Dog Toys- Does Your Labrador Retriever Need Them?
Posted: Friday, March 14, 2008
by RichardC
http://www.all-about-puppies.com
Your Labrador Retriever will surely enjoy having various dog toys around. But do not think that toys are just for fun and amusement purposes only. To a dog, there are other important reasons for having toys.
Dog toys are important in the mental and emotional development of your dog. Give your Labrador Retriever problem solving toys or motivational and interactive toys. This type of toys stimulate and keep his mind working. Maybe you want to give him a "find a treat" ball. As the name implies, this ball is filled with treats. But this has to be rolled over correctly in order for the treat to fall out. Dog toys that can be thrown can serve as training tools to stimulate their natural hunting instincts. Train your dog to bring it back when you command him to do so. Simple challenges that will surely keep your dog interested.
However, you just can't pick any toy found in your local pet store and take it to the counter. There are lots of factors that must be considered before buying. The most important is his safety. It should be non-toxic and durable. Toys that easily torn into pieces may cause trauma to your dog and pose great risk in injuring the gums, getting stuck on his teeth or worst swallowing and choking. Then think about your dog's size. His toys should be appropriate for his size, not too small for him to swallow and choke him and not too large so as to hinder him from taking it from one place to another. Aside from being durable, dog toys should be easy to clean.
There are many dog toys available in various pet supply stores. The web is also offering wide selection of dog toys for you to choose from. All you have to do is key in the keywords, then presto. The long list of various toys is right in front of you. The choice is yours whether you want to go personally and get one from your local pet supply store or have it delivered in your door step. Either way, just always remember to think about your dog before purchasing. Think about the breed, the size and what type of toy your dog finds interesting.
Richard Cussons writes information articles on different breed of dog such as Labrador Retriever. For more tips on training Labradors, check out labradorsavvy.com.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)hi richard, very well written, interesting article. i had a golden retriever, not a labrador retriever, at first, but eventually got a black lab. i think you provided good and useful tips for dog owners. thanks for sharing, best regards, sue thom
Hi Richard, I can see you have a passion for Dogs, many people wouldn't give so much thought to the 'value' toys have to the dog other than fun. I once did an animal care course (and was based at a zoo) and learned a lot about the importance of environmental stimuli and indeed 'toys' were introduced for many animals from chimpanzee's to birds! I would suggest that more could be said on this topic, though for example a warning perhaps re not using sticks and stones as toys, as vets see all too many horrific injuries to dogs throar and mouth due to sticks and stones have their own problems too. Good article though!
Yes, this was a great article. My boy Rocky, a Blond Lab 76 pounds and almost 7 months old.... As long as he is busy he is not destructive. We are on an acre but sometimes it's not enough. I like the idea of the toy with goodies inside and he already likes his chew bones. Thank goodness for puppy school too. I would suggest that to everyone, what a big difference since we did that. :D
i love kongs for my chocolate lab
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