Are Dog Toys Really Indestructible?
How To Make Them Last Longer?

As dog owners, we all love our pets. And we all want to keep them happy and healthy. And one way to do it is to buy our pets lots of toys they like to play with.

Surely, all of us would like to buy toys that would last many a tough playing sessions and are virtually indestructible. The question is: where do you find such toys?

When we go shopping for dog toys, we find nearly all toy manufacturers using the magic word índestructible’ to woo us. But how many of those toys can actually do justice to that description? Hardly any.

Most dog owners complain that their excitement of watching their pet merrily playing with these ‘indestructible’ toys dies within minutes as their pooch tears the whole thing to pieces. On the other hand, there are dog owners who have bought dog toys that have survived many a rough playing sessions.

Now the important question: Why some dog owners have had a good experience with dog toys while others have had a bad experience with the same dog toys.

Well, let us first understand that indestructible dog toys are a myth. We can only make dog toys last longer by taking a few things into consideration.

First and foremost, selecting the right toy for our dog is half the battle won. The other half is won by training your pooch to ‘play’ with toys and not destroy them. These two factors will make dog toys last long and worth every penny we have spent.

Choosing the correct toys for your dog depends on many things:

• The breed of your dog: Certain breeds have more aggressive chewing tendencies than others. These are generally the larger breeds and the bull breeds. They have strong jaws and need very durable toys. Your choices can be the typical Chew Toys or Durable Toys

• The age and physical size: Do not buy dog toys that are small enough for the dog to accidentally swallow or could cause your dog to choke. On the other hand, do not pick toys that are too big and heavy for your dog, as it would not be able to enjoy the toy.

• Whether he will be supervised during playtimes : Lots of stuffed animals for dogs come with a squeaker box inside.

Presumably, dogs like the noise, though some dog experts caution against encouraging dogs to chew on objects that make noises, feeling it promotes dogs to kill real animals.

Even if this is not true, dogs that can tear apart a stuffed animal sooner or later will obviously "liberate" the squeaker box and swallowing it poses a real health hazard. Always supervise playtimes when giving your dog these types of toys.

So make your dog happy and keep him healthy by providing toys that will last. Rope toys are usually pretty strong, and there are some really excellent toys made of long lasting rubber, nylon, or synthetics that will last for years.

Make sure you don't confuse tough with hard, though. You don't want toys that will damage your pet's teeth or gums!

Training your dog to play

Here are a few tips on training your dog to “play nice” with toys.

Dogs have a natural instinct to attack and destroy anything unfamiliar as they feel threatened. But they can be taught to play gentle with toys and have hours of fun-filled hours playing with them.

To begin with, adopt a “everything is mine ” attitude. Let your dog know that the toys are yours and he is being allowed to play with them.

When you offer the toy to your dog, do not let them have it if they don’t take it gently. If they try to take it aggressively, take it back and hide it in your arms and look away from the dog for a bit.

When you look back at the dog, offer it again and repeat the process until your dog understands that he does not get to play with the toy if he is not gentle. If you catch him being too rough with the toy while playing with it, make him give it back and reinforce by making him take it back gently.

If your dog likes to bite you when playing, then some training may be in order. If you are playing with your dog and he gets too rough simply stand up, pull your arms away from him and say “be nice” very sternly. Slowly reach out and pet him saying “good dog”. Resume playing with them, and repeat every time your dog gets too rough.

With some training and encouragement, your dog can learn to play properly with toys and play gently with you.

Take a look at our range of Durable Dog Toys and give your dog hours and hours of fund and enjoyment.