How To Choose Safe Dog Toys For Your Small Dog

Choosing the appropriate dog toy prevents accidental injuries can elevate your small dog’s playtime richer and happier. While these safe for small dogs toys can be bought from most pet supply stores or made with using common household items, it is still good to keep some main safety concerns in mind.

Size Matters With Small Dog Toys

Generally, small dog toys should never be in a size that could fit entirely into your dog’s mouth or can easily be broken into smaller pieces because the pieces can easily get stuck in its throat. If that happens, it can bounce back in your dog’s mouth and obstruct its windpipe which can cause it to suffocate to death if no immediate help is given.

Unfortunately, such incidents happen very often and not only to smaller breed dogs hence toys like small smooth balls are generally not a good choice for most dogs.

Balls or Ropes?

If your dog loves to play ball, you should get a tennis ball or a larger, hard rubber ball because these balls are usually large enough to stay out of the throats. Another good choice of toy would be small pull ropes – all you have to make sure your dog does not attempt to eat them. It can be dangerous as the threads can stick in its throat.

Kongs

High quality, unusual shaped dog toys like Kongs are also a good choice for small dogs. They are virtually impossible to break into smaller pieces! Another good point of a Kong is that your dog will find it infinitely fascinating to play with. Stuff them with dog treats, peanut butter or frozen beef broth and watch your dog go wild!

Swimming Pool

Most dogs love the water and enjoy chasing their toys in and out of the pool so naturally the thought of getting your small dog a pool must have crossed your mind. If you have a toy dog, we strongly advise against this. If you have a small dog, this might not be the best idea but if you do have one, make sure that it can easily clamber out and the sides of the pool are low so that your dog’s head can easily clear the water.

Gentle or Ripper

If your dog is a gentle player, it can play with literally almost all toys including small plush and squeaky toys. However, if it is slightly on the aggressive side – we recommend that toys with ribbons, “googly eyes” or toys with a speaker should be avoided altogether.

Materials Matter For Small Dog Toys

No matter how carefully constructed, most dog toys will eventually split or crumble at some point and will be ingested by your dog. This is a problem because most dog toy materials are not meant to be eaten and may cause some digestive trouble. If the piece is sharp, it could even puncture the dog’s internally! So, making sure to select non-toxic small dog toys that do not contain any brittle materials is a priority. The safest choice is to choose a high quality latex and vinyl toy specifically for dogs. A good example is Kongs – the manufacturers have gone great lengths to eliminate these kinds of risks.

Ultimately what you decided to choose for your small dog is up to you. Just keep in mind that they are appropriate and checking off safety points.