How to Pick Chew Treats for a Toy Breed Dog

Toy breed dogs are pedigreed dogs that tend to grow to less than 10 pounds. They include toy poodles, Yorkshire terriers and chihuahuas. When you are selecting chew toys for this type of animal, you must be very careful to pick items that they will not be able to accidentally hurt themselves with, but that are small enough for them to actually play with.

Instructions

    • 1

      Select balls that are tennis ball size or only slightly smaller. While your toy dog may not be able to carry this type of ball easily, you should not allow them to play with bouncy balls or other jawbreaker size toys as they can easily become lodged in the throat. If you want a ball that you can throw for your toy dog and have them bring it back, then you should opt for a squishy ball that they will be able to sink their teeth into rather than get their mouth around.

    • 2

      Avoid toys with strings. Rope toys with fringed ends, socks and other toys that can be unraveled are dangerous choking threats for a toy dog. While a larger dog will probably just swallow a stray string and eventually eliminate it, it can become wrapped up in a toy dog's intestine and cause serious stomach problems or even death. If you decide to purchase such a toy for your pet, only allow him to play with it under your supervision to make sure that he does not begin to eat it string by string.

    • 3

      Pick soft, chewy toys that are easy to "sink your teeth into." This will help your toy dog get used to carrying the toy around without endangering him by presenting him with a choking hazard. Even a small dog will lug a large stuffed bone or other toy around given the opportunity.

    • 4

      Select the contents of any "treat-toys" carefully. There are many types of rubber toys that come with holes in them to hold treats. These can provide hours of fun for your pets. However, because toy dogs have very sensitive stomachs you must be careful to limit the number of times they play with this type of toy while it is filled with goodies or risk a very messy accident later.