When Can I Give My Puppy Chew Toys?
When your puppy is younger than 12 weeks of age, it likely won’t need any chew toys. Between 12 and 24 weeks, though, a puppy will need toys to help ease the pain and discomfort of teething. Nylabone toys and bones for puppies are a great option, as are the Kong puppy toys that can be frozen. Note that it’s important to get toys that are appropriate for your puppy’s age.
After your puppy reaches 24 weeks old, it will be ready for more adult chew toys. Rope toys, distraction toys that can be filled with treats, fetch toys, and comfort toys are all great options—you’ll just have to figure out what type of toy your pup prefers the most! Always choose toys that are designed for dogs and not children.
Buying dog toys from Other Countries
Charos said there isn’t much data with regards to toys from other countries, but he cautions pet owners to be careful about the origins of their pet’s toys. “There has been a lot of testing done on human toys coming into the country, but no one is really checking pet toys,” Charos said.
To avoid questionable toy quality, Schade suggests buying USA-made toys that are nontoxic and if possible, BPA-and-phthalate–free.
Choosing the Wrong Size Toy
Charos said that the swallowing and choking hazard that can occur with inappropriately sized toys is likely to happen more often with a large dog that is given a small ball, for example. “Big dogs can swallow small toys and balls whole,” Charos said.
“Even with a tennis ball there’s the risk of the ball getting stuck in the back of a dog’s mouth behind the teeth during extreme play, which can lead to suffocation due to the blocked airway,” dog trainer and author Victoria Schade adds. “Make sure balls used for high-drive games are sized so that they can’t become lodged in the dog’s mouth.”
Every Dog Owner NEEDS One Of These Dog Toys!
As dog parents, we know that our canines need activity to keep them busy and out of trouble. Exercise is an excellent way to keep our fur kids active and healthy (as well as their humans), but when exercise isn’t possible, we buy them a variety of toys to keep them happy. But what happens when we choose the wrong toy for them?
The consequences could be as minor as coming home to a living room full of stuffing or as major as a trip to the vet for intestinal surgery to remove squeakers.
Here are nine of the most common dog toy mistakes pet parents make and how to make better toy-buying choices in the future: