Best Puppy Toys

The best puppy toys are interactive, and entertaining Your puppy will enjoy chasing, chewing, throwing and tugging. The best puppy toys are durable and support these types of play. The toys your puppy loves the most will be the best value too, because they’ll come back to use them again and again. And will choose the toy to chew, dig and pull at instead of your prized possessions!

The best puppy toys are also made from strong materials. Your puppy is teething right now, and their tough little molars and powerful jaws make short work of anything not built to last. The very best toys are also safety tested to the highest standards, and clearly labelled in terms of the age and size of puppy they are appropriate for. Because your puppy has different play needs as they move through the developmental stages.

Contents

• Puppy toys for different developmental stages
• Kong puppy toys
• The best puppy teething toys
• Interactive puppy toys

Puppies are just so cute, you can’t help but want to buy them stuff! And today’s pet-centric market is literally flooded with puppy toys. Fortunately, we’ve raised a lot of puppies over the years, and tested what feels like most of the toys in the pet store!

8 to 12 Week Old Puppy Toys

Between 8 and 9 weeks old is a transition time for most puppies. Your 8 to 12 week old puppy is still growing rapidly and needs lots of rest. But she is also going to be understandably anxious at her sudden change in living situation.

However, it is important to know that most often a puppy’s anxiety will be expressed through two main forms: chewing and crying.

The best interactive toy puppy options for this stage are going to be simple toys to keep your puppy busy without letting her get close enough to you or other family members to sink in a good sharp puppy bite!

For obvious reasons, rawhide chews, strong rope toys, fetch toys, leash training toys and other puppy toys that keep those small but sharp puppy canines away from your hands and face are also ideal at this stage.

3 to 5 Month Old Puppy Toys

At this stage, your puppy is gaining more confidence as she becomes familiar with her new surroundings, her new family and her new home. She is also growing bigger and stronger physically. And she wants to play all the time, which for a puppy typically means rough housing, growling and (oh yay) biting.

Also, during this period your little pup will be teething mightily as her baby teeth fall out and her adult teeth start to push their way up through the gums to grow in.

So she will not only want but will need to bite just about anything that looks bite-able to alleviate the soreness and pain she feels in her teeth and gums.

You will also want to identify the best puppy toys for teething and get a few – pronto!

The best puppy toys for teething will be responsive enough so that your puppy can experience some relief from her growing mouth tenderness.

But also durable enough not to come apart in her mouth, where there is a risk she would swallow them and have intestinal blockages or worse. They will also, ideally, be freezer-friendly, since the cold can provide its own form of soothing pain relief.

6 to 9 Month Old Puppy Toys

Beginning around 6 months of age, your puppy will be nearly done with teething and may even be sporting a full set of adult canines. She will have survived a change of household, loss of her baby teeth, emergence of her adult teeth and much more.

This is a great time period to introduce more complex interactive puppy toys for boredom, treat finding, slow feeding, and puzzle solving.

These enriching “big puppy” toys will benefit your dog’s brain as well as her body and help her learn to entertain herself during periods when you are not available to play.

As she grows, her playtime and toy needs may change again, and you may even discover she falls in love with a puppy toy you never thought she would like. Happily, there are plenty of great puppy toys to choose from. So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at some of our favorites!

Kong Puppy Toys For 7 to 12 Weeks

Kong Puppy Toy. This Kong classic for adult dogs now comes in a size perfect for your puppy as well. The rubber is safe for dogs and especially designed for the teething needs of large breed puppies. You can fill the interior with a variety of soft and tasty treats.

Kong Wubba

Kong Puppy Wubba. The Wubba is one of Kong’s newer toys and it is very popular! Despite its fragile appearance, this nylon-reinforced puppy toy is extremely durable, yet it is also designed not to irritate your dog’s sensitive mouth and gum tissues.

The Wubba has two balls and four long tails for self-play and interactive play.

Kong Cozies

Kong Cozies Ali the Alligator Plush Puppy Squeaky Toy. The Kong Company also recommends plush Kong toys for young puppies due to the high comfort factor. These must be used under supervision, but many puppies enjoy cuddling and snuggling with their plush Kongs.

Kong Puppy Toys For 3 to 9 Months

Kong Puppy Flyer. As your puppy grows up, he will become more eager to play and run and romp. This puppy flyer toy will encourage his natural retrieving instincts during interactive play while keeping your hands and his sharp puppy teeth far apart.

Teething Sticks

Kong Puppy Teething Stick. This wonderful Kong toy is especially designed to ease the mouth aches that your little dog will be feeling during some months in this period of his life.

Not only will the soft yet durable rubber provide just the right amount of pressure to soothe those sore gums, but the toy will also clean your puppy’s teeth as he chews. These toys also make fabulous freezable puppy teething toys.

Puppy Tire

Kong Puppy Tire Toy. Kong designed this toy to help your puppy through his teething months and emerge with the healthiest possible gums and teeth. You can fill the inside of the tire with soft treats to encourage more chewing, which will also help keep your dog’s newly emerging adult teeth clean.

Kong Puppy Toys For 9 to 12 Months

KONG Air Dog Squeakair Dog Toy Tennis Balls. At this stage of your young puppy’s life, the Kong Company recommends that you begin using adult regular Kong toys because the rubber is sturdier and more durable for chewing. These tennis balls are perfect for games of fetch and make a wonderfully motivating squeaking sound when they are retrieved.

Kong Wubba

Kong Wubba for Dogs. The Kong Wubba for adult dogs is more durable and also larger than the same toy made for puppies. Also, there is a great deal of variety in this toy line, including wet and dry Wubbas and different configurations for different types of interactive play.

Kong Stuff

Kong Stuff-a-Ball Dog Toy. This toy is also made especially to promote good oral hygiene and healthy teeth and gums. You can fill it with soft treats or kibble. While your dog works to get the treats out, the toy itself massages his gums and cleans away plaque from your puppy’s teeth.

Puppy Teething Toys

Just for a moment, think back to the last time you had a dental checkup. You probably had your teeth cleaned, right? And the well-meaning but extra-thorough hygienist likely used that horrid little metal hook to clean out all the plaque along your gum line. What did your teeth and gums feel like later? Were they super-sore and very uncomfortable?

This is an approximation of the discomfort your puppy might be feeling during his teething months. Teething is just not going to show you the best side of your little dog.

He is grumpy and confused and driven to chew and bite like nobody’s business.

Part of what he needs from you is compassion and understanding. But mostly, he needs the right puppy toys for teething that can help to ease his discomfort until the teething process ends.

Many puppy teething toys include freezer-friendly options to provide extra pain relief, just like a icy cold pack can temporarily ease and numb sore areas for you.

We particularly recommend these highly rated puppy toys for teething:

Nylabone Puppy Starter Pack

Nylabone Puppy Starter Packs Puppy Chew Toys. The Nylabone Company specializes in making toys for chewing and teething. You can opt for their traditional teething rings or make a more ferocious choice, like the Nylabone T-Rex chew toy.

As a bonus, these toys have special raised ridges to help keep your puppy’s new teeth clean and shiny.

Chew Teething Rope Toy Set

ActivPet Puppy Chew Teething Rope Toys Set Mini Dental Pack. These toys are suitable in size for a puppy and come highly praised by dog owners. There are three different toy sets you can choose from. The material is very durable (100 percent cotton) and there are no small parts that your dog could tear off and swallow.

You can also pop these in the freezer for extra teething relief.

Chilly Bones

MultiPet Chilly Bones For Teething. This bone-shaped teething toy is a great shape for your still-growing lab puppy to grip it in his jaws and chew with gusto – especially if you freeze the bone for him first! The toy is made of durable, safe canvas to withstand vigorous teething-related chewing.

Mr Play Puppy Chew Bone

Mr. Play Puppy Toys Dog Chew Bone Dog Toys For Aggressive Chewers. So long as your dog remains 70 lbs. or under, this popular teething toy is freezer-safe, bone-shaped or ball-shaped and incredibly durable for even aggressive teething-based chew sessions.

This toy comes in a set of a ball and a bone together.

Puppy Chew Toys

If there is one common denominator that all puppies share, it is this: CHEWING. The continual urge to chew on anything, everything and all the time is so all-consuming because it doesn’t just stem from one single factor.

So you will definitely want to have a ready stack of highly rated puppy chew toys on hand to fulfil your dog’s natural need to chew, chew, chew!

Dental Teaser Chew Rope

EXPAWLORER Cotton Dental Teaser Puppy Pet Chew Rope Toy. This adorable rope giraffe is so cute you might not want to let your dog chew it! Luckily, the rope is really durable and features knots to help massage away teething pain and tooth plaque all in one.

This toy is also offered in other styles, including a horse, a lion and several more standard-looking rope-like configurations.

Cool Rope Dog Chew Toy

Mavel Large Toy For Dogs Puppies Top Cool Rope Dog Chew Toy. One of the main benefits this toy offers is durability. It is designed to both strengthen your young dog’s jaws and also provide relief from pain and boredom.

Puppy Rope Toy

Otterly Pets Puppy Dog Pet Rope Toys. These rope toys come in a set of four different styles. They are best for your puppy when he is younger (under six months) due to size, not durability.

They come with a carry bag as well. The toys are made of washable 100 percent cotton and can also help clean your dog’s teeth.

Cool Teething Stick

PetStages Dog Toy Pet Stages Cool Teething Stick. This cheery and colorful toy takes a different approach to chewing, especially for teething-related chewing. The whole toy is encased in a freezable outer layer that actually crunches as your dog chews on it.

Nylabone Dura Chew Wishbone

Nylabone Dura Chew Wishbone. The Nylabone Company has another hit toy on their hands with this wishbone chew toy. The medium/wolf size is suitable for puppies. In a fun twist, the bristles in this nylon toy remain hidden until your dog starts a chew session.

Then they raise up to help clean his teeth and massage his gums.

Interactive Puppy Toys

Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel and Puzzle Plush Squeaking Toys for Dogs. If there is one toy that simply seems tailor-made for Labrador retrievers, it is this hide-a-squirrel squeaking toy. Your lab will likely display a ready instinct for retrieval the moment he can keep all four legs steady beneath him.

This toy introduces him to the joys of hunting and retrieving in a safe, soft, squeakable toy treasure.

You can also get the hedgehog, bird, or bee versions (or all four!) and all four have replacement parts sold separately if you need them.

Dogit Mind Games

Dogit Mind Games 3-in-1 Interactive Smart Toy for Dogs. As your puppy grows, he will be making new neural connections on a daily basis. So the more chances you can give him to exercise his developing brain as well as his growing body, the smarter and more healthy and resilient he will become as an adult dog.

All these factors make this mind games puzzle toy a perfect choice. It is treat-based and has strong suction cups to hold it in place while your dog figures out how it works.

Flip N Flap Bone Toy

Ethical Pet Interactive Seek-A-Treat Flip ‘N Flap Bone Dog Toy Puzzle. This creative and unique interactive toy from Ethical Pet Company is designed to eliminate boredom. It provides mental stimulation from solving the puzzle along with physical stimulation from trying to get the treats out.

As the maker’s name suggests, the toy is also made of eco-friendly material.

Sensory Ball Toy

Ethical Pets Sensory Ball Dog Toy. Another hit toy from Ethical Pets, this amazing ball offers several levels of interactive sensory stimulation and play all in one simple ball-shaped toy. The toy itself emits a mouth-watering beef flavor and has three different sensory textures on the layers that surround the ball.

You can enjoy hours of fun together and your dog can also find comfort in this toy during naps and alone time.

Puppy Puzzle Toys

As if your young puppy isn’t already facing enough challenges just in keeping up with his own growing body and brain, there is also a feeding transition to cope with.

Many times puppies will get used to being fed frequently in small portions.

Then they will struggle digestively at first when transitioning to an adult dog feeding schedule.

One of the biggest challenges your puppy is likely to face during this transitional stage is simply portion size. Instead of being fed in small frequent portions, a growing puppy will now be offered less frequent but larger portions.

Here, a treat ball or slow feeder puzzle toy is of particular benefit.

These toys can slow down feeding to help your puppy’s digestion adjust more gradually to the larger portions. These toys are also great because they are interactive and fun!

Hol-ee Roller

J.W. Pet Tough By Nature Hol-ee Roller. This popular toy offers a two-fer for your puppy during playtime. If he is teething, the ball has a special open design to provide chewing relief. You can also insert kibble or soft treats inside the toy for emotional relief.

This toy is great for both solo play and interactive play.

IQ Treat Ball

OurPets IQ Treat Ball Interactive Food Dispensing Dog Toy. This wildly popular treat ball holds a little less than a cup of kibble or soft treat foods. Your puppy’s playtime goal is to figure out how to roll it “just so” so the tasty tidbits will fall out.

One dog owner suggested that you can also use an old sock to cover the ball to protect hardwood floors (and reduce the volume of your dog’s play).

Kibble Drop Dog Toy Puzzle

Outward Hound Kibble Drop Interactive Doy Toy Puzzle for Dogs. This super-cool interactive puzzle toy will likely get your dog hooked on puzzle toys. It features lidded treat chambers on each end of an “x marks the spot” toy design, with fun colors that are guaranteed to grab your dog’s attention.

Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball

Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball. This bright orange colored treat ball is made of durable yet pliable vinyl and dotted with holes where small treats like kibble can fall out during play. It is easy to fill and clean and your puppy will get the hang of it in no time.