There are countless kinds of uses for all of the different types of toys. First, as puppies, toys will give your dog a nice distraction from other would-be toys like your leather chair or your favorite pair of expensive shoes. All of my dogs love ropes. Every single one of them would play with them until they were tiny pieces of threads. Ropes serve a few purposes, in addition to keeping your dog from chewing your house up like a termite.
First, it's a great bonding tool for you and your dog if you engage in a good game of tug-of-war. It will also help your dog exercise. My dog Daisy is one big ball of muscles. When we play with the rope, she will use her entire body to try to get it away from me and you can see all of her muscles flexing. She's a Yellow Lab and has the most beautiful, sleek coat. In addition to great exercise rope dog toys also help keep their teeth clean. Who wants to have a dog with teeth problems? Like people, dogs are often comforted by familiarity so dog toys that they know and love serve as great travel companions. They help give your dog a that extra comfort when you're away from home or take a vacation with your dog.
Here are some great tips to consider when buying toys for your dog:
Make sure the toys you purchase do not have small, choking parts. Dogs are like babies, they put anything in their mouth and can choke.
Don't get realistic looking toys like, say, shoes or food. You don't want them to associate your shoes with toys or that hot dog sitting on the counter.
Don't go overboard and buy too many toys. Rotate the toys they already have. We do this with our kids too and it works great. It's like getting new toys all over again.
