How to Choose and Use Better Self-Entertaining Toys for Puppies and Dogs
What follows are some ways to continue to offer the highly popular dog chews (pig’s ears, bully sticks, chicken feet, trachea or thorax-type parts), but in combination with some common dog toys that actually increase a puppy’s interest in constructive chewing but in moderation so they don’t compromise a growing puppy’s balanced daily diet. You’ll also save a lot of money The best of three worlds.
Ask The Dog Guy Pro Tip: Toy Rotation
I think this is my best toy tip of all. The floor of your home should not look like ToysRUs. If you want to provide your puppy with the maximum amount of mental and physical stimulation, once you have the right toys, keep only one out, and the rest in the closet. When interest wanes, rotate. This can come in really handy when you need to get something done, but need to keep your puppy busy.
#1 Pick For Puppies
HOL-ee Roller/Pig's Ear Combination
This is the combination that surprises my puppy clients the most. By stretching the holes in the HOL-ee Roller just enough to cram a pig’s ear inside (it’s a two-person job) a puppy is given just enough access to get a lick here, and a nibble there to keep it challenged for far longer than the HOL-ee Roller alone.
Bonus Tip: Eventually most puppies will get coordinated, large, and smart enough to find a way to extract the pig’s ear. If this happens you can get a little more mileage by putting the pig’s ear inside a smaller HOL-ee Roller and the smaller inside a larger.
→ My Amazon link for:
- HOL-ee Rollers of various sizes and colors
- Pig Ears, Natural, Single Ingredient, Dehydrated Dog Chew, (Pack of 5)
Note: This is my personal affiliate link. If you choose to buy through it, it helps support the many free resources I provide, at no extra cost to you.
Ask The Dog Guy Pro Tip: Last Longer
When a non-toy breed puppies physically and mentally develop sufficiently you may find that they’ll find ways to access the pig’s ear, and the toy may have to be retired. However, you can get some additional mileage if you put the pig’s ear inside a smaller HOL-ee Roller, and put the smaller inside a larger HOL-ee Roller.
#2 Pick for Puppies
Kong's Goodie Bone/Bully Stick Combination
The Bully Sticks seen on the right must be thick enough to barely stuff into the holes in the Goodie Bone. Once you have one crammed in saw it off so there’s no more than 1” (2.5-3 cm) protruding.
The Kong Goodie Bone comes in several sizes. Unless the dog is a toy breed, always get the size that will be a physical challenge to flip around. Quite often this is the largest. The added weight when twisting and turning is far more of a challenge. (For some reason pet retailers often only offer the medium size, so online may be your best bet.)
If your dog is a hard-core powerful jawed chewer, get the black version versus the red, as it’s a little tougher.
Note: when the bully stick has been gnawed down level with the Goodie Bone edge/entrance, remove it and add another; otherwise, your goodie bone may be chewed into and damaged.
→ My Amazon link for:
Note: This is my personal affiliate link. If you choose to buy through it, it helps support the many free resources I provide, at no extra cost to you.
# 3 Pick for Puppies
NylaBone - Drill Holes and Add Canned Food
Stick with the brand name. If you buy the flavored types you’ll likely be disappointed. Instead, just get the regular hard (not gummy) type and drill five or six quarter inch holes and buy a small can of whatever brand and formulae you’re feeding kibble, and stuff it into the holes. Far more appealing. Also, if you have to chose between the bone shape and the wishbone shape get the wishbone shape. If your dog likes that one, then invest in the bone shape as well.
→ My Amazon link for:
Note: This is my personal affiliate link. If you choose to buy through it, it helps support the many free resources I provide, at no extra cost to you.
#4 Pick for Puppies
Stuffed (Frozen) Kong
Note: You’ll find this is very popular too. The only reason this isn’t rated higher is that it’s more of an alternate way to provide one or more meals.
Kongs are familiar to most dog owners. I’ve found that the traditional stuffing of a biscuit treat’ doesn’t work as well as stuffing it full of the canned version of the dog’s food and sometimes even freezing it to keep the dog busier, longer. If you buy the same brand as the kibble you’re feeding, you’re also going potentially prevent stomach upset (diarrhea) because the formulation should be a match.
You’ll also find that biscuits usually come out too quickly or get jammed and frustrate some puppies enough for them to give up.
I don’t recommend the often recommended peanut butter or cheese-whiz stuffing approach as those are not contributors to a balanced diet and are unnecessary caloric additions, and a stomach-upset risk.
Red Kongs for puppies and most dogs, Black Kongs for hard-core powerful jawed chewers.
Better to have one in reserve, so buy two.
→ My Amazon link for:
Note: This is my personal affiliate link. If you choose to buy through it, it helps support the many free resources I provide, at no extra cost to you.
#1 Pick For The Big Boys (Cane Corso, etc.)
Jolly Push-N-Play Ball
This one is more for large guarding Mastiff/Molosser-type breeds. It’s either a huge hit or it isn’t. I’m including it, because it can be difficult to find stimulating toys for these dogs.
There’s a valve in this large hard plastic ball that allows you to weigh it down with sand or water to make it even more of a challenge.
→ My Amazon link for:
Better Than Most Slow-Feeders
Kong Wobbler
We all work for our dinners. Many dogs really enjoy working for theirs. Kong makes this “Wobbler). It unscrews, and you put the dog’s kibble in there instead of a bowl. They recommend treats, which you could do, but I think you’ll find that if your dog has to work for one or more of their dinners, your day will go a lot more smoothly, and they will have a lot more fun. You might have to be patient as it does take some dogs a while to figure it out. It will help a lot if you make sure your puppy or dog is really hungry before each meal.
→ My Amazon link for:
Note: This is my personal affiliate link. If you choose to buy through it, it helps support the many free resources I provide, at no extra cost to you.
Ask The Dog Guy Pro Tip: Lick/Sniff Mats
Did you know that the very popular lick/sniff mats purchased to provide puppies and dogs with mental stimulation only do so for a very short period of time? After that, they’re just slow feeders that add unnecessary calories to their diet. It’s one of those things that a dog might think is “good”, but isn’t necessarily good for the dog. I have a much better way to provide actual mental stimulation involving regular meal times. (See my Free Nosey Dog Instructions PDF)
Do It Yourself “Wobbler”
On the left: You can stuff a water bottle with some kibble and have a similar impact as the commercial Wobbler mentioned above.
On the right: For the DIY dog owner, with a dog that needs a real challenge.
Either way, you have to supervise your dog, at least for the first few interactions, as they can chew through the plastic of a water bottle and potentially ingest some jagged bits. Most dogs just like the crunching sound and the kibble falling out.
Marrow Bones
There are a lot of cautionary tales floating around about giving dogs bones, whether raw or otherwise. Break a tooth, perforate a bowel, create a blockage. All possible. But possible does not always mean probable, and each owner will have to make that call for their own dog.
The marrow bones I am referring to are the straight-from-the-butcher type bones, not the smoked, processed versions sold in many pet supply stores.
In my experience, the dogs more likely to run into trouble are adult dogs that have spent their lives chewing only soft rubber toys, stuffed toys, and similar items. If suddenly given something very hard and they apply the same force they’ve grown used to applying to their rubber toy, I could see a potential problem.
Puppies, on the other hand, do not yet have the same jaw strength and often seem to become more bone-chewing savy, which may reduce risk.
That said, I would still introduce any bone carefully and gradually. For the first few days, offer it only for a few minutes at a time so the digestive system has a chance to adjust. Otherwise, you may trigger a bout of diarrhea simply because you moved too fast.
One of the best ways to judge whether to slow down or allow more is to keep an eye on your puppy or dog’s stool whenever you introduce something new.
If everything stays normal, you can allow a little more time. If the stool is looser than usual, back off and go more slowly.
Interactive - Fetch/Tug Toys
Kong on a Rope Or A Chuckit
These toys fall into a different category. They’re toys that you and your dog enjoy together.
If you’re lucky enough to have a dog that is a natural retriever, you’ll still want to be careful to start slow and build as endurance increases. Always stop throwing when your puppy would like to do about 25% more.
→ Read this article: The Best Way To Teach A Puppy to Love Playing Fetch
Also, see the same article on why to avoid throwing frisbees and random sticks.
Fore teaching and playing fetch, I prefer a Kong on a rope, (see the link above as well for instructions on how to make your own Kong on a Rope) as when it hits the ground; it bounces in a more challenging (prey-like) way that most dogs seem to enjoy and likely gives them a more balanced body workout. The rope part allows you to introduce tug-of-war, which can add more incentive and the opportunity to teach “Leave It” when your dog is in a “high-spirited” mind set.
The Kong on a rope in the picture above floats so if your fetching dog likes to swim you can combine the two activities.
Also, once the fetch/retrieve drive is rock-solid you can start introducing a “Stay”, and later a “Come”, here and there while playing fetch. It’s worthwhile. You’ll thank me when your dog decides to run down and fetch a skunk. → Here’s a Great Homemade De-Skunking Solution
→ My Amazon link for:
Note: This is my personal affiliate link. If you choose to buy through it, it helps support the many free resources I provide, at no extra cost to you.
Dog Likes To Chase But Not Retrieve?
Flirt Pole
Some dogs have the prey-drive to motivate them to chase, but not the retrieve drive to bring it back. Here’s a great way to give your dog exercise.
It can also be used to teach impulse control, by teaching the puppy dog to wait before chasing, and to drop it when told.
‼️Warning: keep in mind that your dog’s growth plates are not fused until as much as two years of age. So you don’t want to use the for pole to have it constantly leaping in the air.
→ My Amazon link for: Flirt Pole
Note: This is my personal affiliate link. If you choose to buy through it, it helps support the many free resources I provide, at no extra cost to you.
Ask The Dog Guy Pro Tip: Stuffed/Fabric Toys
Many of the toys found on pet store shelves are designed to encourage impulse anthropomorphic purchasing. Stuffed animals are a good example. Well meaning friends and family will often buy these as gifts for new puppy owners. When considering a new toy ask yourself, “Is this made of something that might confuse my puppy as to what they should and shouldn’t chew?” (i.e. stuffed fabric toys)
If you have family and friends that want to buy your new puppy gifts, forward this page to them.
Ask The Dog Guy Pro Tip: About Resource Guarding
Caution: When some dogs finally get something that is truly satisfying from a dog’s point of view, they may start treating it like a valuable resource and try to guard it. That is not an entirely unnatural reaction, but it is a red flag that should not be ignored.
A useful question to help put this in perspective is this: would your puppy react that way toward their mother? Probably not.
If your puppy or dog starts guarding toys, chews, or food-related setups, it is time to get help before it gets worse.