Choosing a Chew Toy for Your Dog

Chewing is good for your dog’s mental and physical health. It is important to provide them with plenty of safe and appropriate things to chew on. There are a lot of available chew toys these days to choose from. Which ones are best? Which ones should you avoid?

We hope that this three-step guide helps you find the right toy for your dog:

1. Figure out your dog’s chew personality. Is your dog an Inhaler? Give a treat now you see it, and within seconds it is gone. Is your dog a Destroyer? This is when you give them anything, and they can ruin it within minutes. Or last but not least is your dog a Nibbler? Takes their time and savours whatever you treat to give them.

2. Now that you have figured out what type of chewer your dog is here are some examples of toys or treats that they may like.

• Inhaler – Firm rubber chew toy.
• Destroyer – Rawhide treat from your local veterinary clinic.
• Nibbler – Medium rubber chew toy, stuffed toy.

3. Buy a quality chew toy. Check for hardness. Try pressing your thumbnail into the rubber if it does not make a little indent then it is too hard for your dogs’ teeth. Softness and durability. The toy should not be too soft that your dog can chew it into pieces and swallow the stuffing. Treats should be coated with flavours. This can upset their stomachs. Also, watch the size and shape of the treat. Make sure they are an appropriate size to your pet, so they do not choke on it. Also, try to make sure your toy can be put in the dishwasher or washing machine to keep it clean and disinfected. Lastly, make sure it can provide hours of chewing/playing entertainment.

We hope these tips help you find a toy that dog will enjoy for many months and have healthy clean teeth all the time.

Written by Christine Attridge-Hardy, Practice Manager