Can I Let My Dog Play With Soft Toys?

Dogs of all kinds love soft toys. Some dogs seem to feel about soft toys, particularly stuffed animals, the way a child feels about her security blanket. It is a source of comfort, something to carry around and even snuggle with. Other dogs take great joy in ripping soft toys into pieces. When it comes to giving your dog soft toys, there are a few simple things you want to do to make certain the toys are safe for your pet.

  1. Potential Dangers

    • Soft toys can pose potential dangers to your dog. If the toy has strings, ribbons or plastic eyes, remove these parts before giving the toy to your dog. Easily detachable components, particularly small ones, can be ingested by your dog and could pose a choking hazard or create physical complications if the dog cannot properly digest the swallowed piece of toy. Watch out for squeakers inside toys as well. Your dog might become obsessed with getting to the squeaker, and once your pet has it, your dog could swallow it.

    Supervision

    • Supervise your dog when it is playing with a soft toy, especially if you are concerned it contains any parts that might be easily removed and swallowed. Only allowing your dog to play with soft toys when you are around also helps teach your dog that though the toy is acceptable to chew on, other soft items in your home such as pillows, socks and children's toys are not.

    Making Toys Safe

    • When purchasing soft toys for your dog, look for ones labeled as safe for children. If a toy is safe for a child, it is less likely the toy is made from materials that might be hazardous to your dog. If you remove any extraneous components that would be easy to swallow, then the only other thing you need to do to make certain the toy stays safe for your dog is to watch for rips and tears that expose the toy's stuffing. If your dogs tears the toy, take it away immediately and either dispose of it or patch it up before returning it to your dog. You do not want your dog to eat the stuffing inside soft toys if at all possible. For soft toys your dog plays with regularly, consider the occasional rinse through the washing machine to keep the toy clean.

    Alternatives

    • Soft toys might not be ideal for your dog if it prefers to chew and rip toys to pieces. Consider hard rubber chew toys or hollow chew toys that you can place treats inside, which can keep your dog entertained for hours without you having to worry about the toy being shredded into small pieces that could be ingested. Some rope toys are also designed to be extra durable, but keep an eye on them and remove any pieces of string that come loose.