Replacing Older Dog Toys

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     Your dog does some serious damage to his or her toys over the course of the time that they have them. Dog and cat toys aren't cheap and we try to make them last as long as we can in order to assure that we don't have to buy new ones.

Realistically, that's not the best idea probably. Toys do wear out and we do need to replace them. Once our pets have chewed through the toys and they've begun to show signs of wear and tear, it's quite likely time to toss them out and get something newer and more hardy.

Your dog may not chew through his or her toys but in many cases they do. Dogs love to chew and many may actually chew through their toys and you will find small pieces of a favorite toy lying around the house. You may say, that the dog will spit out the pieces and not swallow them. Make no mistake at all, they will swallow them. We once had a chocolate Labrador Retriever who ate his pull rope. Not a small piece of it, but the entire rope, lock, stock, and semi mangled knot.

Fortunately he did regurgitate it but it taught us a fairly valuable lesson. Once the knot starts to wear and the end of the toy is showing signs of wear and tear, its' time to replace it. Keeping older toys, even if they are your dogs favorite simply isn't common sense. If you can, and you do find a toy that your dog particularly loves, buy two of them. Keeping one in reserve is a good idea in case the store no longer has it when your own wears out.

If you have the options to purchase them, for a larger dog, be sure that you get a larger and much more sturdy toy.

Toys like a Kong are hardy and easy to fill, so the dogs tend to like them better and in reality they will last much much longer than the average dog toy. We've only ever had one Kong toy chewed beyond recognition. They are far more hardy than your run of the mill dog toy and you'll find that they tend to please the dogs immensely. You can cure boredom in a hurry simply by adding kibble to the inside of the Kong and permitting the dog to try to get it out, which they eventually do.

Replace your toys as they wear out. Dog and puppy toys are like toys for your child. If it had broken edges or sharp pieces you'd toss it out to prevent an injury and doing the same thing for your dog is just good sense. Your dog can choke, can swallow, or can be hurt with a toy that is not in good shape. Everyone in these economic times believes in making do with what we have, but it's not worth an injury in order to save a few dollars.