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Puppy Toy Chart

By Ed Frawley

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Here at Leerburg, toys have a specific purpose. I have organized the toys we recommend into categories. Some of the toys are appropriate for multiple categories.

First, I want to say that this chart is not just an advertisement for Leerburg toys. We look at most toys as tools. There are subtle differences and uses for various toys. What toys you use will depend on the breed, temperament, age, and size of your pup.

Toy	Pre-Teething Toys	Post Teething Toys	Treat Toys	Ex-Pen Toys	Interactive Toys
Toppl Treat Toy	?	?	?	?
Hol-ee Roller	?	?		?
Romp n' Roll	?	?		?
Bob-a-Lot	?	?		?
Bully Sticks	?	?
Rubber Puppy Tug	?	?			?
Microfiber Tug	?	?			?
Breathe Right Ball	?				?
Wing-a-Ball	?				?
Foam Ball w/ Leather Handle	?				?
Furry Tug	?				?
Puppy Tug Set		?			?
Bungee Tug		?			?
Roni Ball w/ Leather Handle					?
PULLER Ring					?

Pre-Teething Toys

Puppies keep their baby teeth for months. They usually don't lose them until they are 4 to 6 months old. Most of the toys in this category are for those very small dogs.

Dogs do develop favorite toys. My only warning is on squeaky toys. In the beginning, these are cute but over time, squeaky toys can become a real pain in the rear. Especially when your dog is laying in the living room chewing on its toy squeaky toy while you are trying to watch TV.

Teething Toys

After puppies lose their baby teeth (between 4 and 6 months), we don't recommend playing tug during this period. Their mouths are just too sore during this period.

During teething, we give them frozen stuffed treat toys like our Toppl Treat Toy and Bully Sticks to chew on. We may even offer ice cubes on a hot day.

Toys for After Teething

Once our pups are finished teething, toy selection comes down to the puppy in question. Some pups try and chew and rip things up. Some never try.

When in doubt, we recommend you err on the side of caution. In other words, do not leave a toy with your puppy if there is even the slightest risk of him being a chewer. If you leave a toy with a pup and come back an hour later only to find a pile of pieces, well that was a handler error and not a problem with the toy.

As someone who has sold dog toys for 35 years, I am here to tell you that almost any toy can be chewed up by a determined dog. There are only a very few hard rubber toys that are guaranteed not to be destroyed.

Ex-Pen Toys

Ex-pen toys are those that we don't worry about getting chewed up when left alone with the pup. While we never leave a puppy unattended in an ex-pen we have toys that we are not too concerned that they will chew up when in the ex-pen.

Toys to Use During Feeding

One of the things we do with our puppy is to pack his rubber Toppl Treat Toy with dog food and then freeze it. It will take a puppy a long time to lick his food out of the toy.

Then a couple of times a day, we give the frozen toy to the pup when in his ex-pen. If we have to leave for a while we will give it to him in his crate or kennel.

Interactive Training Toys

Interactive toys are toys that are used when the trainer/handler INTERACTS with the puppy. They are not toys that the puppy plays with alone.

Interactive toys can be used as a reward in a training session, but they are then put away when training is finished.

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About Author

Ed Frawley

Ed Frawley is the founder of Leerburg. He has been training dogs since the 1950s. For 30 years, Ed bred working bloodline German Shepherds and has produced over 350 litters. During this time, Ed began recording dog training videos and soon grew an interest in police service dogs. His narcotic dogs have been involved in over 1,000 narcotics searches resulting in hundreds of arrests in the state of Wisconsin. Ed now solely focuses on producing dog training courses with renowned dog trainers nationwide. If you want to learn more about Ed, read about his history here.