How to Choose a Dog Toy by Chew Style

The fastest way to choose a dog toy is to stop shopping by shape and start shopping by chew style. Watch what your dog does in the first five minutes with a new toy. Does he carry it around and sleep on it, or pin it down and work a seam? That behaviour tells you which material to buy. Below we match seven play styles to real toys from American Dog, the Colorado maker we carry.

First, work out how your dog plays

Watch three things. Where does the toy end up, in his mouth or across the room? Does he shake it or grind on one spot? And does he want you holding the other end? Carriers and shakers do well with soft toys. Grinders need woven fabric instead of stuffing. One honest note first: no dog toy is indestructible, and American Dog says so on its own product pages.

Gentle mouther

Gentle mouthers pick a toy up, carry it, squeak it and sleep next to it. Soft plush is the right buy here. Look at the Nuggle Ball, a five inch minky fleece squeaky ball, or Nuggle Bones, which comes in small, medium and large. The Allie Gator is seventeen inches of crinkle with no squeaker to dig out at two in the morning. American Dog labels these best for gentle players, not aggressive chewers. Full range in Plush and Nuggle Toys.

Moderate chewer

A moderate chewer plays hard, gnaws for a while, then naps. Thin plush will not last a month. The sweet spot is a nylon shell with a softer back.

Tommy Turtle and Flyin' Fish use a 1000D nylon front with a minky fleece back, and both squeak and float. The Wiggle Worm is all 1000D nylon at fourteen and a half inches, long enough to shake and tug. For a bigger dog, Da Bone is sized by weight. More shapes in Bones and Flag Bones.

Power chewer: dog toys for aggressive chewers

If your dog opens a seam in an afternoon, skip stuffing. You want woven ballistic fabric with nothing inside to pull out. American Dog builds this line from 1680 by 1680 ballistic material, dual folded into four layers.

The Infinity Tug is the obvious start, a fourteen inch figure eight that is crunchy and squeakerless. The Catapult Cage is an open ballistic frame you can drop a ball inside. The Fire Hose Dog Toy Tugs use genuine fire hose with a seven inch ballistic handle. See the rest in Tug Toys. Tough is not the same as indestructible, so supervise and retire the toy once a layer opens.

Fetch obsessed: fetch toys for dogs

Some dogs barely chew at all. Flight matters more than fabric thickness, and floating matters if you go near water.

The Mile High Flyer is an eight inch 1000D nylon disc that squeaks, floats and launches off a flick of the wrist. The American Pie Flyer is the same build in a different print. If your dog prefers a ball, the Pickle Ball is a four inch squeaky fetch ball. See Flyers and Fetch Balls.

Tug lover: tug toys for dogs

A tug lover wants a two player game. The toy needs a handle you can grip, length to keep teeth away from your hand, and no filling.

The Double Bungee Tug is nineteen inches with a handle at each end, stretching to twenty four. Seatbelt webbing is the other good answer. The Seatbelt 2-Tone Figure 8 Tug and the Seatbelt Quad Flopper use automotive seatbelt webbing rated at six thousand pounds that will not shrink, rot or mildew outdoors. Both sit in Seatbelt Tugs and Flyers.

Life stage changes the answer

Puppies

Puppies outgrow a toy in a season, so buy small and buy several. The Lucky Dog Toys range exists for this. The Lucky Dog Figure 8 Seatbelt Tug gives a puppy a proper two loop tug at a size that fits, and the Lucky Dog Snail Tug Plushie is five and a half inches of plush with a web handle.

Senior and small dogs

Older dogs and small breeds usually want less toy, not a tougher one, because weight and jaw span matter more. Nuggle Hearts comes in a four inch small, and Nuggle Bones starts at ten and a half inches. American Dog also makes beds, crate pads and drool boxes in Beds, Crate Pads and Drool Boxes, plus collars, leashes and bandanas in Collars, Leashes and Bandanas.

Rules for every chew style

Size the toy to the dog, not to the shelf. A toy your dog can fit entirely in his mouth is the wrong toy. Supervise play, and retire anything with an open seam, a loose squeaker or exposed filling.

How ordering an American Dog toy works

These toys are not made by us. Handmade in the USA by American Dog, our Denver partner brand, and shipped from Denver, usually within five to seven business days. Not made by Sniff and Shift. A toy travels separately from the rest of your order with its own tracking, and shipping for it is calculated at checkout. Toys are not eligible for our free local delivery. Treats still ship from us in Pennsylvania. For the longer version, read Meet American Dog.

What to put in the bag with the toy

Toys and training go together, so add something your dog will work for. Our freeze dried dog treats are single ingredient, break into small pieces and hold up in a pocket, which makes them a sensible pairing for teaching a clean drop with a new tug.

Common questions

What is the best toy for a dog to chew on?

There is no single answer, because it depends on how your dog chews. Gentle mouthers do well with plush, moderate chewers with a nylon shell, and hard mouths with woven ballistic fabric that has no stuffing inside to pull out.

Can a dog still destroy indestructible toys?

Yes. American Dog says on its own product pages that no dog toy is indestructible. The ballistic and fire hose toys hold up far better than plush, but every toy has a limit. Supervise play and retire a toy once it is damaged.

What toys do dogs like the most?

Whatever matches their play style. Carriers want something soft to parade around, retrievers want a disc or ball that flies, and tuggers want a handle you will hold. Watch what your dog does in the first five minutes and buy more of that.

What size dog toy should I buy?

Pick something your dog cannot fit fully inside his mouth but can still carry. Several American Dog toys come in sizes for this reason. Da Bone is sized by weight, and Nuggle Bones comes in small, medium and large.

How long does an American Dog toy take to arrive?

Handmade in the USA by American Dog, our Denver partner brand, and shipped from Denver, usually within five to seven business days. Not made by Sniff and Shift. Toys are not eligible for our free local delivery, and shipping is calculated at checkout.