Below are a list of toys that my dogs most enjoy. To keep my dogs’ interest in their toys, I usually cycle through different ones, each day of the week. Note that the following descriptions are solely based on my own experiences. Different dogs have different temperaments, and may have different responses to a toy.

Supervise a dog, whenever we give him a new toy. Consult with our vet, if there are safety concerns.

My Dog’s Favorite Interactive Toys

1. Food Dog Toys

One of the best classes of toys for dogs, are interactive food toys.

My dogs spend the most time on their food toys, because they are always trying to figure out the fastest, most efficient way, to get at the food.

Some of their favorite interactive toys include Kongs, the Premier Busy Buddy Collection, the Buster Cube, and much more. Here is a full list of their best interactive food toys.

Food Dog Toys.

2. Plush or Tug Dog Toys

When presented with a plush toy, my dogs will often shred it, usually in a matter of minutes.

Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to supervise plush toy use, and only allow tug-of-war or fetch games. No chewing should be allowed, in case our dog swallows the squeaker, or other plastic parts within the toy.

My dogs prefer to play tug with plush toys, compared to tug-ropes or rubber-toys. Plush toys squeak, rattle, are easy on the mouth, and are easy to grip. Their favorite soft toys include Dr. Noy’s Dog Toy, Kyjen’s Extreme Bungee Duck Toy, and the Egg Babies Hedgehog.

For the Egg Babies Hedgehog, I remove the squeaky eggs because they are too distracting, and my Shiba Inu cannot resist chewing on them. Instead I put in a chew-safe ball. Then I put some kibble under the ball, and let my dogs figure out how to get the kibble out.

I do not play tug with Shiba Sephy because he gets too excited and reactive, even with strict tug rules. He only plays tug with my other dogs.

Plush or Tug Dog Toys.

3. Chew Dog Toys

Shiba Sephy is an extremely strong chewer, so it is difficult to find good and safe chew toys, for him.

Strong rubber toys, (e.g. Kong Rubber Toys, Nylabone Rhino Rope Toy, TireBiter), seem to be most appropriate. However, I still check his toys frequently, to make sure they are structurally sound.

For instance, Sephy can chew fairly large pieces off the TireBiter toy, if he is feeling persistent and determined. Luckily, he does not show any interest in eating those pieces. It is important to supervise closely when we give a new chew toy to our dog, and ensure he does not swallow any large pieces of rubber or plastic.

Sephy also loved to chew on deer antlers. One day, he found a deer antler while hiking in the hills around our house. He proudly carried it home, and had great fun chewing on it.

Since then, we have always kept our eyes open for new antlers, but have not found too many. Therefore, we decided to buy some from AntlerZ. Sephy really loved these antlers, but he cracked one of his pre-molars, while chewing on this dog toy. It was cracked so badly that we were unable to save the tooth with a root canal, and it had to be extracted.

The dental specialist told us not to give any compressed chewing toys (toys that are hard, with no give) to our dogs. These include processed antlers, processed bones, compressed rawhide, hooves, and hard Nylabone non-edible chews. Note that before this, I have given non-edible Nylabones to my dogs for about 1 year, without any problems. However, here are some reports of hard Nylabones, cracking a dog’s teeth. Based on what I have read, it depends on the hardness of the Nylabone, chew strength of the dog, age of the dog, and duration of the chew session.

Softer Nylabones and rawhide, however, may also be dangerous for dogs.

Many dogs can tear off fairly large chunks of the rawhide, and if swallowed, these chunks may become a choking hazard. They may also block the digestive system and cause infection. Rawhide pieces may absorb water and expand in our dog’s stomach, causing further digestive problems.

My dogs chewing on their frozen Kong dog toy.

4. Balls and Frisbee Dog Toys

My dogs (a Shiba Inu and two Siberian Huskies) don’t generally do fetch.

They may fetch a couple of balls and actually bring it back to me, but they quickly get bored thereafter. The same goes for frisbees.

In terms of ball games, my dogs prefer soccer a lot more than fetch. They are most interested in balls that make noise, including squeaky balls and the Wiggly Giggly Ball.

Shiba Inu Sephy playing with the Multipet Giggly Wiggly Ball dog toy.

5. Homemade Dog Toys

Shiba Inu Sephy breaking into a Mrs Field’s cardboard box “dog toy”.

Cardboard Box

My dog loves cardboard boxes.

He will tear a cardboard box apart to get to the food or toy I put inside. Then, he will shred the box some more. This simple, and free “dog toy”, can be good mental exercise for our dog, because he will be challenged to figure out how to get to the hidden food, in the fastest possible way.

Afterward, he can indulge his shredding instinct to his heart’s content. Be warned however, there will be many little pieces of cardboard left all over the floor, at the end of this activity.

My dog also loves shredding paper, and it is simple to hide some food in a ball of paper, and let him go at it.

Make sure that our dog is not interested in eating the cardboard or paper. If he loves the taste of cardboard, then this dog toy is not appropriate. The cardboard can be a choking hazard, and is bad for the digestive system.

Laundry Basket

This game works with any light (not heavy) basket or container. Just put our dog’s favorite toy and some treats under the basket, and let him figure out how to get to it.

Make sure there are no sharp edges, and the container is non-toxic. If our dog is uninterested, make sure he knows there is good stuff under the basket. It is best to start with a smaller basket, that is easier to lift or that may be easily knocked over.

Once he conquers the smaller containers, he can then slowly graduate to larger containers.

Shiba Inu Sephy trying to figure out how to defeat the laundry basket “dog toy”.

6. Other Interactive Toys

Kyjen has a line of engaging interactive toys, including the I-Qube.

I hide food in soft toys, and then put them into the I-Qube for my dog to work on. Sometimes, I will also put Kongs or Premier food toys into the I-Qube, so that my dog has to fish it out first, before getting to work on the toy.

When I first got the I-Qube, my Shiba Inu chewed-on and destroyed the soft cube in under 1 minute. As stated above, soft or plush toys are not suitable for dogs, unless they are closely supervised.

I have since discovered that putting food in the I-Qube, instead of the squeaky balls that it comes with, helps to refocus my dog. He will work at getting the food first, rather than chewing on the toy. I remove the I-Qube once he gets all the food out.

Siberian Husky Shania playing with her Kyjen interactive dog toy.

Cheap Dog Toys

Amazon often has some super discounts on dog toys. These discounts are a great way to save money.

Unlike food and grooming products, there are usually a wide range of quality dog toys to choose from, and they need not be bought on a fixed schedule. Therefore, I wait until the toys that I want are on sale, before getting them.

Here are some 50%-70% dog toys at Amazon. We may want to join Amazon Prime to save on shipping and handling costs.

In an effort to combat the beginnings of his middle-age paunch, I decided to get him some new interactive toys. Hopefully, this will get him going again, and allow him to exercise his body and mind even while resting within the comfort of his house.

Here are some fun dog toys, and reviews by Dog Toy Expert Shiba Sephy and his Dog Toy Expert Assistant Siberian Shania.

Remember to always supervise our dog while he is working on a new toy. Different dogs have different temperaments, and may play differently with a given toy. Just because our friend or neighbor’s dog has used a toy successfully, does not necessarily mean that it will be safe for our dog. It is always important to do our own toy research and evaluate a toy based on the unique temperaments and play-style of our dog.

Dog Toy Expert Shiba Sephy and Dog Toy Expert Assistant Siberian Shania.

Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Dog Toy

Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Dog Toy from Amazon.com

This Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Ball is a great favorite with Shiba Sephy. He especially likes it because it is transparent and he can see how much kibble is in there.

Shiba Sephy is a bit obsessive when it comes to working on his food toys. Once he gets into it, he will keep going until he gets everything out. I think he likes seeing how much progress he has made, and how much more there is to do.

I have other kibble balls that are not transparent and he prefers to work on this transparent one.

Shiba Inu Sephy working on his Premier Kibble Ball.

I also like this Premier kibble ball because is has an oval shape (like an egg), unlike most other kibble balls which are just round. If a dog rolls the ball in the easy natural way (i.e., along the shorter side of the egg), no kibble will come out. Kibble only gets dispensed when the ball is rolled along the longer, more difficult, side.

This makes the dog toy more challenging and engages Shiba Sephy for a longer period of time.

There are plastic tabs along the holes at the top and bottom of the ball. You can clip some of the plastic tabs off to make it easier for the kibble to come out. I clipped a few of these tabs to make things a bit easier for Sephy. Otherwise, the toy was a bit too challenging. If a dog works on it and never gets rewarded, he might lose interest and not come back to the toy.

Sephy really likes this dog toy but there are two weaknesses that I have seen –

• The toy is made out of hard plastic, therefore it can make a lot of noise when rolled over hard surfaces, such as tile or hard wood floors. If you live in an apartment, this may disturb your neighbors, especially those that live downstairs.
• It is sometimes difficult to screw the two halves of the toy back together. Usually I insert kibble from the larger hole at the bottom of the ball rather than opening and closing the ball itself.

Shiba Inu Sephy working for his supper.

Ruff Dawg Spikey Ball Dog Toy

Ruff Dawg Spikey Ball Dog Toy from Amazon.com

I put in pieces of boiled chicken and let Sephy dig it out.

The Ruff Dawg Spikey Ball is another Shiba Sephy favorite. It is a nice rubber ball with shallow holes all around it where you can stuff food.

I find that soft food works best because it is compressible and can be securely wedge within the holes. Hard food just falls out or can be easily dislodged.

I put in pieces of boiled chicken and let Sephy dig it out with his long canines.

This toy only works well with dogs that have longer, larger teeth. For example, it did not work as well for Siberian Husky Shania because her teeth are relatively shorter, and it is more difficult for her to dig into the holes to get the food out. Shiba Sephy however, has no problems and enjoys working on this dog toy.

Shiba Inu Sephy working on his Ruff Dawg Spikey Ball.

Kong Wobbler Dog Toy

Kong Wobbler Dog Toy from Amazon.com

The Kong Wobbler is another interesting variation on the ever popular KONG Dog Toy.

The Kong Wobbler is made of hard plastic and there is a weight at the bottom of the toy which makes it automatically tip back to an upright position. There is a hole in the middle of the toy where you may put in kibble and other types of small dog treats.

Siberian Shania has figured out that she gets the best results by holding down the Wobbler, and rolling it before letting go.

To get food out, the dog will have to tip over the toy, in such a way that the hole is facing downwards. Siberian Shania has figured out that she gets the best results by holding down the Wobbler, and rolling it before letting go. This usually shakes some of the kibble out before the toy tips back to an upright position.

This dog toy is more challenging for Shiba Sephy. He usually just pokes at it with his nose or paw, which is less effective than Shania’s strategy. As a result, he gets fewer rewards per time, and will only work on it when he is hungry and the other toys are empty.

Shiba Inu Sephy working on the Kong Wobbler.

Team Shiba and Siberian Signing Out

Ok – this is it for now. Dog Toy Expert Sephy demands to get paid for answering all my dog toy questions, and Dog Toy Expert Assistant Shania wants to go outside and play.

Until the next time, Team Shiba and Sibe signing out.

Team Shiba and Sibe signing out.

Some people expect their dog to be like a robot. The dog must follow all commands, no ifs, ands, or buts. There is also a myth that either a dog is a robot, or he is totally out of control.

Either the dog follows every command, or he follows no commands at all.

While these extremes are a good way to instigate arguments, they are not a good representation of reality. In reality, most dogs are somewhere in-between. Where exactly a dog ends up usually depends on our temperament and what type of relationship we desire.

Some few owners do want a totally controlled Stepford Dog, and the dog will have little choice but to comply.

My dog is my companion.

Personally, I do not desire a robotic Stepford Dog relationship. As a companion, my dog has the freedom to make up his own mind about a variety of things every day.

Shiba Inu Sephy getting his teeth brushed.

Making the dogs work for their food.

For example, he can decide to let me clean his teeth in order to get some chicken with melted cheese. If he does not want teeth brushing, that is his choice, but he also does not get any cheese chicken.

Is this bribery?

I suppose we can call it whatever we want, but bribery is a strange term to use here.

Everyone agrees, I think, that dogs need to be fed every day. Here, we are simply making the dog work for his food rather than giving it to him, for free, in a silver bowl.

• Why is giving a dog food for doing work, bribery, but giving a dog free food, somehow better?
• Why is jerking a dog around, poking him, pinning him down, somehow acceptable but giving him food is wrong?

This does not mean that I let my dogs run around loose in the neighborhood to do whatever they want.

All dogs must be managed to some extent for their own safety and the safety of others.

For example, my dog must put on a leash and collar before a walk. He can decide not to put on these things, but then, he does not get to go for his fun walk.

Is this bribery? Does it matter?

What matters to me is that my dog stays safe, as well as enjoys a good quality of life.

My dog must put on a leash and collar before a walk.

My dog has free rein in backyard, but he is not allowed to dig under the fence. If he decides to dig under the fence, then he does not get to stay in the backyard.

True, my dog is not going to be an obedience champion and win  competitions, but I do not think he much cares about that. If he did, that would certainly be a fun thing that we could both do together.

In addition to robot and companion, there is a third kind of dog relationship that I term ‘soft-toy‘ dog.  These dogs do not normally get discussed, but the majority of dogs in my neighborhood probably fall closest to this class.

A soft-toy dog is just an object, acquired to fulfill its owner’s needs.

The dog rarely gets walked, and only gets hugged and played with when the owner needs companionship. At other times, the dog lives in the backyard, with nothing to do, and nobody to interact with.

There are many such dogs in my neighborhood. They charge the fence and bark at shadows, because their whole lives are about fences and shadows.

Often, there is much discussion on whether a dog should be more of a robot or more of a companion, but really it is these soft-toy dogs that need the most attention. They are the ones who suffer most because they are just objects – with neglected needs, no rights, and no voice.

Dogs are great and rewarding to live with, but they are a lot of work and can be very expensive.

Do not get a dog unless everyone in the family wants to have one, and has the time to put into training, caring, interacting, and fulfilling the dog’s needs. Dogs need exercise every day, and as pack animals, they also need interaction with their family.

Dogs are neither backyard furniture, organic alarm systems, or soft-toys.

Dogs are neither backyard furniture, organic alarm systems, or  soft-toys.

We cannot just get a dog to only fulfill our needs, while totally ignoring his needs.

The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.
~~[ Mark Twain, letter to W.D. Howells, 2 April 1899 ]

One of the best ways to keep a dog engaged and out of mischief, is by investing in some fun dog toys. Remember though, that expensive dog toys do not necessarily mean that they are good, safe, or fun.

Before getting a toy for my dog, I always do some research to make sure it is safe and durable.

Always supervise a dog when he gets a new toy.

Consult with a vet if there are any safety concerns.

Best Dog Toys – Interactive Food Toys

The best dog toys are the ones that will capture our dog’s interest, and exercise his mind.

My dogs love playing most with their interactive food toys.

Food is a prime motivator for my dogs. It not only encourages them to play with the toy for a longer period of time, but also put in the extra effort to figure out how it works. They love trying different push, bite, and roll strategies, to find the fastest, most efficient way to get at the food. They return to the toy time and again, because there may be more rewards in there, waiting to be found.

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 own experiences. Different dogs have different temperaments, and will respond differently to a dog toy.

Shiba Inu Sephy caught raiding the toy box.

Shiba Inu Sephy and his Extreme Hol-ee Roller Ball interactive toy.

1. Hol-ee Roller Ball

These balls are great and safe for the teeth. All we have to do is get some hard dog biscuits, and stuff them into the 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. However, I 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.

Note – There was a voluntary recall of Innova products on March 2013.

2. Kong Rubber Toys

Kong rubber toys are tough and safe for most dogs.

I usually put canned dog food into a Kong Classic rubber toy, and then freeze it. This is a fun way to occupy my dog, especially when he is in his crate.

Sometimes, I further entice my dog by dropping in some cheese or sardines, before putting in the canned food. This provides the extra umph that gets him to work through the Kong.

Another fun Kong toy is the Kong Jump’n Jack. I stuff kibble or boiled chicken into the grooves of this two toy, and let my dogs chew on them.

We can also use Kong Stuff ‘N Paste, but I personally would not recommend it. The Kong paste frequently makes a mess all over the floor, and is not made from particularly good ingredients.

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. However, note that in 2010, Premier was sold to Radio Systems Corporation (Petsafe), which is a leading manufacturer of electronic collars, invisible fences, and other pain based training equipment. As a result, some trainers and owners now choose to avoid Premier products.

The Twist and Treat is a good one to start with. Simply untwist the dog toy, put kibble inside, then twist the cover back on. At first, do not twist the cover on too tightly. In this way, our dog gets rewarded well for playing with the toy. Once he gains some experience, we 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 our dog is done with getting all the kibble out.

The Squirrel Dude is another fun dog toy that we can fill with kibble or other treats. If our dog has trouble getting the food out, we can cut off some of the rubber tabs at the bottom of the toy.

I have a full 4 tabbed Squirrel Dude, which I fill with little pieces of 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 . 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 enjoy this one.

Initially, I unscrew the cover from the bottom of the jug, and fill it up with a good amount of kibble (over half full). This ensures that my dog is amply rewarded for playing with the toy. After he gains some experience, I slowly reduce the amount of kibble in the jug. It is difficult to get the last bits of kibble out, so I add more before the jug becomes too empty.

Siberian Husky Shania lying amid her interactive food toys.

4. Buster Cube

In the beginning, I put the Buster Cube setting to maximum, so that my dog will be motivated to play with it. As my dog learns how the toy works, I slowly decrease the cube setting to make it more challenging.

When filling 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. Then, 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. I use the Cube on carpeted surfaces and the backyard.

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 we may fill with food. It is most effective to use wet food, such as sardines, or boiled chicken. Sardines work really well with my Shiba, and he 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. Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball

The Omega Treat Ball is a great kibble ball. It is easy to fill with kibble, and the ball only releases a few pieces of food at a time. As a result, this toy engages my Shiba for a good amount of time.

If you are looking for more ideas, 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.

7. Cheap Dog Toys

I have found many good deals on Amazon by looking through their discount dog toys. Here are some 50%-70% discount 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.

These toys are a lot of fun.

There is a soft skin resembling various animals, and an elastic opening where you can put in several soft squeaky eggs.

My Shiba Inu was able to extract the squeaky eggs pretty easily, and of course proceeded to start chewing on the eggs.

Kyjen Puzzle Plush Egg Babies Dog Toy from Amazon.com

If left to his own devices, I am sure he would quickly chew through the egg, and very quickly get to the squeaker, which can become a choking hazard.

Therefore, no chewing allowed.

However, these toys work out great as food toys. I just remove the soft eggs, and put in some tennis balls or other chew-safe balls instead. You can also put some dry food into the toys first, before inserting the balls.

Dog Toys - Egg Babies.

Let your dog figure out how to get to the yummy food inside.

Sometimes, my dogs will try to use the Egg Babies toy as a tug toy. You should stop them from doing this as the toy is not hardy enough to stand up to a vigorous tug game.

The Egg Baby dog toy can be a really fun interactive food toy, but should only be used under supervision.

The Egg Baby dog toy can be a really fun interactive food toy, but should only be used under supervision.