What To Look For In Dog Chew Toys

Most dogs actually need and will appreciate dog chew toys, as they usually can find fun with toys. For you as a dog owner, these toys can help manage your dog's natural inclination to keep on chewing. If you select the right toys, you can keep your dog away from things in the house which you do not like him to gnaw. Besides, chewing can also encourage teeth and gum health and can relieve anxiety and boredom. So, what exactly you should look for when choosing chew toys?

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.

Make Sure the Toy is Safe

Aside from checking the size of the toy, you should also check it for safety features. Depending on the breed of your dog, a chew toy that is too hard could damage the teeth. Toys that are too soft could result in accidental ingestion of torn or chipped parts. In general you should avoid chew toys with small beads, buttons, strings, wire, bells and fake fur. Even a mild mannered dog could rip off small parts and swallow them. Swallowed parts can 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.

Durability of 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.

Your Veterinarian Counts

If you are not sure whether a chew toy is appropriate for your dog, the first person you should consult is your veterinarian. He might even be able to recommend good toy brands or 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.