3 Best Chew Toys You Should Get Your Dog
If you’re a dog parent then you must own some Chew Toys, you would know how much they love to chew on stuff. Sadly, some of those objects can end up being your plants, shoes, and furniture. If you wish to protect your belongings (and your sanity) while keeping your pooch happy, you can invest in some chew toys. Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of chew toys and the best chew toys you can get for your dog.
Benefits of Chew Toys for Dog
Here are some of the benefits of chew toys for dogs.
1. Alleviates Anxiety and Stress
When you return home from work to find your pillows, sneakers, and sofa exploded all over the place, it’s clear your dog has been indulging in some reckless chewing. The main cause of this is boredom and stress.
High-energy dogs are going to chew to alleviate stress, even if it means ruining your house. Giving them appropriate toys along with sufficient exercise can help reduce anxiety and give your dog something to focus their attention on.
2. Safe for Your Dog
Despite common associations made between bones and dogs, bones can be harmful to your dogs. They are a choking hazard and can injure your pooch’s mouth as well as lead to digestion problems, blockages, and broken teeth. Rawhides and cooked bones are particularly unsafe. Thus, non-consumable, durable rubber, heavy-duty chew toys are a safe alternative to satisfy your dog’s chewing instinct.
3. Improves Oral Health
Chewing can help clean your pup’s gums and teeth. Chewing smoothens the teeth and scrapes away at tartar. It even produces antibacterial saliva that cleans your dog’s mouth. In fact, you might notice your dog’s breath getting better after using toys. However, just bear in mind that chew toys cannot work as a substitute for a bristle brush. Thus, you should always brush your dog’s teeth and supplement their oral hygiene with chew toys.
4. Protects Your Furniture
Some things are as upsetting as returning home to a destroyed sofa. If your dogs don’t have another thing to chew on, they are going to attack your furniture. This means you will have to replace or repair your expensive furniture pieces. A chew toy is going to offer your dog a safe alternative, saving you some major headaches and money!
5. Reduces Stress
Separation anxiety, environmental change, and loud noises can stress out your dogs. Several dogs suffer from phobia, fear, and other kinds of anxiety. If you’re searching for ways to help calm your anxious dog, chew toys can help. Chewing has a soothing impact on your pets, reducing nervousness and allowing them to better deal with stressful situations.
6. Help Teething Pups
A pup chew toy is essential for your young fur baby. Chewing can ease the pain that young dogs experience as they’re teething. If your puppy’s gums seem extremely soft, you can try to put a chew toy in the freezer before you give it to your puppy for an additional soothing impact. Chewing even encourages teeth growth so your pup can develop strong and healthy teeth.
7. Provide Mental Stimulation
Mental stimulation is as important as physical exercise. Chewing is a super exciting and fun activity for dogs and requires a lot of focus. Interactive dog toys and chew toys are excellent ways to enhance your dog’s mental abilities.
8. Alleviates Boredom
No one likes to get stuck indoors all day, particularly your dogs. Believe it or not, dogs get bored as well. And when they do, they can develop destructive and unwelcome behaviours such as gnawing on costly shoes, ripping up cushions, and rummaging through the trash. Giving your dog a chew toy will keep them physically and mentally stimulated – and out of trouble.
Chew Toys You Should Get Your Dog
When purchasing toys and treats, you should check if you can indent them with your thumb or break them easily. If you cannot do either of the two, it’s probably too hard for your pup’s teeth and usually safe for pooches.
1. Firm Rubber Toys
The hollow chew toys (that are perfect for holding treats) generally work well for all kinds of chewers. Just pick the size that fits in your pooch’s mouth.
2. Rope Chew Toys
If your dog likes to shred stuff, you need to ensure that they are not pulling out the strings and swallowing them. Otherwise, these chew toys are considered to be safe.
Check out this Denta Fun Rope by Petnap that you can give to your dog.
3. Tennis Balls
Tennis balls are fine for most dogs who like chewing. You can buy this Tennis Ball with Rope to give your pooch as a chew toy. However, keep an eye out on dogs that love to shred and might destroy and swallow pieces of the tennis ball. Over-chewing of the ball fuzz can also wear down their teeth.
Chew Toys You Should Avoid
Treats such as pig’s ears, bully sticks, and rawhides are known to cause stomach issues (they can also be high in calories). Your dogs should steer clear of these kinds of treats – they can choke on them or get a piece stuck in their stomach. Keep an eye out for the flavour coating on some of these treats, as they can even make a huge mess on your furniture and floors.
Anything that’s harder than your dog’s teeth can end up cracking or breaking their tooth. Thus, you need to avoid the following chew toys:
- Elk and deer antlers
- Bones
- Chew toys made of nylon or hard plastic
- Cow hooves
Last Few Words on Chew Toys
Chewing is a natural dog behaviour that all dog owners need to accept. The good thing is you can use chew toys that alleviate boredom and prevent destructive behaviour, and also helps nervous dogs deal with separation anxiety. The right chew toys are going to go a long way for you and your dog, so make sure you pick wisely and encourage your dog to have some fun.