Safe Toys For Dogs And Why To Avoid Tennis Balls And Sticks #226
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 16 August 2023
⏱️ 14 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
All dogs deserve toys, and all people with dogs deserve to know as much as possible about toys. I’m covering my favorite dog toys, how I used them, and why to avoid the two most popular for dogs. My house is a treasure trove of toys, and I’m sharing who they are for and when. Plus, we’re looking at toy selection to protect you and your dog from harm and tips for playing fetch safely.
In this episode you’ll hear:
• My top dog toys and toys to avoid.
• How I make toys available to my dogs.
• About good toy habits for puppies.
• Criteria I have for selecting dog toys.
• The two categories of toys for training.
• About using toys for rescue dogs or puppies to boost confidence.
• The dangers of dogs playing with sticks and tennis balls.
• Why I created my “Bring Me” program to teach dogs to retrieve.
• That North America lacks toxicity guidelines for dog toys.
• The safer options of Kong tennis balls and play sticks for dogs.
• Why a renowned Veterinary dentist recommends road hockey balls.
• Safety tips and suggestions for playing fetch with dogs with balls.
• Why to avoid Dollar Store dog toys.
Resources:
1. Podcast Episode 89: Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/89/
2. YouTube Video: 15 Ways To Exercise Your Dog - https://youtu.be/SsQY6nm6E30
3. 4MyMerles Dog Toys - https://www.4mymerles.com/product-category/say-yes/
4. Podcast Episode 95: How Playing with Your Dog Like a Puppy Can Reduce Fear - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/95/
5. YouTube Playlist: Exercising Your Dog's Body and Mind: Tips and Games - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy1ISzbaoCNh0NyLg3qgDG58
6. Podcast Episode 32: 20 Easy Ways to Exercise Your Dog at Home - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/32/
7. Vlog Post: How to Teach a Puppy to Retrieve - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2018/11/puppy-retrieve/
8. Podcast Episode 55: Pro Dog Trainer’s Guide to Toy Selection - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/55/
9. TikTok Video: The Dangers of Sticks for Dogs - https://www.tiktok.com/@dogsthat/video/7184868456616037638
10. *Wood Dog Chew - https://geni.us/wood-chew
11. *Kong Squeezz Stick - https://geni.us/squeezz-stick
12. Home School the Dog - https://dogsthat.com/home-school/
13. Recallers - https://recallers.com/
14. Article: Yikes, Your Dog’s Toys May Be Toxic - https://www.thewildest.com/dog-health/beware-lead-and-toxic-dog-toys
15. Kong SqueakAir Ball - https://geni.us/kong-tennis-ball
16. Podcast Episode 174: Dopamine In Dog Training: Anticipation, Rewards, And The Transfer Of Value - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/174/
17. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/QLcnSeRmL-U
*Amazon Links Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Susan only recommends products she uses herself, and all opinions expressed here are her own. The link above is an affiliate link that, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission if you decide to buy from it. Thank you!
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | If you have a dog, I hope that dogs got a lot of toys. |
| 0:04.9 | And today I'm going to talk about toys. |
| 0:07.0 | I'm going to talk about what toys are my absolute favorite for my dogs to have. |
| 0:11.3 | And what ones are two of the most popular for most dogs that I absolutely strongly recommend you avoid. |
| 0:20.4 | Okay. that I absolutely strongly recommend you avoid. Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. Welcome to Shape by Dog. And I love dogs to have toys. And there's different groupings of toys. Like, my dogs |
| 0:40.4 | have access to toys. I have several toy bins around the house for dogs. There's one in the |
| 0:45.2 | lower level. There's one in my office. There's one in the kitchen. If they want a toy, they can |
| 0:50.9 | go grab one. Now, I say that when I have a puppy, I will pick up |
| 0:55.2 | all those toys so that the puppy learns good habits with toys. What do I mean by good |
| 1:01.1 | habits? I don't want dogs to chew on toys. There are things that dogs can chew on, |
| 1:06.9 | toys that they are meant to play with are not to be chewed on. So, I picked up when there's a puppy |
| 1:12.0 | around so they don't pick up that bad habit. Also, I like the toys to be interactive with me. |
| 1:17.6 | And so the toys are special. I bring them out and the puppy plays with them very quickly. |
| 1:22.8 | There's toys all over this place. And probably by the time the puppy is finished the teething phase, |
| 1:28.2 | they don't really want to chew on toys. So, most toys can be found anywhere around my house. |
| 1:33.1 | Now, there are some toys that my dogs like to play by themselves. For example, |
| 1:37.1 | Tater salad just loves a jolly ball. He likes to try to roll on it. That's a bit weird. |
| 1:41.8 | I would think uncomfortable, but that's tater salad. There are toys |
| 1:45.9 | that occasionally they'll play with each other. They'll have a good game of tug with something |
| 1:50.1 | that's long between two dogs. Now, if you've seen Swagger in the back of any of my videos, |
| 1:56.3 | he's almost always got a toy in his mouth. And cow milkers are one of his favorite to hold, but a |
| 2:03.1 | soft animal will do if there's no cow milk around. He just likes to hold them. He doesn't chew |
... |
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