Dog Toys
Every dog likes to play. With the abundance of owners now-a-days treating their dogs like their own children, there is a huge crop of new dog toys out there. Some pet stores allow their customers to bring their pets in to the pet store to choose a toy that they may enjoy playing with. It’s actually quite funny to see one of your bulldogs root through the aisles of dog food, bones, treats and toys till they come up with one toy/treat in their jaws looking at you as if to say, can I have this, pleeease?
Anyways, there’s a ton of dog toys out on the market. To find one that will suit your dog and keep him happy, a person should take into account the overall size of the dog, the mouth size, playing stimulation, personal doggie tastes, as well as the price range you wish to stay in.
Now, let’s list those things in some sort of order to keep in mind what to look for:
- Breed
- Temperament
- Overall Size
- Size of Mouth
- Energy Level
Dog Breed
All Breeds of dog have different preference for play types. Some breeds of dogs really enjoy the stimulation of being taught different tricks, or work habits. Others are more than happy chewing on an old bone and lazing around under a tree.
Dog’s Temperament
The way in which your dog interacts with things is something to always consider. If your dog is prone to more aggressive behaviour when playing a game of tug of war or “ball time” then perhaps you need to limit what kind of toys your dog plays with around others, as well as the time that the dog spends playing or in some cases - guarding it.
Dog’s Overall Size
All dogs come in different sizes. With a smaller sized dog as well as a larger one, it’s best to keep the dog toy you purchase suited to their height/weight. A smaller dog will have difficulty playing with a large bone or ball, whereas a larger dog may end up ruining a smaller toy within minutes.
Dog’s Size of Mouth
Here’s an important point to note, most dogs have jaws designed especially for the activities they were originally bred for. If you have a medium size breed, such as a bulldog, but they have a rather large and wide mouth for their size, you need to be careful what size of chew toy and bone you purchase for them. If the toy or bone is too small, they can end up choking on it as they are known for attempting to swallow their food with one gulp sometimes. As with the larger sized mouth, a smaller mouth will also present some limitations such as not being able to carry too large a ball.
Dog’s Energy Level
And of course here’s an important issue to note as well. The energy level of the dog will present many issues when playing with toys. Some dogs just love to run and jump and twist and turn and play. Others are happy to just slowly lope around, playing very mildly. Most dogs will play, regardless of their body structure, but the actual amount of playing and the way in which it affects them is something you will need to monitor on every dog you own.
Keep in mind, just because you want to play with your dog at that moment, doesn’t always mean they are ready to play. Most dogs will play regardless of how tired they are, but some will not. If you find your dog refusing to play and simply going to lie down instead, either you have a very tired dog, or there could be something medically wrong with them such as a cold, weakness in the joints, soreness when moving around, etc. It’s best to visit your vet whenever you have a question regarding the well being of your animal.