I don’t know about you, but when I’m looking for new dog toys I want to hear what has lasted, been appreciated and had a tangible benefit to other people’s dogs.
These toys are all tried and tested by our own family dogs. Most of them we have been sharing with our puppies and dogs for years. And I’ve got some pretty strong opinions on what has worked, and not worked, for our tough chewing, hard playing pets.
Many of these toys have both puppy and adult dog sized options, and some even come in a bigger range of sizes so they can work for pretty much any breed too.
You’ll notice that I’m going to begin with a few different toys by the same company, Kong. And that is purely because I have had such a positive experience with this brand for what must be over two decades!
Classic Kong
I don’t think I’ve ever lived with a dog that didn’t at least have a period of a few weeks when their classic Kong was their favorite thing. I love the shape and versatility of these toys, they are easy for dogs to pick up, but provide challenges for chewing that keep them interested. They are also really tough, I’ve never had one split or break despite our Labradors’ best efforts. And you can hide treats inside them, and even freeze them for an even more distracting playtime for your dog.
Kong Ring
These Kong rings are our dogs’ top choice for daily carrying around. They do chew them too, but they just seem to be a great size to pick up easily whether it’s the large Labrador or little Jack Russell. The lumpy edge of this ring means that it’s very tactile for our dogs’ mouths and seems to be very satisfying to chew too. This design is something I suspected that wouldn’t be a fan favorite years ago when I first saw it, but I was totally wrong. A definite member of their top ten toys list.
Kong Bone
This Kong Bone is another top choice, and has been a fabulous tool for Pippa’s Terrier when learning to fetch like her gundog breed friends. She found even the smaller dummies a bit too much, but her easy to pick up bone was a very motivating and a great gateway to the wonderful world of retrieving.
It also provides a great classic chew toy too, and comes in a really nice range of sizes like most Kong products.
Knots Toys
There are two types of knots toys that our dogs love – the Wild Knots Toys and the Floppy Knots Toys. They come in a couple of different sizes, and a number of different animal designs. For plush dog toys these hold up really well to rough play, although they are obviously never going to have the durability of toughened plastic toys.
Our dogs love snuggling with these as well as carrying them around, and tend to chew them relatively little compared with their harder toys. As soft dog toys go they are on the pricier end of the scale, but the fact that they last longer than most of the others we’ve tried in the past makes them a good investment if you have the money to spend. If your dog is dedicated destroyer of toys, it’s probably best skipping these but for most dogs, even our very mouthy sporting dog breeds, they hold up well and our pups have had a couple of them for a couple of years now at least.
Kong Jumbler
This toy totally looks like a gimmick, I get it. I was also suspicious before seeing the dogs interact with it, because what is the point of a ball inside a ball, right? But actually, it’s a really cool design. The tennis ball is rolling around inside, but unaccessible, giving the dogs motivation to try to get at it. So they aren’t just playing with the outside ball with handles, but with the one inside as well.
Interestingly, it is meant to have a squeak but I have never heard it make that sound! The ball rolls around inside, and perhaps if your dog plays harder with it then it would be more audible.
Antler Chews
Deer antlers make amazing dog chews for enthusiastic chewing breeds like ours, but they are not without their controversy. There is no doubt that they make great, durable chew toys that our dogs really love to gnaw down on.
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Some veterinarians are concerned about the risk of broken teeth due to how hard they are, but others believe the benefits to dental health from having this natural option outweigh the potential risks. On balance we feel that the limited risk is worth it when compared with the good it does for their teeth and how much they enjoy and get out of spending time working on them. But how you feel about this will be very personal, and they are absolutely not the only option if you aren’t comfortable.
Donkey Tug Toy
I love this donkey, and his expression alone sold him to me immediately. He’s designed as a tug toy rather than a general plush toy, so he’s built to withstand some fairly enthusiastic play. We’ve not had this one for as long as the others i’ve mentioned, but it gets a special mention because of how much they have enjoyed playing with it over the last few months. And the fact that despite being a tug and chew toy, it’s still going strong at this point.
I’d love to hear what your dog’s favorite toys are if you’re happy to share your suggestions in the comments section below. I’ll give some of them a try, and add any that our dogs love to this list!
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