Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by Dogs Vets
How To Choose The Best Dog Toys By Age
As soon as you get a dog, you might get too excited about buying dog toys right away so they could have something to play with alone or when they’re with you. But before you rush to the nearest pet store; you should know which kind of dog toy would suit your four-legged companion the best.
This way, you won’t put your money to waste and allow your furry friend to enjoy your toy offering.
Below are some pet toys for wellbeing that matches your dog’s age:
6 To 8 Week-Old Puppies
Puppies within this age are now starting to teeth.
To help them satisfy their desire to chew on something apart from your table legs and other pieces of furniture, it’d help if you could go for dog toys that are small and easy to bite. This way, it can fit comfortably inside their mouth and they can bite through them as much as they want.
This could help to save your furniture while satisfying your pup’s desire to chew on an object.
You can check out any small rubber toys, balls, or anything they can chew on.
Remember that these toys should be adequate in size when it comes to being small; you don’t want your puppy to choke on their toy while playing with it.
9 to 12 Week-Old Puppies
Puppies at this age are curious about everything. Even though they’re still in the teething stage, it’d be great for their development if you could provide toys that can be pretty challenging to their mind.
Aside from getting all the fun that they are getting from their toys, these toys also help them develop needed skills when they grow up.
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Squeaky Toys
These toys always have a way of mesmerizing your dog. That squeaky sound that it makes once they start gnawing into it will surely make their heads tilt. With this, squeaky toys provide limitless entertainment, especially to a young pup.
These toys also unleash your puppy’s inner wolf, which is beneficial since it is healthy to allow them to tap into their ancestral traits.
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Soft Plush Toys
Plush toys are great for providing comfort for your puppy. These toys are soft and cuddly and should make perfect company while your puppy sleeps.
This helps puppies adjust since, at this age, most young dogs are being separated from their mother and other siblings, especially when they’re being sold or given away.
The soft plush toys help them snuggle something during the night, making them feel safe and secure.
2 To 4-month Old Puppies
As your puppy ages, their sizes get bigger and so as their toys. They’re still considered a puppy and are very active in the teething stage. Remember that teething is very painful and uncomfortable at this age.
Don’t get them more chewy toys than before; make sure to get them larger chewy toys that’d help them with their teething and curiosity.
Instead of getting regular chewing toys, you could also get those flavored teething toys. This could help your puppy enhance their taste buds and be open to trying out different flavors, preventing them from growing up as picky eaters.
4 To 9-month Old Puppies
The older they get, the more active your fur-covered buddy’s teething becomes.
At this age, your puppy would likely chew on everything they see; your shoes, slippers, or even your furniture.
Don’t worry, as this is a normal thing with dogs since chewing on objects allows them to explore the world. To avoid this, make sure to get the appropriate toys for your puppy.
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Chew Toys
Chew toys are your number one go-to toy for puppies still intensely teething.
It gives your puppy something to chew on, but it also helps them improve their dental health, and at the same time, you can reduce the destructive chewing that your puppy has been doing. Plus, some dogs chew intensely to relieve pain from teething.
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Rubber Balls
Your puppy is getting more active and loves chasing everything at this age. Getting a rubber ball would surely help keep them engaged.
As they grow, their strength and stamina continuously increase, leaving you with no choice but to be active and play with them. Allowing them to play fetch and chase balls will be fun for them and you. This can also be a helpful way for you and your puppy to bond.
9-month to 1-year Old Puppies
Most puppies are almost finished teething at this age. You should start getting toys for adults and have a longer life. These toys should not be easily destroyed once your puppy starts chewing and biting on them.
- Rubber Toys
At this age, your puppy still enjoys chewing on rubber toys, which is a good thing since there are a lot of benefits chewing toys offer. It helps them keep stimulated and allows them to maintain the cleanliness of their teeth.
Seeing how active they can get, chewing on rubber toys can also serve as a source of exercise.
- Ropes
Puppies love pulling stuff, so get them a rope and let them have all the fun. It provides your dog a source of enjoyment, but it can also act as a tooth floss for dogs, especially the rope toy they’re chewing on has a lot of threads.
- Bones
Even though these are not really considered toys, there comes a time when you’ll be replacing some of their toys with bones. This is still a good chewing object since it’s a good source of minerals and can usually fulfill your puppy’s hunger for food.
Senior Dogs (7 years and up)
Once your puppy gets older and becomes a senior dog, remember that it’s still essential to keep them active and healthy. You also need to make sure that they are stimulated even though their actions are not the same as they used to back when they were young.
You should keep in mind that you should always be there for your dog, no matter how old they get.
- Softer Rubber Toys Or Sticks
Getting your senior dog some soft rubber toys can help them stay active.
These toys are almost the same as those chewy toys but softer. This allows them to be active when it comes to chewing, and since these toys are soft, you are sure that you maintain their teeth’s health without the risk of damage, especially when they’re not getting any younger.
Allowing them to chew on these softer toys at this age can stimulate them mentally and can even prevent dementia.
Takeaway
Choosing the best dog toy for your furry friend can be quite tricky as not everything would go perfectly for their age.
For your young pups, it’ll be great if you could go for cheap ones since you’re going to constantly replace them for your puppy would chew on them as much as they can.
As they get older, you can invest in better dog toys that they can enjoy no matter how older they get.
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