Dog Chew Toys!

Most dogs love to chew. Sometimes they do this out of boredom, because they’re teething, out of anxiety (think of people chewing on their fingernails, it’s the same concept), and sometimes they do it just because they can and/or want to. Most trainers recommend as part of a protocol to help dogs that chew, appropriate chew toys.

So what constitutes an appropriate chew toy? That depends on the dog. I consider there to be a difference between “chew toys” and “play toys”. Chew toys are toys that are appropriate for a dog to have to chew on. These toys can be left with the dog with no fear of them harming themselves (or at least a minimal fear). Play toys are those which require supervision or interaction. Owners must determine how their dogs are with toys. For instance, for one of my dogs, a galileo bone is considered a play toy. He can have it while I’m watching him and interacting with it and him, but he cannot play with it by himself, nor do I allow him to sit and chew on it. He thinks it’s fun to try to sword swallow, or chews so hard he might break a tooth. For my other dog, this is the perfect chew toy. He could spend hours on it. Each dog is different. 

For my small dog, a rope tug is a good toy he can have with him all the time. He doesn’t shred it, he just wants to hold it. For my older bigger dog, he’d shred it and swallow a bunch of rope. So it would be considered a toy only to be used to play tug and not one to chew on. Again, every dog is different. 

Some ideas for toys: 

all toys require initial supervision to determine how the dog interacts with the toy and if it’s safe for him. I for instance like the hollow Kong toys as a chew toy. I do have a dog that tears them up and would swallow pieces if he could so this is not a chew toy for him. I always fill my Kongs with a variety of things. I may do another post just on things to put into a Kong at some point so watch here. One of my dogs favorites is the kongsickle. I put a dab of peanut butter in the small end, fill the kong with chicken broth, and put a snausage or a piece of apple or carrot in the big end, place in a cup and freeze. It’s a great treat for hot weather outdoors fun! 

I like Bully sticks for most of my dogs, they don’t seem to splinter. I do NOT like rawhide chews or pigs ears. Pigs ears seem to be too fatty and may be served as a very occasional treat, though not too often. A dog can take pieces of rawhide and swallow them and get them lodged in their throats. If I DID use rawhide, it would only be American made, and only PRESSED rawhide which breaks apart easier. Also, make sure to use the correct size for your individual dog. 

One thing you can do to make toys last longer is to rotate them. Only pull out 1-2 toys at a time, and put the rest away. If you put them away and pull them out on a rotating basis, the dog always feels like he has a new toy!