What to Look for in Dog Chew Toys

Dog chew toys are some of the best gifts you can get yourself and your dog. Dogs have the natural inclination to chew. Toys for chewing are the best solution to stop them from gnawing on your shoe, sofa, bags and clothes. At the same time, chew toys can help decrease pet anxiety and prevent accidental swallowing of foreign objects. Your dog's enjoyment, safety and satisfaction, however, depend on finding the right toys.

Select the Proper Size

Different dogs are in different sizes, and you should choose just the right size toy for your dog. If the toy is too big, many dogs do not want to play with it at all. On the other hand, however, if the toy is too small, you dog might accidentally swallow it and choke on it. So, you really should know about your dog's breed and size very well to pick the right toy size. Fortunately, many reputable dog toy manufacturers often have detailed description on the toy label to help you decide if the toy is for your pet.

Security Considerations

Your dog's safety should always be your number one concern. Dependent on your dog's breed, a chew toy that is too hard can damage his teeth. If the toy is too soft, it could lead to accidental ingestion of torn or chipped parts. As a general rule, you should avoid chew toys with small beads, buttons, strings, wire, bells and fake fur. Even if your dog is mild mannered, he could rip off small parts and swallow them. Such accident will in turn result in choking, mouth wounds, and damage to the intestines and constipation.

Appropriate Variety

It would not be such a good idea to have a whole box of dog chew toys but you should at least have a handful of them. Dogs do eventually get bored if they only have one kind of chew toy. To avoid this, you should rotate chew toys. It would also be a good idea to occasionally give your dog chew toys with edible treats in them. This will encourage your dog to play with them.

Keep an Eye on the Dog and Toys

Even with the best kind of toys, you should still keep one eye on your dog. Accidents could happen. You could save yourself and your dog a whole lot of trouble and pain if you could immediately bring him to a vet.

You should also examine your dog's chew toys periodically. Chew toys should be extremely durable but even the most expensive ones though do not last a lifetime. It will be dangerous for your dog to continue playing with a damaged toy. So, be sure to replace those as soon as you have detected.

Asking the Vet

You may like to consult your veterinarian when you are not certain whether a chew toy is suitable for your dog. A veterinarian sometimes is even able to recommend good toy brands and retailers.

Dog chew toys are important to all dogs both as a fun provider and a health helper. When picking such toys for your pet, you just need to keep in mind the safety features. With a good choice, you dog will have a good time with it.

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