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Essential Chew Toy Guide
The root of a dog's misbehaviour can sometimes be boredom and loneliness. A chew toy can relieve boredom in cases where you have
to leave your dog alone. Chewing is a natural behaviour for dogs and
a chew toy can ensure that your dog's sometimes highly destructive chewing is directed onto the toy rather than your furniture, books, shoes etc.
There are a wide variety of chew toy choices at pet stores, many different colours, shapes, sizes and textures, some even help to clean the dogs teeth, there is one called PuppyFish that is specifically for teething puppies. To enhance your dogs chew toy experience and maintain its interest, some chew toys have provision for putting treats inside them. Its best to go for a chew toy that also makes a noise for maximum entertainment value. It's also a good idea to provide your dog with a variety of chew toys, a different one for each room that your dog uses. Don't use bones as a dog chew toy because they can cause constipation.
Safety and durability are important considerations when buying a chew toy. The toy must be able to withstand extreme chewing that would destroy almost everything else. There is a possibility of chipped teeth with some types of chew toy. A safe chew toy should have nothing that could cause an intestinal blockage or chocking hazard such as loose parts, attached small parts, buttons or string. Stuffed chew toys should also be avoided because of the possibility that the stuffing will be ingested. A chew toy should also be easy to clean and its size should be large enough to ensure that your dog does not choke on it.
Chew toy use should be reinforced by training about what is appropriate to chew. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to have the dog in a room with a variety of chew toys where things the dog should not be chewing are locked away. This gives the dog no choice about what to chew. Chewing of a toy should be immediately followed by praise and treats.
By John Kirkham
to leave your dog alone. Chewing is a natural behaviour for dogs and
a chew toy can ensure that your dog's sometimes highly destructive chewing is directed onto the toy rather than your furniture, books, shoes etc.
There are a wide variety of chew toy choices at pet stores, many different colours, shapes, sizes and textures, some even help to clean the dogs teeth, there is one called PuppyFish that is specifically for teething puppies. To enhance your dogs chew toy experience and maintain its interest, some chew toys have provision for putting treats inside them. Its best to go for a chew toy that also makes a noise for maximum entertainment value. It's also a good idea to provide your dog with a variety of chew toys, a different one for each room that your dog uses. Don't use bones as a dog chew toy because they can cause constipation.
Safety and durability are important considerations when buying a chew toy. The toy must be able to withstand extreme chewing that would destroy almost everything else. There is a possibility of chipped teeth with some types of chew toy. A safe chew toy should have nothing that could cause an intestinal blockage or chocking hazard such as loose parts, attached small parts, buttons or string. Stuffed chew toys should also be avoided because of the possibility that the stuffing will be ingested. A chew toy should also be easy to clean and its size should be large enough to ensure that your dog does not choke on it.
Chew toy use should be reinforced by training about what is appropriate to chew. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to have the dog in a room with a variety of chew toys where things the dog should not be chewing are locked away. This gives the dog no choice about what to chew. Chewing of a toy should be immediately followed by praise and treats.
By John Kirkham
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