Toys For Dogs

Toys for dogs come in all shapes and sizes and therea re a plethora of different brand names and manufacturers out there selling just about everything you can imagine for your dog.

So where do you begin when starting your search for some good toys for dogs that are going to pass the dog sniff test so you know your dog will even play with them as well as get lots of enjoyment frm them too.

So what to look out for?

Well, toys for dogs need to be pretty tough, or most dogs will tear them to sheds in short order, leaving nothing but a chewed up mess on your flooe for you to clean up!

Toys for dogs also need to be dog friendly, so they must not contain anything sharp that your dog might swallow and cause internal damage. They also must not contain any toxic materials - if you think that is a no brainer, check out some of the things that go into some cheap imported toys for dogs, like the toxic chemicals used to colour the toy, or toic sealants used internally that you dog will get to once he has chewed through the outer layer! If in doubt, don't give it to your dog.

Kong toys for dogs are one brand that I have nothing but praise for! These dog toys are very tough, almost indestructible, contain no sharp bit, no toxic materials in their makeup and the dogs love playing with them.

Their classic toy is a strange shaped "ball" that is not a proper ball at all, but shaped more like a pear with a hole in one end where you can put doggy treat. The hollow rubber toy is designed so it will not bounce in a straight line. This is to prevent certain breeds of dogs from learning to chase down their prey and catch and kill it, which is a skill that chasing a ball allows them to hone to perfection. With the Kong toy, when youthrow it, the thing bounces in all different directions mak8ng the dog have to constantly change direction to catch it.

This is good exercise for the dog as it makes them use different muscle groups and keeps them alert and active.

Kong dog toys are a winner in every repect! I've had German Shepherd dogs in the past that trained very well with this kind of toy. These dogs are natural chasers and will bolt off after a ball in a straight line. By introducing the Kong dog toys into their exercise regime, they soon learned to stop chasing down things quite so single-mindedly as they had to now cope with a target that was constantly bouncing all over the place.

Soft toys for dogs are ok for smaller dogs, but give one to a big dog like a German Shepherd or Labrador and they'll likely last about 5 minutes! Big dogs will tear up a soft cuddly toy in no time flat thanks to their strong teeth and jaws, so really this king of dog toy should be reserved for much smaller pets, such as Yorkshire Terriers, Lhasa Apsos or Chihuahas - that sort of size.

Our own Yorkies play with soft dog toys all the time and because their jaws are small and not so strong, they can't tear them up so fast. Ok, they'll get there in the end with sheer dogged determination, but at least they'll have several hours of entertainment along the way!

One of the favourite of the kong soft toys for dogs my Yorkies have is a tatty looking, fluffy yellow duck that has been through the wars! Its still in one piece which is a testament to the durability of that particular brand of dog toy. The boy dog, Ronnie is normally a comical little guy who wouldn't hurt a fly, but when he gets that stupid yellow duck between his teeth he turns into a raging monster. He throws it up into the air, then catches it in his jaws and shakes it violently from side to side.

I guess that's the terrier instinct coming out where the dogs were bred to catch rats - they would grab them in their jaws and shake them violently to break their necks. Nice. And to think he's practicing that little trick on a stupid yellow stuffed fluffy duck!

Well, there are quite a big range of soft toys that can be had from the Kong stable. They go under the brand name of Dr Noys and there are a nice collection of durable, tough but still soft toys that smaller dogs love to play with.

Here's where I take a look at some of the edible toys for dogs that can be bought in pet stores and online. These things vary in their size, taste, playability factor and how long they last.

With my two little Yorkies, even small edible toys tend to last a while, as their small jaws and teeth simply cannot do the same amount of damage in one sitting as a big dog could.

So what are the basic edible dog toys categories?

Simple Dog Chews

Rawhide shapes

Edible grooming shapes

Hard Dog Bisciuts

Larger Edible Dog-chew Shapes like balls or bones

Soft dog-chews

more to follow...

Strange dog toys are those which I think I'll categorise separately from all the othes that I'll be looking at in this hub as and when I get to it!

So what do I mean by strange dog toys?

Well, these are the things you get that sort of fall well outside the norm when it comes to things to entertain your dogs with.

First up is a hot dog shaped squeaky rubber dog toy that came in a nice blister packeted display from a cheap shop a while ago. I categorise it as strange because it's quite clear that once you get the thing out of its packaging, the smell is not right. If it smell bad to a human, what will it smell like to a dog?

I put that to the test and laid it in front of Ronnie to see what he'd make of it. Well, his eyes widened in horror and he ran away from it. I picked it up and squeaked it a few times to see if that'd get his interest as he generally loves toys with squeakers in. Nope. he actually shied away from the damn thing!

Bad!

You can get more info on Kong toys for dogs at wikipedia or visit the official website of Kong toys for dogs at: Kong