How to Choose the Best Toys for Your Dogs

Toys are how most pets get mental enrichment between walks or play sessions, and the right toy can extend solo play time by hours. The wrong toy is either ignored, destroyed in minutes, or worse, ingested.

This guide covers how to pick toys that survive your specific dogs, what materials matter, and when to retire a toy.

Already know what you need? Jump to our ranked picks of the best toys for dogs or browse the full toys catalog.

Match toys to your pet's chew strength

Toy manufacturers typically rate toys by chew strength: gentle / moderate / power / extreme. Match the rating to your dogs.

A toy rated for "gentle chewers" will be destroyed in minutes by a power chewer — and the pieces become a choking or impaction risk. A toy rated for "extreme chewers" may be too hard for a gentle chewer's teeth and can cause dental fractures.

Good signs of a chew-strength match: - Toy lasts 2+ weeks without major damage - Your pet engages but doesn't show frustration - No cracked or broken teeth (have your vet check periodically)

Mental enrichment matters more than physical

Puzzle toys and food-dispensing toys provide more lasting engagement than passive plush toys or balls. A 10-minute puzzle session can tire a pet more than a 30-minute walk because mental work burns significant calories.

Look for: - Treat-dispensing balls or cubes that require nudging/pushing - Snuffle mats for foragers - Hide-the-treat puzzle boards with increasing difficulty levels - Stuffable rubber toys (like KONG Classic) — freeze with peanut butter or wet food for 30+ minute sessions

Materials safety

Toy safety has improved dramatically in the last decade but still varies. Stick to: - Natural rubber (look for "non-toxic" and "BPA-free" callouts) - Heavy-duty nylon (some splinter — inspect regularly) - Cotton rope (great for tugging, but pull strings tend to fray) - Plush with sewn-in squeakers (avoid loose squeakers that can be extracted and swallowed)

Avoid: - Latex (some pets are allergic; less durable than natural rubber) - Hard plastics (can fracture teeth) - Painted parts with unknown materials (lead concerns from imported toys)

When to retire a toy

Inspect chew toys weekly. Retire immediately if: - Pieces are breaking off small enough to swallow - Squeakers or stuffing are exposed - Cracks or splinters that could cut the mouth - Significant flattening of stuffed toys (loss of structure)

A well-loved retired toy is a sign of good play. Cheap toys that look new after months may mean your pet isn't engaging with them.

Our ranked picks

See our editor-ranked top toys for dogs in the dedicated rankings page.