented, tired dog is less likely to destroy everything you own by chewing it.