Choosing The Right Toy For Your Dog

There is nothing better that buying a new toy for your furry friend and if you choose the right one, it can make for hours of fun and excitement!  There are so many to choose from you may ask yourself, “How will I know my dog will like it?”  Paying attention to what your dog likes in a toy will tell you everything you need to know. His or her decision may be based on several things that are all relative to one or more of the five senses and are often interchangeable such as:

Touch: This involves the texture of the toy. Some dogs are crazy over a soft tug toy, a bone for chewing, hard rubber bones, furry toys or a softer pliable ball. If your dog loves stealing your socks or clothing this may be an indication that your dog may like a softer texture! Many toys also have a rough texture for chewing meant to aid in keeping teeth clean.

Sound: This is where the squeaky toys and toys that make noise come in and they come in a variety of options. If your dog loves squeaky toys, ask yourself what else he likes as they are usually in “something” such as a ball, plush toy, some types of interactive toys or soft latex type toys.

Smell: Some toys have scent added to them such as peppermint which also helps to freshen breath or by adding a favorite treat to a toy that has a “spot” gets the nose working and invokes interest.

Sight: Fast moving objects and toys that have movement come into play here as well as toys that have an odd shape that bounce a bit haphazardly and Frisbees.  These are for the dogs that enjoy the chase and retrieve (provided they were taught to retrieve).

Taste: These toys usually involve food of some type and come in a variety of options, there are some interactive toys that utilize food and bones or toys that can be stuffed with their favorite treats. These types of toys are also good for the “problem solving” aspect that are associated with interactive toys.

Many individual toys fall into two or more of these categories depending on the toy so when shopping for toys and knowing what interests your dog will make it easier for you to choose the right toy. You can also use your imagination with the existing toys you have around the house that they are not interested in by adding something to that your dog does like to the equation.

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• Teaching Your Dog to Fetch | Unleashed Unlimited October 20, 2010 at 12:21 pm

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