what are the best puppy toys.

[bacardinikki]

I trying to get ready for my new arrival and was wondering what are the best puppy toys to get.  My sister just got a puppy and she bought a few rope toys  and a rubber bone toy for his teeth but he seems much happier trying to chew all the kids toys and doesnt really pay much attention to his toys.

Could anyone suggest any really good puppy toys!!

I keep reading posts about a toy called a KONG, what is this.  I have done a google search and it brings up toys that are the brand Kong, such as tennis ball things etc.  Does anyone know the best place to get one.

[leisl]

Hi, kongs are really good IMO.  They are rubber toys that to my knowledge are indistructable.  You can throw them like a ball and because they are irregluar shapes they bounce in different directions.  They are all different shapes (original kong is sort of beehived shaped) and sizes and are normally hollow so you can put some treats inside and it keeps the puppy amused rolling it trying to get the treats out.  they are not cheap but as I say they seem to last for ever.  You can get them in most pet shops, ebay and on the internet. 

I bought loads of toys for Muppet's arrival and she took one look at them and then promptly played with an empty cornflake packet.  Rope toys are ok but make sure that as soon as they become raggy they are swaped for new ones, and I wouldn't waste my money on a nylabone!

Bet you are so excited about your immient arrival!

[spanielcrazy]

Here is the Kong toy most people are referring to;

 http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html

I buy stuffed animals at charity shops so they are cheap, as they'll only destroy them anyway. (just make sure they only have stuffing in them, no beans or plastic pellets) Tennis balls, there are loads of latex toys out there...

[debbie321]

Best non-buys for Ben were cardboard boxes!  He loved them and they're free!  Or stuffed toys that don't have button eyes etc!  Mummmm now for a nice chianti 

[bacardinikki]

 I absolutely cant wait.  What a brilliant photo and the link to the Kong toy.  I'm of to buy one now.  I'm soo excited only 3 weeks and 2 days to go.  It is soo like preparing for a baby its unreal.  I know everyone one says try not to treat them like a baby but i dont think i will be able to help it.

[Rhona W]

The only toys my pair have that have lasted are kongs and those vanilla or chocolate flavoured plastic bones that you can get in Wilkinsons (if you have one of those  ). They spend hours chewing/gnawing on them.

They also love cuddly toys that (like spanielcrazy) I buy from charity shops. They only rip them to pieces and pull all the stuffing out anyway so it's not worth paying the price that PAH charge for them.

They also like having plastic bottles with treats inside and cardbord tubes or boxes to shred. It does mean you have to sweep up a lot though. 

[leisl]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention the cardboard tubes.  Start collecting the loo rolls now!!!   

[spanielcrazy]

The only toys my pair have that have lasted are kongs and those vanilla or chocolate flavoured plastic bones that you can get in Wilkinsons (if you have one of those  ). They spend hours chewing/gnawing on them.

They also love cuddly toys that (like spanielcrazy) I buy from charity shops. They only rip them to pieces and pull all the stuffing out anyway so it's not worth paying the price that PAH charge for them.

They also like having plastic bottles with treats inside and cardbord tubes or boxes to shred. It does mean you have to sweep up a lot though. 

Anything you can destroy!

Come to think of it the only things mine really care for are the stuffed animals, plastic bottles and cardboard--big excitement when the paper towels and tiolet paper are done!

[Joules]

Coco's fave toy is a teddy I bought in Oxfam for 75p when I first got her.    She carries it around with her and cuddles it at night  Otherwise, kongs are great, tennis balls, rope tug toys - cardboard tubes or boxes are great too as they can chew them up.  It is worth getting a couple of good quality hard rubber toys as I have found that Coco chewed up the cheap ones and I was worried about her swallowing the bits. Treat balls are good - I got her one which looks like it is made from car tyres - it is hollow and you can put treats in it - keeps her occupied for a bit.  When they are much bigger and can do proper exercise, bubbles, frisbees and chuckits are brill too. 

[AnnieM]

My two liked cuddly toys best when they were little, were not interested in the hard rubber toys until after they had teethed, even the KONG's once the stuffing had been consumed were discarded.  I liked the petstages toys for them too when they were little, there is one that is full of water and when they are teething you can freeze it, they also had one that was a knotted ball made with different coloured ropes and cotton tubes with the ends sticking out, they loved this one and still have it, it is pretty much ready for the bin now, but they have really played well with it.  I bought loads of toys for them a huge variety, OH was always moaning, but I have to say, they have NEVER (yet) chewed anything they shouldn't and OH now agrees that the variety of different toys has certainly helped with that, plus they chew each other.     Tennis balls are always good in this house, they spend ages stripping the fluff off them,  cardboard tubes and pop bottles filled with treats are a big favourite too.
Good luck with your new arrival, will look forward to seeing some pictures.

[legalbeagle]

I'm getting a new pup too and I have only 9 sleeps to go (as my kids say). Today I'm off to pick up a crate and I have already ordered bits & bobs such as a lead & collar and a little thing you microwave to put in their bed at night. The first thing I bought was a Kong but I hadn't heard about them at all until I came onto this site.   

I have spent the last couple of days sorting out the kids stuff and throwing out all the rubbish. The house looks immaculate!! Probably not for long but I keep going on at them - anything left on the floor gets chewed!

Sooooo exciting.

[MaxG]

Our Max loves cuddly toys, pully type toys, balls of any description & his all time fave - any old rubbish that he can destroy with a couple of tasty treats inside!!!!!  I work part time & he's on his own for 4 hours every day, so I leave him with a kong & at least 1 old carboard cereal box or whatever with a few treats or a toy inside - he can't wait for me to go!! I come home to find a fast asleep, happy  dog & a lounge floor covered in chewed up bits of cardboard but it's worth it!! We then have a tug of war as I try to pick it all up to throw away & he decides he still wants it!! 

 

[LurcherGirl]

Re kong: you could always stuff it with things... if you google for kong recipe, lots of ideas will come up. You could also soak his regular food, stuff it into the kong, freeze it and then give him his breakfast/dinner in a kong, which will take him much longer to eat (probably about an hour) than just gobble it up from a bowl. Also satisfies their chewing need and tires them out mentally a little.

Vera

PS. I am going to be in the same position as you soon... our puppy is coming home probably on 24th Feb.

[nicola brennan]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention the cardboard tubes.  Start collecting the loo rolls now!!!   

hi, they sound like a good idea, do they not eat them?  bobby eats everything, his latest cuisine is chewing gum stuck to the floor so i can't stop and chat to anyone as he gets stuck into it (pardon the pun  )

[phillyknickers]

best cheapo toy is a plastic milk bottle  or squash bottle  or any bottle/box 
Kongs are great
those bouncy balls on a rope are good too

Have fun shopping