Best Dog Toys to Keep Them Busy: Dogs are naturally energetic creatures. More often than not, we are met by their enthusiasm whether that be because we’re coming home, playing, or when they’re anticipating treats. The level of energy that dogs display varies from factors like age, breed, weight, health status, and personality. Nevertheless, mental and physical stimulation is what every dog needs.
What happens if dogs don’t get the stimulation they need? They get bored and eventually create their own way to pass the time… In some cases, they ruin furniture and items in your house and no one wants that, right? To give you an idea about the consequences of the negative behavior dogs may exhibit without the proper mental stimulation, here are some of the things they may do: excessive barking, whining, pacing, disobedience, and destructive behavior.
If your dogs have a habit of displaying such behavior then you need to keep them stimulated as often as needed.
An easy way to achieve the entertainment dogs need is to keep them busy through training, playing, and petting… Unfortunately, we don’t have all the time in the world for that! (We wish we did!) While it’s best to entertain your furry friends yourself, there are other means of keeping them busy and entertained… You can get them the best dog toys to keep them busy!
These toys will help keep your dog out of your way so you could focus on working and keep your dog entertained at the same time!
Thankfully, there are tons of different toys out there, but each serves a different purpose. There are toys for games and exercises that require chasing, tugging, and running… There are also chewing toys that help stop your dog from chewing items in your home. Lastly, there are mentally stimulating toys that help to test and improve your dog’s senses. Even better, there are toys that are a mix of all of them!
We’ve had our fair share of toys for our dogs… We’ve gotten them electronic interactive dog toys, no squeak dog toys, cute dog toys, and so many more! Our dogs’ experience with them has been amazing! We truly believe that all dogs deserve to have fun which is why continue to test out homemade dog toys to keep them busy. Of course, we have to share that with our fellow dog lovers. We want to help your dogs have the time of their lives with these toys so if you want to keep your dog happy and mentally stimulated, then stick around and watch out for the best toys to keep dogs busy!
List of the Best Toys to Keep Dogs Busy
1. AWOOF Pet Snuffle Mat for Dogs
The AWOOF Pet Snuffle Mat for Dogs is not an ordinary toy… It aids in training your dog’s sense of smell and helps to keep them busy throughout their search for treasure treats. It’s a cross between a puzzle and a feeding dispenser. If you’ve never heard of a snuffle mat, it’s a toy in the form of a mat that encourages dogs to sniff and search for hidden treats. It is composed of cloth strips tied to a non-slip cloth with holes in it and the ends of the strips hide the treats much like grass. What we love about this toy is its portability since it is small and can be shrunk into a small storage bag – (which is very helpful whenever we’re travelling!)
We don’t have to worry about it getting chewed on since it’s very durable. Our dogs have zero intention to destroy the mat because they love it so much! This snuffle mat is also helpful for dogs who gobble up their food as if they haven’t eaten in a year. So, this mat basically has two uses: for feeding and keeping dogs entertained. Who doesn’t want a 2-in-1 toy? Now our dogs don’t have to go out and sniff the whole yard and risk finding inedible or even poisonous things because we have a makeshift-foraging-toy at home! For an added pro, it’s super easy to clean it using your washing machine and use its drawstring feature to make it smaller for portability.
It’s difficult to find a toy that piques the interest of our dogs since they have so much energy! When dogs have tons of energy, they require more playtime than usual. AWOOF’s Pet Snuffle Mat for Dogs helped to take our dog’s minds out of boredom and divert their attention from ruining the couch. They actually have never been bored of the snuffle mat, they’re actually pretty obsessed with it! We have to say that this snuffle mat is one of the best toys to keep dogs busy when they’re home alone!
What we love about this product
- High Quality
- Very durable
- Super fun
- Portable
For more information about these toys, visit Amazon.com
2. Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound – Interactive Puzzle Game Dog Toy
You might be wondering, who is Nina Ottosson and what does she have to do with toys? Great question, Nina Ottosson has pioneered the development of puzzle games and toys that help keep pets stimulated. These puzzles have different levels from level 1 (Easy) to Level 4 (Expert) which will help your dog become smarter with every conquered level. Aside from levels, there are many different styles to choose from: Smart style for dogs and puppies, a disk that hides treats with a bone-shaped cover, Treat Tumble-a spherical toy that dispenses treats through a small hole, Hide-N-Slide, a puzzle that hides treats inside a hole and opens through a swivel, and more! There are so many options to choose from!
The material used is dependent on the level… Level 1 and 2 are made of plastic while level 3 is made of wood-plastic composite. The toys have a non-slip base so your dog wouldn’t go around the house trying to catch a grip. If you’re worried about the toxicity of the material of the product, worry no more because it is BPA, PVC, & phthalate free which just means it is food safe. Aside from that, all dogs of different sizes and breeds can use Nina Ottosson puzzles! Although the material is pretty durable, you should still supervise your dog whenever they use it.
Our dogs have recently been introduced to Treat Tumble and they can’t stop playing with it. They have been nudging the ball all around the house for hours to get the treat inside. We personally can’t wait to get the other levels and the best interactive dog toys in 2020 for our dogs to try!
What we love about this product
- Easy to clean
- Very durable
- Different styles to choose from
- Suitable for all dogs
- Safe material
For more information about these interactive toys, visit Amazon.com
3. StarMark Bob-A-Lot Interactive Dog Toy
StarMark Bob-A-Lot’s interactive dog toy is a food dispenser and a tool for exercise at the same time. You can put your dog’s favorite treats or kibble inside. By doing this, your dog will have to work for their meal thus keeping them busy for a longer time compared to just feeding them. This toy is especially useful for dogs who need to tone down their eating speed. How does it work? When the toy is nudged, food will be dispensed as the toy wobbles around. Because of its weighted anti-slip bottom, it only wobbles in place and not all around the floor.
There is an adjustable opening at the top and bottom where you can put dog food in and adjust it according to the difficulty level. The food will then go through a large bottom chamber that can contain up to 3 cups of their favorite treat or kibble.
The material used to make this interactive dog toy is hard plastic. This plastic makes it very easy to clean the toy and to remove the different parts. It took us quite some time to fill up the chamber with treats, but looking at how much fun our dog had was worth it! The toy was very entertaining to watch as it wobbles around and throws out treats! It’s now one of our dog’s preferred toys to play with. It’s as if looking at the wobbling action of the toy was much more stimulating than the treat itself!
What we love about this product
- Easy to clean
- Very sturdy
- Large food capacity
- Entertaining
For more information about these interactive toys, visit Amazon.com
4. goDog’s Dragon Squeaker Dog Toy
If your dogs prefer adorable fluffy plushies, then goDog’s Dragon is the toy for them. It is made of super-soft baby fleece with a bubble plush body with only a small amount of stuffing for a floppy experience for your dog. The material is high-quality polyester and chew-resistant with a unique chew guard feature for a lengthier playtime. The chew guard technology adds a special strong and heavy-duty lining to the plush toys for maximum durability. goDog’s Dragon is a squeaky toy best for dogs who like to treat plushies as prey.
Our dogs are ‘moderate chewers’ and this fluffy dragon is holding on pretty well! All of its parts are intact and there are no torn off parts! We really appreciate this because some plushies aren’t as durable and can be torn off within days of use. For me, the best toys to keep dogs busy have a large size and this plush toy has the perfect size for all of our dogs to take turns with!
We love how the company guarantees that the durability of the goDog Dragon is better than standard plush toys! As of now, we can attest to this! So far, this toy hasn’t given us any problems and it’s continuing to be our dog’s fluffy buddy.
What we love about this product
- Durable
- For all dog sizes
- Chew-resistant feature
- Squeaky
For more information about these interactive toys, visit Amazon.com
5. Outward Hound’s Hide-A-Squirrel Squeaky Puzzle Plush Dog Toy
Another unique toy from Outward Hound is Hide-A-Squirrel! It is a plush toy with cute little squirrels inside a soft and fluffy trunk base. The main idea for this toy is to let dogs’ natural instincts take over. You can use it to fetch or just place it in the ground to let your dog hunt for the little squirrels. The hunt for these little creatures will surely keep them busy for hours! Aside from squirrels, there are different variations to choose from such as bees, birds, pizza, hedgehogs, rainbows, squeaky eggs, and gingerbread houses. Sizes can be chosen as well, and the bigger the option, the more creatures it can hold.
Does your dog like ripping things apart? Hide-A-Squirrel is sewn with hook and loop closures that produces a ripping sound that is super satisfying to dogs! The creatures that come with this toy not only look adorable, but they also have a squeaker. Losing one plush character isn’t a problem because you can easily buy a replacement anytime. Our dogs love it so much, we had to buy three more squirrels to keep up with the missing creatures!
What we love about this product
- Produces satisfying sounds
- For all dog sizes
- Soft material
- Squeaky
- Affordable
For more information about these interactive toys, visit Amazon.com
6. CHLEBEM Interactive Ball Dog Toy
Chew toys for dogs have a lot of benefits, especially for mental stimulation. Aside from that, it promotes good dental health and will keep your furry best friend busy for hours. Imagine this scenario: You have all the time in the world to finish your work or home duties because your dog is busy playing with the best dog toy you just bought. We don’t know about you. but that sounds amazing! With CHLEBEM’s dog chew toys, that scene we just mentioned will surely happen!
CHLEBEM’s interactive dog toy is a chew ball toy that has a food-dispensing feature with ropes on two ends for an awesome tug of war experience for your dog. You can encourage them to play by putting in treats inside this innovative toy and watch them play like crazy! The toy is made of natural rubber with a dental health care feature to help remove tartar and clean your dog’s teeth. This way, your dog has to work for their food, clean their teeth, and have fun at the same time!
Our dogs found this toy very entertaining and it has been such a big help in passing the time. We have been using it outdoors so the fun doesn’t stay inside our four walls and the ropes are durable enough to hold on while we’re playing tug of war. This dog toy is suitable for both medium and small dogs as well as puppies. It can provide extra help with teething, so if you have a puppy, this would be great for them to play with. You don’t have to worry about the material’s health effects either because the toy is composed of 100% natural rubber to ensure the safety of your dog.
What we love about this product
- Durable
- Offers lots of benefits
- Mentally and physically stimulating
- Dental health care
For more information about this toy to keep dogs busy, visit Amazon.com
7. Jomilly Dog Chew Toy for Aggressive Chewers
Jomilly’s dog chew toy is known for its indestructible feature which is a remedy to the problem of big dogs and aggressive chewers! So, if you have a breed like German Shepherds, Pitbulls, Golden Retrievers, American Foxhounds, Mastiffs etc. that destroy every toy they get ahold of, this may be the best toy for them. The chew toy is in the form of a dumbbell and is made of raw rubber. Its durability is tested using a professional tension test machine and can sustain 550lb of power tension which makes dogs unable to destroy it.
This chew toy can also dispense food to attract dogs’ attention. The 3D particles in the toy’s design help to clean teeth and scraps to help your dog maintain their dental health and develop a strong jaw.
What we love about this product
- Indestructible
- Dental health care
- Food dispenser
- Highly durable
For more information about this chew toy, visit Amazon.com
Conclusion of the Best Dog Toys To Keep Them Busy
Keeping dogs busy is not an easy task. While it is super fun to hang out and play with your dogs, it’s also not possible to do it all day and night. This is precisely why we need to provide the best dog toys to keep them busy. These interactive toys are also useful if you’re having a hard time controlling their destructive behavior, as well as spending some bonding time with your beloved pets. Dogs have a preference not only for treats and food but also for toys… Trying out different toys to switch things up is a great idea to further entertain your dog!
Have you tried out these toys? If yes, then please let us know what your dog thinks of them! Also, if your dog has a favorite toy, we’d love to know all about them, make sure to comment down below! Thank you for sticking around and we hope you’ll find the best dog toys to keep dogs busy.
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