Recommended puppy toys

Just walk into a pet store and you are besieged with toy options for your puppy. Never fear! Below we provide an assortment of chewing, tugging and brain-using play options.

As a general rule, dog toys fall into 2 categories:  

• Free play – These belong to the dogs, and they are allowed to play with them at anytime.  However, your dog must allow you to retrieve a toy at any time – and the pup must give the toy up willingly.  No object guarding should ever be allowed.
• Supervised play – These toys belong to the two-legged family members but are shared with the dogs.  We decide when we take these out to play, and we decide when the game ends.  It’s a good idea to end the game just a bit before your dog wears out and gets bored with it.  This leaves him wanting just a bit more and makes him excited to continue the game at another time.

CHEW & TEETHING TOYS

These toys are great when your puppy is teething. I like to freeze the teething toys as it has a slight numbing effect from the cold and they get relief from the pain.  I used the same method on my childrens teething rings and they all seemed to like it.

• Kong:  These are great stuffed with peanut butter and treats then frozen for use by teething puppies. If you are going to be gone for a long period in a day fill these with your dogs meal and they can feed themselves and it gives them a great outlet for their energy.

• Nylabone: These come in all shapes and sizes and my dogs love them.

• Chilly Bones: These give true relief to a teething puppy.

• Teething Rings: These come in a wide variety of designs. Definitely freeze these, your pup will enjoy them even more.

LEARNING TOYS

You can find many toys that will not only alleviate boredom but they will help your furry friend learn to problem solve and think on their own.  This can be extremely beneficial when training your dog as a dog that can reason will easily understand the behaviors that you are showing them.

These come in many varieties and can provide hours of fun for your pet. Just fill them with treats or use them to feed your dog their meal it will keep them occupied while you are busy.

When playing with my dogs I keep it simple. Balls, ropes, frisbees, sticks and empty water bottles make great toys for interacting with my pets. For the dogs that will fetch but not return the item you can make a great training toy by simply putting a hole through a ball and attaching a long piece of clothesline rope through it. In this way the dog cannot run away with the ball as you have control at all times.

It does not matter what method  you decide to use as long as you remember to keep it positive and make it a fun experience for your friend.