Human’s Guide to Dog Toys

Over the last year I’ve set up a table at various pet events and local events and offered a selection of safely made pet toys from West Paw Design and Planet Dog. Without a physical store front these events are a nice way for me to get out and meet pet parents and share the word about creating a healthy, toxin-free lifestyle for their dogs.

West Paw and Planet Dog are my two favorite brands of toys for my dogs because they are made in the USA from non-toxic materials with a focus on the health and safety of our dogs, so I love to share the word of these brands with fellow dog owners. After all, dogs play with toys with their mouths, so anything that goes into your dog’s mouth (and sometimes into their belly) should be as safely made as possible.

A common complaint that I have heard from other dog owners is that their dogs will destroy any toy given to them, with many dog owners no longer purchasing toys for that reason. Since dogs do not have nearly as much with which to entertain themselves as we do, that makes me sad. Of course I can relate to purchasing a $15 stuffed squeaky toy only for Jackson and Tinkerbell to rip it to pieces within ten minutes of presenting them with their new toy, but when it comes down to it, that’s part of the fun for them, part of the joy of the stuffed squeaky toy. They still play with it once the squeaker and stuffing has been thoroughly removed by them and confiscated and disposed of by me.

Jackson and Tinkebell love to play tug-o-war with the remaining shell of the squeaky toy. Normally the game begins with Tinkerbell literally shoving the toy into Jackson’s mouth until he takes the bait and joins in. Sometimes Jackson (our adorable but evil genius) will grab a toy and start a game of tug-o-war with me, sometimes because he wants to play with me and other times in order to lure Tinkerbell over to join into the game so he can steal the antler that he wants but she has. Both our late Maggie and our former foster dog Destiny loved to take the empty squeaky toys and toss them high up into the air and then fetch the toy and repeat the process over and over.

In order to help my fellow humans with the “my dog will destroy that” dilemma, I have made a helpful guide called The Human’s Guide to Dog Toys to help pet parents understand the best way to use each toy and make it last longer than previous toys. You can download the guide on the Dog Owner Resources page at https://lovelaughwoof.com/tools/ .  

You can also shop for my favorite eco friendly dog toys on Amazon.com at my affiliate store by clicking here.

This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on these links and make a purchase I may receive a small commission from the merchant. This does not impact the retail price that you pay for these items. Affiliate links help bloggers promote their favorite products and receive a small commission from those recommendations.