Choosing a Good Stuffed Animal Toy for Your Dog

After generations of being limited to rubber bones and dirty old tennis balls, suddenly every dog who's any dog has a collection of stuffed animals. Seems dogs are more like our children than anyone previously dared acknowledge. And just as you would not give your child just any toy, not every stuffed animal toy is right for the dog in your house.

Dogs are great chewers, some dogs better and/or more aggressive in their chewing than others. All dogs will destroy stuffed animal toys faster than a child will, but a big dog who likes to chew will destroy a stuffed animal in one feast! If you are going to give a dog like this a stuffed toy, make sure it is well made of strong material.

Lots of stuffed animals for dogs come with a squeaker box inside. Presumably, dogs like the noise, though some dog experts caution against encouraging dogs to chew on objects that make noises, feeling it promotes dogs to kill real animals. Even if this is not true, dogs that can tear apart a stuffed animal sooner or later will obviously "liberate" the squeaker box and swallowing it poses a real health hazard.

One final note of caution: A stuffed animal toy for your dog is NOT advised if you have children in the house who are leaving their own stuffed animals lying about. Both your dog and your children may not be able to tell the difference.