With some thought and care, I think toys are one of the most important learnings, training, and temperament regulators in dogs’ lives.

Toys for are not just some frivolous indulgence used properly. There are many reasons why they are important.

Dog lovers love to buy things for their dogs, bless them, but for the toys to be valuable and not just arousing, it pays to think about the toys and what we want them to do.

Why do dogs need toys anyway?

For one thing, is that it tires dogs out.

Few dogs in our world get to run as they would in nature.

Most of us don’t have time to do much more than walk them.

The right toy in the right dog’s mouth is their equivalent of a crossword puzzle or game of Monopoly.

It helps them find a healthy outlet for their energy. It helps their brain to grow. It teaches them how to think, and how to relate and deal with other dogs.

Dogs need toys, especially in the hostile and alien world we offer them.

They provide mental stimulation, an outlet for appropriate and needed chewing and comfort.  They can head off some of the worst behavioral problems by giving a dog a ready outlet for so many of his or her instincts.

Toys can also keep dogs from being destructive.

If they have their own
“stuff,” as I like to call it from the outset, they don’t get in the habit of tearing up our stuff. Toys also keep them from getting bored, as they don’t get the chance to run, hunt, and explore in modern-day America.

When I get a dog like Zinnia as a puppy, I flood every room in the house with toys for her to chew, toss around and show to the other dogs. I’ve never had a dog chew on our shoes, furniture, or table legs. Frankly, she has better stuff to chew than what I wear.

The puppy always has something at hand to pick up, chew, hide and torture the other dogs with.

Dogs are stimulating; they encourage the dogs to think and problem solve. They build independence. As pack animals, dogs were not built to spend extended periods of time alone with nothing to do.

All of us can’t be with them all the time. I work at home, but I spent most hours working, sometimes well into the night. They go for walks and get to be with people, but they have to learn to amuse themselves, just as healthy human children need to do.

I don’t allow playing in the house. I promote peace in the house. They can and do bring their toys outside if they want to get crazy, but they aren’t allowed to get crazy in the house.

That is our workplace, and I insist it be respected. And I don’t play with the toys. They aren’t about me.

If they have toys, they can be entertained and entertain themselves when nobody is around. Toys also free me to do my work in peace and not feel guilty about ignoring them. Toys give them the chance to exercise their brains a bit. Lying around the house all day doesn’t.

There are all kinds of enrichment and development toys for dogs; they promote natural hunting and chewing behaviors like foraging, exploring, and playing.

Toys can reduce stress in dogs, the more toys they have to choose from, the calmer they are.

I have found toys essential to my training program and their sense of well-being. Toys fight boredom, which is when dogs get into trouble, and they provide comfort when dogs are stressed.

The right toys can head off behavioral and anxiety issues at the right time.

When we are done training,  I toss a toy or two from their basket. Training is fun, and toys give them something to look ahead to while working.

I don’t ever play with the dogs and their toys, inside or out of the house. I’m not a dog, and I don’t need to be a playmate. Increasingly, dogs are companion and emotional support animals for humans. But all dogs need work; they need something to do to develop their mental acuity and instincts.

Dogs also get tired or bored with their toys quickly. Dog trainers recommend that customers choose six to eight toys for each dog, making sure there are different textures, shapes, and sizes.

I give out the toys a  few of the time and then leave them in toy “baskets’ on the floor where the dogs can go and choose the toy they want. I mix things up every few days. There is always something different on hand for them to play with.

People tend to underestimate the intelligence of dogs and the need they have for challenges. We are so quick to buy things for our dogs, but slower to think about what things they buy.

I never buy a toy a dog can chew up in one sitting, or if I do, I never buy it again. The idea is for it to last a long time, and challenge the dog to try to dismember it, as he would do in nature with anything he brought to the den.

Every toy I buy has a purpose and a meaning. I got a rubber ball for Fate that is guaranteed to resist destruction. I got a “fox” toy for Zinnia because it is guaranteed o be indestructive and it squeaks.

But just loves bones, he doesn’t too toy. These toys have helped to keep my dogs interested, occupied them while I am busy, and supported their intellect and decision making and kept them busy and happy while I work.

I admit to spoiling my dogs rotten with toys. But every single one is considered.