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Golden retrievers have a special knack for stuffing their face with stuffed toys. They seem to be born with a craving for stuffed toys. I know my golden, Nikki, already had a penchant for stuffed toys at the age of six to eight weeks old.

She is an amazing Certified Therapy Dog but, she will steal resident’s stuffed toys if I would allow her to. Now, for those of you who are handy with the needle, you could remove the stuffing, and fill the toy with tough fabric instead, that way, it will last forever!

I think that dogs feel closer to being a dog when they actually have a stuffed toy in their mouth. They feel that they have caught it. They can carry it around, they can claim it, they can retrieve it (especially retrievers), and it is theirs. And, it feels good to them. After a while, the smell of this stuffed toy becomes awful to us, but great to the dogs.

Depending on the breed you have, some dogs will kill the stuffed toys, some dogs will love it, sleep on it and snuggle with it. Retrievers will consistently have it in their mouth when you return home.

By far, the cheapest way to keep your dog in stuffed toys is buying cheap, right sized stuffed animals at garage/yard sales. I wash them in hot water, and a bit of Solumel (Melaleuca household cleaner that helps get rid of bacteria and it is animal and nature friendly), this is very important! Then, I remove all the detachable; lose things like eyes, whiskers, etc. These toys are a very cheap alternative to expensive pet store toys.

Be very careful though that you check and make sure that this toy is not stuffed with small, styrofoam beads. Avoid those. You can easily tell by squishing the toy in your hand. Dogs often rip open their stuffed toys, and the styrofoam beads could become a hazard to your dog.

I know of some big dogs that shake their stuffed toy to so much that they are actually killing it. If you have more than one dog watch that the other dog doesn’t get hurt by the toy that is being shaken. It is easy to have your other dogs eye get punctured or hurt.

So to repeat the question, why do dogs like stuffed toys? Well, it seems that we all love stuffed toys. Adults have them, kids love them, cats play with stuffed mice, and dogs claim them to kill it, to claim it, or just to love it.

Every individual who loves their pet wants to give the best care for him. This can be with regard to dressing up, medical help, and cute dog toys. There are lots of innovative toys for your pet dog to play with. A range of collection of toys is introduced year after year, to suit the needs of your pets. These toys are a product of new innovative concepts and ideas. They come in attractive colours and shapes. The sizes are also small and cute so that they can be well played by your pet dog. These toys are replicated from the original pieces in colour as well as designs. This makes dog toys all the more interesting and cool as well as fun to play with.

All of the toys are made up of good material and cosy texture so that your pets can feel comfortable to its touch. Plush dog toys are stylish pieces of toys and are shaped as a cream filled pastry, a dummy credit card, a glass of juice, a bone piece, etc. All these are made up of soft cloth and filled up with cotton to give the shape of a soft toy. These are liked very much by all pets but it goes without saying that it is always the bone shaped toys that are the most sellable ones. Plush toys can be easily washed as pets often use their mouth to pick up the toys. Dog toys surely will get dirty, so a regular washing is necessary to have them always neat and tidy. There are several other types of toys like a set of glass and a jug or a pot, a pair of high heeled shoes, a Christmas house set, etc. These toys are available in fun theme toy sets so that your pet can learn to play in an organised form. This also brings awareness to your pet that shoes are worn or kept in pairs and a jug is used to pour water in the glass, etc. In this way you can take the help of dog toys to teach them healthy lessons and you can train your pet to use them appropriately.

There are other toys which are meant for chewing purposes. The chewable dog toys are for pets that have an itching tooth and love to tear off things. These toys when chewed squeeze in the mouth and spread out a wild squeak when released or left by the pet. Pet dogs find these chewable toys very interesting and they love to play with it. These dog chew toys are manufactured, with great emphasis upon the quality and hygiene hence they are absolutely fine for your pets. They can also be used by small pups as the toys are very colourful. Also the attractive sizes of the toys, which match the size of the pets make it dearer to them. Dog toys do get worn and torn out; throw them out and its time to buy new ones.

Dogs can get bored and restless easily. This is usually when they cause problems. They need to be stimulated through play. Your dog needs plenty of playtimes with you, but you can’t always play with your dog and this is when toys are important. Toys can satisfy a number of a dogs needs. There are some basic toys available for dogs today and hundreds of different selections. When choosing toys for your dog, consider its size and what it enjoys doing.

First off, toys must be appropriately sized for dogs. Logically, small toys are better for small dogs and large toys are better for larger dogs. You can see how a small toy would probably be destroyed or swallowed by a large dog and a large toy would be too big for a small dog’s mouth. Along this same line of thinking, you should match the toy to your dog’s chew strength. Heavier chewers would need stronger, more durable toys and softer chewers would need lighter, easier to gnaw on toys. Puppies would need softer toys that should be replaced as the dog grows.

You may walk in a dog store and pick out toys that are colorful. Unfortunately, a dog has a difficult time distinguishing color and it would be wiser to pick out toys of different shapes, sizes, flavors and smells. Remember, a dog’s strongest sense is smell, so choose toys with aromas. A selection of five or six toys, that are rotated frequently, should be enough to keep your pet actively engaged.

There are different toy categories to choose from and the deciding factor will be what your dog likes to do. There are chewing toys, fetching toys, playing toys and puzzle and treat toys. If your dog just loves to chew, then supplying him with some chew toys will keep your favorite slippers safe. An aggressive chewer should be suited with a hard rubber and nylon toy that won’t be easily broken down. Chew toys are also ideal for dental health, so they will be a good option for almost any dog. Balls and Frisbees are always fun when playing fetch. The rope toy is great for a game of tug of war, but be cautious of playing this with an overly aggressive dog. Squeaker toys and glow or light up toys will keep your dog’s interest, while the soft and plush toys are cute and fun. Treat toys will help with training and also ease a dog’s separation anxiety. For the high energy and intelligent dogs, puzzle and treat teaser toys will test their minds. They teach the dog through play with them by hiding a treat inside. Just be careful to check all toys for possible pieces that may come loose and be swallowed.

As you can see, there are many types and selections of toys available to entertain and stimulate your pet. Taking into account their size, likes, chewing strength and intelligence, you can find the most suitable toys to keep their playtime interesting and fun.