Types of Dog Toys Available

By: John Donovan | Jan 30 2014 | 513 words | 1484 hits

For a dog, a toy is a substitute prey item, an important thing like food. Even though it looks funny when your dog plays, to your dog it isn't meant to be funny but the expression of some extremely serious and survival linked behavior. So, get the best toys for your puppy/dog.

There are as many different dog toys 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. Generally, dog toys are classified into three different ways: chew toys, play toys and food dispensing toys. Let's see each type individually.

Chew Toys

Toys in this category are the 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. They usually come in a selection based upon the dog's age and size. For instance: a chew toy for Bernard puppy would be different size than a chew toy for Dachshund puppy. It is imperative that you find the correct size of chew toy for your dog because a Bernard puppy could easily choke on a chew toy designed for a Dachshund. These types of toys would include rawhides, Nylabones and Greenies.

Play Toys

The primary purpose of toys in this category would be for play and to be thrown and retrieved by the dog or the owner. Examples would be squeaky toys, tennis balls, flying discs and dumbbells for water retrieval. Usually these toys are durable and designed for different size mouths. However, they're not made to be chew toys, and, thus, should not be left alone with a dog. Because the skins of a tennis ball can be torn off easily, 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.

Food Dispensing Toys

This is a newest category of toys that has been developed within the last five to ten years. Without the food in them, they can also fall in both chew and play toy's category. With food stuffed or frozen inside, they fulfill a type of babysitter and entertainer role that goes beyond the chew or play toy, in short, it also acts as dog treats. Examples of these types of toys would be Kongs, sterilized bones and Buster Cubes. These toys are great for dogs with separation anxiety and can be given to the dog when the owner leaves, thus changing the dog's focus from, "why are you leaving me alone again?" to "Hurry up and leave so I can have my Buster Cubes."

And before ending the article, here is a small suggestion, be sure to supervise your dog when it is with the toy and play along when possible to make it a prefect bonding time as well.

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