Finding the right toys for your new puppy is important and the best toys for puppies may be different than toys for dogs. This is largely due to the size difference between a puppy and a fully mature dog, but is also somewhat related to the activity levels of puppies and dogs. Puppies, at least in most breeds, will be more active chewers than adult dogs, particularly around teething time at three to five months. Some breeds, however, will stay active chewers all their life and these dogs will need durable, strong and safe toys for puppies as well as toys for dogs.

Safe Toys For Puppies

The key factor in selecting toys for puppies should be the safety factor. Children's toys are not acceptable as toys for puppies since they have too many loose parts or accessories or pieces that can easily come off and pose serious choking and splintering problems. These sharp pieces of plastic can easily cut the inside of a puppy's mouth, throat, esophagus and even perforate the stomach, intestines or bowels. They can also lodge in the puppy's teeth and cause painful lesions on the gums. Toys for dogs should also be likewise considered for safety factors.

Some suggestions for safe toys include:

• Kong toys of the correct size for your puppy.
• Nylabones given to the dog when the owner is present to supervise
• Dog quality stuffed toys that have no easy to dislodge pieces or parts
• Rubber toys
• Durable made for dog use balls of different sizes
• Heavy rope toys that cannot be pulled apart into strings
• Rubber, heavy canvas or nylon teething rings that can be filled with water and frozen

Toys To Avoid

There are a great number of toys for dogs and toys for puppies that owners need to keep well out of reach of their pets. These toys are either too small and may easily be swallowed whole, causing choking risk to the dog, or are actually edible toys that can cause serious health risks for both puppies and dogs.

Perhaps the most widely sold toys to avoid that are found in almost every pet store, department store and feed store are rawhide toys of any type. Rawhide poses risks because:

• It is edible but not digestible, resulting in intestinal blockages
• It swells in the digestive system and can cause choking
• It may contain pesticides, poisons, growth hormones, chemicals or medicines
• Dogs see it as food, not a toy

There are some of the more expensive types of rawhide toys that are made from shredded rawhide that is then pressed together using a gelatin like glue to make bones and toys. This is safer than the large pieces of animal hide that is made into toys of various shapes, however it is still not recommended in any form as toys for puppies or toys for dogs.