Best Dog Toys, Cheap Dog Toys.
A busy dog is a good dog.
One of the best ways to keep your dog engaged and out of mischief is by investing in some good dog toys. Remember though, that expensive dog toys do not necessarily mean good dog toys.
Before getting a toy for your dog, do some research to make sure it is safe, and durable.
Always supervise your dog, whenever you give him a new dog toy.
Consult your vet if there are safety concerns.
The best dog toys are the ones that will capture your dog’s interest, and exercise his mind. Some of the best toys, that most motivate my dogs, are interactive food toys.
Food toys are great for dogs because the food motivates them to play with the toy for longer periods of time. My dogs love figuring out the fastest, most efficient way to get to the food.
Here are a list of interactive food toys that work well with my dogs (a Shiba Inu and a Siberian Husky). Note that the following descriptions are only based on my experiences with the toys. Different dogs have different temperaments and will have different responses to a dog toy.
Shiba Inu Sephy caught raiding the toy box.
Shiba Inu Sephy and his Extreme Hol-ee Roller Ball dog toy.
1. Hol-ee Roller Ball
These balls are great and safe for the teeth. All you have to do is get some hard dog biscuits and put them into the Hol-ee Roller Ball.
There are two versions of the Hol-ee Roller Ball – the regular ball which has thinner rubber joints, and the Extreme-ball which has thick rubber joints (shown in the picture to the right). I much prefer the extreme version because it is more challenging, as well as more durable.
Originally, I filled this dog toy with Large Innova Health Bars, which worked very well. I only stopped using them after getting my Siberian Husky, because she is allergic to oatmeal. Instead, I am currently using Baa-Baa-Q’s lamb lung.
2. Kong Rubber Toys
Kong rubber toys are tough and safe for most dogs.
You can put canned dog food into the Kong Classic rubber toy and then freeze it. This is a fun way to occupy your dog especially when he is in his crate.
Further entice your dog by dropping in some cheese or sardines, before putting in the canned food. This may provide the extra umph that gets your dog to work through the Kong.
Some other fun Kong toys are the Kong Dental Stick and the Kong Jump’n Jack. Sometimes, I stuff Innova EVO Small Bite kibble into the grooves of these two toys and let my dogs chew on them .
You can also use Kong Stuff ‘N Paste, but I personally do not like it, because it makes a mess all over the floor, and does not have a good ingredient list.
Shiba Inu Sephy and Siberian Husky Shania working on their frozen Kongs.
3. Premier Busy Buddy Collection
My dogs like many of the Premier Busy Buddy interactive food toys.
The Twist and Treat toy is a good one to start your dog on. Simply untwist the dog toy, put kibble inside, then twist the cover back on. At first, do not twist the cover on too tightly, so that your dog gets rewarded well for playing with the toy. Once your dog gains some experience you can start tightening the lid more.
CAUTION: My Shiba Inu was able to tear off chunks from this toy when it was left with him unsupervised. Luckily, he just likes shredding and does not eat the shredded bits. It is best to take this toy away once your dog is done with getting all the kibble out.
The Squirrel Dude is another fun dog toy that you can fill with kibble or other treats. Cut off some of the rubber tabs at the bottom of the toy, if your dog has trouble getting the food out. I have a full 4 tabbed Squirrel Dude which I fill with little pieces of kibble (e.g. Innova EVO Small Bite kibble). I also have a 3 tabbed Squirrel Dude that I fill with kibble and some larger, higher priority treats, e.g. freeze dried liver treats.
The most interesting one in the group is the Tug-a-Jug dog toy. I think it is hardest to get food out of this toy, so my Shiba Inu will only work on it when he is bored or really hungry, and does not have access to other food toys. My Siberian Husky, however, seems to really like this one.
Initially, unscrew the cover from the bottom of the jug, and fill up the jug with a good amount of kibble (over half full). This will ensure that your dog is amply rewarded for playing with the toy. After your dog gains some experience, slowly reduce the amount of kibble in the jug. It is difficult to get the last bits of kibble out, so you may want to add more, before the jug becomes too empty.
Siberian Husky Shania amid all her interactive food toys.
4. Buster Cube
Initially put the Buster Cube setting to maximum, so that your dog will be motivated to play with it. As your dog learns how the toy works, you may slowly decrease the cube setting to make it more challenging.
When you fill the cube, make sure all the kibble goes into the holes around the central column. Otherwise, the kibble will just collect at the bottom of the column. When the Cube gets rolled, all the collected kibble will come out at once.
The Buster Cube does not work well on slippery, hard, surfaces (e.g. tile floors, wooden floors), because it will only slide on the floor, rather than roll. As a result, no food will come out. The Cube is good for carpeted surfaces and for outdoors.
Shiba Inu Sephy tired out after a Buster Cube dog toy session.
5. Rhino Stuff & Chew
This nice rubber chew ball has chambers all around that you fill with food. It is most effective to use wet food, such as sardines, or boiled chicken. Sardines work really well and my Shiba Inu is extremely motivated to get it all out.
I normally give him one of these at night, for going into his crate. I also give him a Greenie to help clean his teeth.
6. Nylabone Crazy Ball
The Nylabone Crazy Ball has a ball within a ball. It is easy to fill with dry dog treats, and the design is such that the treats don’t come out too quickly.
The Crazy Ball comes with a small box of treats that are properly sized for the toy, but they are no longer sold. As an alternative, I fill the Crazy Ball with Innova EVO Dog Treats. Just break the EVO treats into two or three pieces and they should be a good size.
One issue with the Nylabone Crazy Ball is that it is made of hard plastic, and can be rather noisy, especially on hard wooden floors. You may want to stay away from this one if you live in an apartment and have neighbors downstairs.
7. Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball
The Omega Treat Ball is a great kibble ball. It is very easy to fill with Innova EVO Small Bite kibble, and the ball only releases a few pieces of kibble at a time, as it gets rolled.
If you are looking for more dog toys, here is a list of other fun dog toys including chew toys, tug toys, balls, frisbees, and homemade toys.
Shiba Inu Sephy and Siberian Husky Shania after a Buster Cube and Omega Paw Ball session.
Cheap Dog Toys
I have found many good deals on Amazon by looking through their discount dog toys. Here are some 50%-70% dog toys at Amazon. If you want to do this yourself, here are the steps.
For this to work well, you may want to join Amazon Prime to save on shipping and handling costs.
Shiba Inu Sephy in a bed of dog toys.
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I love your site and posts! very helpful and entertaining (esp Shiba’s diary posts)!
Hahaha – love the name Ziva! Is she named after Ziva David? That would be very apropos.
Yeah most people don’t believe me either. I think it is because Shibas have really large teeth relative to their total size.
My adopted 3 year old Shiba girl Ziva’s first playful moment with me involved an extensive demonstration of the air-butt move, with accompanying Shiba grins. She’s hilarious and obviously really enjoys it. I try to explain the grin to startled guests, but they don’t seem totally convinced that its all fun for her.