Opie is a crazy pooch, as are the majority of cocker spaniels, but he is also rather destructive! Luckily he grew out of destroying most things pretty quickly, and now only usually destroys his own dog toys (and the occasional letter that comes through the post box). A lot of the time dogs get destructive when they get bored (or when they are teething as puppies) so its really important to entertain them through play or with dog toys they can play with when your not around. We learnt this pretty quickly with Opie and when he was a puppy we spent a lot of time playing with him, and training him to return to us with the use of a squeaky ball.
So here are 5 different types of toys you could consider purchasing for your own crazy pup to help keep them entertained and not destroying your home!
- Balls – Whether a tennis ball, foot ball or other type of ball, balls are the most basic dog toy that most dogs love to play with. Its also a great training aid for teaching them to return to you when they are off their lead. Not all dogs love them, but most will enjoy playing with some sort of ball. These are probably Opie’s favourite day to day toys, he has destroyed more tennis balls than I care to remember, but he has 2 hedgehog balls that seem to be incredibly durable and have lasted us months. He adores playing with them all the time and will drop them on your lap in the house to get you to play fetch with him. Balls are a great toy for big dogs who need lots of exercise and to burn off energy, playing fetch in a park or garden is great fun for them and you.
- Soft Toys – These are Opie’s fav to destroy and we have yet to find one that actually lasts more than a day before it’s limbs are removed or its stuffing is pulled out. That being said my mums dog Pasha loves his soft toys and has them for months and months (unless Opie gets hold of them that its!). Sometimes dogs like the comfort of a soft toy, just like a child does. Plus if your dog is a terrier or other hunting breed then it is likely it is their natural instinct to shake soft things like stuffed toys. You can even get soft dog toys without stuffing now, just like a skin! and Opie has had a few of these which he enjoys carrying round and taking to bed with him.
- Rope and Pull toys – These are great if your dog likes to play with you lots, and if you like to get them active and burning lots of energy. You can either buy a rope which has 2 holding ends, one for you and one for dog, or ropes with a ball on one end, or even just a plastic toy with handles on both end so you can have a good tug of war with your pooch.
- Bone and chew toys – Rubber or Nylon bone toys are a great starting toy for smaller puppies as they are easy for them to chew and carry. They come in all shapes and sizes and you can even get ones to help their teeth (good for puppy teething!) or some that are scented with meat juices (sounds gross, but Opie’s fav was chicken scented!). As they are solid in structure they tend to be the most durable toys which is great if your dog is particularly distractive with his toys
- Squeaky Toys – OK so maybe these aren’t the best toys from a humans point of view as they often mean your pooch is walking round the house squeaking away when your trying to watch TV or having a quiet meal, but I can promise you they are probably your little friends fav toy of all. Opie goes bat s*** crazy over a squeaky toy! yes he will play with a squeaky toys for hours on end, or until he manages to destroy the squeaker or remove it from a soft toy. These are great if your dog has shown little interest in other forms of dog toys as the squeaking keeps them interested and gives them some gratification when playing with them.
So no matter what type of dog you have they will love one of the toys above. What’s your dogs favourite toy?
