What First-Time Dog Owners Must Consider When Buying Toys for Your Pet

Tips For Selecting Dog Toys

Your dog, like any other pet, needs to play in order to keep active, healthy, and happy. Besides being a good way for you to spend time with your dog, having toys to play with can provide mental stimulation, satisfy urges for chewing, or help to release anxiety.

While choosing the right dog toys is not exactly rocket science, it can be a mind-boggling task if you are a new dog owner. Not to worry, because here are some tips on how to choose the best toys for your beloved furry friend!

Know Your Dog’s Behaviour

Being canine creatures, all dogs exhibit innate behaviours such as chewing and playing. Depending on the breed that your furry friend belongs to, it may showcase more playing or chewing characteristics.

The key to selecting the right toys for your pup is to research thoroughly about the general behaviours of your furry friend’s breed and observe your furkid personally – because every dog is unique. After that, you should be able to select toys that cater better to its tendency to either play or chew more.

For example, if your dog is the more active type, consider buying a ball for your dog to play fetch. If your dog is more of a homebody, buy some squeaky toys for it to chew on in the comforts of your home!

Consider Potential Hazards

Toys, just like any other object lying around in your house, could pose as a choking risk to your dog if it is small enough – or if it contains parts small enough – to be swallowed. Toys with jagged or sharp edges can also easily injure your dog, especially if it is an active chewer.

Always make sure to examine dog toys carefully for any potential risks before purchasing them for your dog! Keep a lookout for damaged or sharp parts, as well as bits that might be easily chewed off and swallowed.

Also, even after you have bought toys for your dog, try to supervise your canine companion whenever it is playing to ensure that it does not swallow toy parts or get hurt. For instance, even if your dog is playing with a seemingly harmless stuffed dog toy with squeakers, your dog may accidentally chew off bits of the toy and swallow some of the stuffing, which may result in an upset tummy or choking.