Hi all, what are the best toys to buy for puppies in your experience, apart from the Kong which is a given I suppose?
Re: toy dog Hmm...... puppy teething toys - ones you can freeze. Charity shop soft toys with no plastic eyes or noses (or cut them off) Squeaky toys are popular but only with your pup and must be supervised until squeakerectomy is completed. Umm.....
Re: toy dog Hi John, Meg is 14 now but I think we used to get nylon bones. Not sure if that's right name, but they were virtually indestructible toys, and then when she was teething we got her a hard chew especially designed for puppies teething. I'm sure the others will be here to let you know what they use for their lovely pups.
Re: toy dog John ,at 5 months we could do soft toys / Teddy's .....for about 20 mins ???there was such a short time of sucking,snuggling and chewing before,annihalation !Cardboard....inserts of kitchen/ toilet rolls ,gift wrapping tubes ,anything that is delivered in a cardboard box.....a cardboard box full stop! Put a few pieces of kibble and a smear of sardine oil around the inside and your pup will chew and be occupied away.....always supervise though .....for me it lasted al long as bought toys did,I had a very determined chewer though!
Re: toy dog Nylabone keys - brill! Tatze had hers up o nine months old (when the big teeth came in) but they are great for teething pups.
Re: toy dog As well as the above Bess enjoyed playing with an empty plastic drinks bottle with one treat inside - she used to chase it around the kitchen for ages before getting the treat. Once the bottle is chewed it is cheap and easy to replace. Alice
Re: toy dog Molly had a couple of dumb-bell shaped plastic toys which she quite liked, but her favourite things when she was very small were definitely boxes. When she got a bit bigger she found an 18 inch length of hosepipe in the garden and that became her most precious possession - and still is at 9 months.
Re: toy dog We have a hard plastic ball that was part of a kids bowling kit and Lola loves it. Because it is hard she can't pick it up and it skids around the kitchen. She only has it when we need to go out or when I go to work. She also has an old ice cream box she pinched from the recycling box not long after we brought her home. It is full of teeth marks but her favourite game with it is to drop it at my feet when I am watering my plants for me to fill it the she attempts to carry it. Resulting in a very wet but happy Lola ;D
Re: toy dog This is our experience. A soft toy was either ignored or shredded. Nylabones - boring Tug toys we had to abandon. She got over excited. Then, when she wasn't winning the tug of war, she'd decide my end looked better and make a grab for it. it was a good way to get my hands damaged. She wasn't much interested in hide chews when little, but at nine months will happily munch on one (if I can be relied on to get the right shape). I bought her a treat ball, Buster Cube and a Kong Wobbler. All are very good at extending the time it take for the food to go down her throat, though as she has grown older the exhuberence with which she plays with them has been bad news for skirting boards. Empty plastic bottles with ALL the cap parts etc removed are a great favourite. Just pop a few pieces of kibble inside for a bit of frantic fun. They make a hell of a din, presumably because they are hollow and resonant. I swear everytimeI make a cuppa she asses how much longer it will be before I stop messing about and give it to her. Kongs, beloved of dogs and humans alike. They bring you respite from the storm that is life with a puppy.
Re: toy dog I think they all like different things and you probably need to try a selection of things unless you are lucky enough to hit the jackpot straight off! Mira had an assortment of things when she was a pup. Kongs were always a hit and still are, including the wobbler. Nylabone - chewed very occasionally, but after a few weeks wouldn't look at it, even when teething (Used an old tea towel, knotted, wetted and frozen for that purpose!) Assorted furry squeaky toys were quite interesting, but mostly for throwing/chasing after or playing hide and seek. Rubber squeaky toys were immediately ripped apart and discarded It was really hard to find any indoor toys that she was really interested in, but were also relatively indestructible. Got fed up buying expensive good quality stuff that she ignored Empty plastic bottle was a big hit though! As she got older she one day decided to shred the soft toys. Bought a couple of bigger ones, she de-stuffed them and discarded within a day. I started buying kids soft toys from the charity shops and as they don't squeak she doesn't destroy them! Woohoo! The current big bunny is about 6 weeks old and has only a few nibbles on his face ;D In the garden it is balls and Frisbees. Squeaky tennis ball is her favourite thing in the world wherever she is (not allowed in the house though!)
Re: toy dog What a selection of wonderful posts!!! Very funny and pics to boot ;D Thanks everyone so much and I'm going to have to read and re-read this thread to take in all the information. LL to all
