Dogs chew on objects for a number of reasons, and destructive chewing can be dangerous for the dog and a nuisance in your home.
Over 30% of dogs that end up in animal shelters are sent there for destructive behavior, and destructive chewing is the number one destructive behavior of dogs. Puppies chew to explore and alleviate the pain of incoming or growing teeth. Dogs chew to exercise their jaws and sharpen their teeth. Aside from the property destruction, dogs can chip or break a tooth or hurt themselves chewing on and/or swallowing the wrong thing.
Dog toys can be used to stop destructive chewing habits and to provide chewing alternatives for your pet.
The best dog toys are safe, durable, easy to clean and to take care of, and are the right fit for your dog’s age, size and temperament. This study offers a comparison of a few of the best dog toys available on the market.
These toys, like any pet supplies, are not perfect for every dog, but meet all the important parameters and qualities found and identified in this research.
Best Dog Toys Reviews for 2018
Here are the best toys for your dog reviewed by Great Dog Supplies’ team of pet industry specialists. Let’s take a look at individual toys.
#1 The Dog Toy 10-Pack
Interactive benefit: This variety pack is essential for any dog and owner, and the special emphasis on interactive toys where both the owner and the dog can play together satisfies the dogs’ deep instinctual need to bond with the owner via play – that’s why we selected this variety pack as number one.
Mental development: a variety of toys to chew on, search for, and hide, can strengthen the dogs mental development by increased cognitive demands. Dogs sometimes get bored of one or two toys; a variety is more likely to satisfy curiosity and inherent need to search, explore, and bite things.
Unique Benefits: Dog toys can reduce the dogs disruptive behavior and protect your property at home from a frenzy of vandalism. More than anything, a variety pack is great because it gives the dog a lot of options if they get bored.
Cleaning and Safety Factors: The toys are 100% safe, contain nothing sharp or hard bits that could be chewed out and swallowed. This means you don’t have to worry about leaving your dog alone with these toys. Most of them are made from a rope material that is machine-washable.
Cost: The variety pack costs ~$22, which is a little over 2 dollars per toy. It’s a good deal, and these toys are sufficiently unique to be of interest in a variety pack format.
Company: Lobeve dog toys is a reputable amazon seller, with over 500 reviews and a track record of satisfied customers.
Durability and materials: These toys are made of a strong, high quality, and chew-resistant cotton material which will last for months and months of persistent chewing. Some rope materials that aren’t created with dog chewing in mind start falling apart, creating dangerous threads that your dog can swallow. Other materials aren’t specifically designed for chewing can have plastics that aren’t safe to keep in the mouth.
General Opinions: Veterinarians highly recommend these products, especially due to the cognitive development factor and overall safety of these toys.
#2 Tennis Ball Throwing Machine Toy for Dogs
Performance and exercise benefit: The launcher toy throws tennis balls short and long distance (between 8-30 feet), which keeps your dog always interested and never feeling bored while playing this game. Energetic dogs are very difficult to satisfy with walks / runs / and exercise.
Likewise, lazy dogs must be motivated to move around and exercise, which is key to staying healthy and maintaining a strong skeleton through old age. This dog toy is perfect for keeping those dogs happy, healthy, and in good shape with little effort on your behalf.
Training benefit: the ball launcher comes equipped with sounds that train your dog to use the machine properly (it alerts your dog when a ball is about to be thrown, when a “rest break” is over), this greatly increases convenience and your dogs independence.
Safety benefit: the launcher toy comes with multiple motion detection sensors that keep you and your pet safe from sudden ball launches. Rest assured that your dog will be safe and spend hours playing and exercising with this high tech gadget.
Convenience benefit: it’s hard for us to overstate the convenience and benefit this toy has for you and your dog. Food and exercise are the two key pillars of health for your animals, and a toy like this does a great job in keeping your animal as active as you want it without having to dedicate long hours to this task yourself.
Cost: the product costs ~$120, but it can be used with standard tennis balls so no additional purchases needed. We felt that although initially expensive, the cost savings in terms of time (and health) this machine provides are more than worth its cost. It’s literally “plug and play.”
Company: Created by PetSafe Brand, a company that is known to be an industry leader in pet electronics since 1991, with US-based customer care specialists. 1 Year warranty and Amazon prime protection mean you can buy with confidence that you’ll get your money back if there are any issues with this toy.
Battery length: The ball launcher lasts 70 days with daily use on a single batter charge, so that means you can easily put this into your car and take it to a park or elsewhere. Why not not bring it to your in-laws and launch it in their living room?
General Opinions: take some time to gently show your dog how to use this toy. You have to demonstrate to it that it’s a fun toy and that the balls can be retrieved independently to the hopper by the dog.
Best of the rest: Kong Classic Dog Toy 2 pack
Chewing Benefit: The Kong Classic Dog Toy is a gold standard of all dog toys because of its classic, distinctive red rubber formulation.
The toy bounces randomly and attracts dogs, satisfying an instinctive need to catch and bite with a very durable, elastic rubber that is also very safe for teeth.
Get a two pack so you can fill it with unique flavors and keep your dog in suspense of what’s to come. Medium size is the classic starter size.
Dog Training Benefit: Many dog trainers swear by the Kong Classic Dog Toy for a number of reasons. The design includes a hollowed area so that treats can be used inside the toy to attract and train dogs more easily.
While it has a classic ball design that most dogs love, it is multi-tiered so that it bounces erratically, further attracting dogs. The attraction for dogs and the added hidden treat factor and safety features make this an excellent dog training toy.
Unique Benefits: The unpredictable bouncing patterns based on the multi-tiered design allow for unique games of fetch that will keep dogs guessing and interested. The hidden pouch for snacks also makes it easy to get a dog’s attention when introducing the toy to the dog.
Cleaning and Safety Factors: The toy has no sharp edges and is completely made of a hard, elastic rubber. No fibers mean it will not collect dirt or debris and is easy to clean with just water.
Cost: The Kong Classic Dog Toy ranges in price as it comes in a number of sizes to better suit different breeds and different sized dogs. The price range for the smallest version starts at about $4 and the largest version of the toy lists at about $17.
Company: Kong toys are recommended by many veterinarians and dog trainers as they are designed with a hard rubber that doesn’t hurt teeth.
They also make toys in different sizes as one size doesn’t fit all. Start with medium for all dogs. Kong is one of is not the most respected dog toy manufacturers in the industry.
Durability: These toys are made of a very strong rubber designed to withstand constant chewing but not to hurt a dog’s teeth. Therefore these dog toys are very durable, which is one reason why many trainers use them for dog training. Generally these toys will last for quite some time, and in fact many claim the only reason to buy more is because their dog loses them.
General Opinions: The online reviews of these toys and many recommendations by dog trainers and veterinarians are all overwhelmingly positive.
Factors Used to Determine the Best Dog Toys
While many factors were considered when searching for the best dog toys on the market, the most important criteria revolved around the safety and welfare of the dog, the popularity of the toy, its various benefits for dogs and trainers. (Such as chewing benefits, unique benefits, its durability and its cost.)
Some factors affected others. For example, the more durable the toy the more the production value, the more the cost of the dog toy. But as with most pet supplies, the more costly the item the less often you should need to buy it or replace it and replacement value was also considered.
Also certain materials (like hard plastic) can be bad for a dog’s teeth, so only safe, healthy toys were considered.
The data collected was culled from countless websites, blogs and articles, with special note going to veterinary or dog trainer relates websites or articles. User reviews were also calculated into the ultimate determination of what constitutes the best dog toys available on the market.
How to Get Dogs to Chew Toys and not Destroy your Home
You’ve done all of the homework and found a good, durable toy that fits your budget, one that won’t hurt your dog’s teeth or harm the dog.
The problem is, your dog won’t play with it.
How do you get the dog to use the toy that is good for him or her and that will spare your belongings from destructive chewing habits without spending a fortune on more dog training or pet products? Here are a few dog training tips that will have your dog using their new toy in no time at all!
#1 Use chicken broth or beef broth: Not all toys have slots to insert treats or food, so simply make a bit of beef or chicken broth and rub some on the toy. The dog will be attracted to the flavor and the smell of the broth which will get them to start chewing on the toy, and, after a few times of this, will be conditioned to chew the toy for the flavor. You can rub anything on the toy that your dog likes the smell of.
#2 Praise the dog when the dog does chew on the toy or when you give the dog the toy to try and get them to play with it. Positive reinforcement is a great way to let the dog know that you approve of the toy and also to get the dog to start using the toy. Dogs love praise and will react to your affection and praise. They will most often do what they can to please you and to get more affection and positive reinforcement.
#3 Reward the dog with a treat when the dog uses the toy. Just like most effective dog training techniques, conditioning is often easier with a good, healthy snack. Reward your dog with whatever healthy snack you give them when they interact with the toy, and the dog will begin to associate the toy with the treats.
