What are the best toys for a 4-week-old puppy to play with safely?

Hello. There are many, many puppy teething toys, from Kong toys to Nylabones for puppies. Stay away from real, solid bones & any kind of rawhide , pigs ear, pizzle stiks, etc. Whatever your purchase ( & Petco usually has a pretty good supply ), make sure that it is large enough that none of the puppies can swallow it whole, & replace anything that begins to fray, develop sharp edges, or the puppies seem to be getting close to chewing off a piece. One of my colleagues said after removing an entire chew toy from a 6 month old lab, " all chew toys should be bigger than a puppies head!" Soft toys are fine, just make sure there are no glued on eyes, or easily torn noses, ears or limbs. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Teething time in puppies can be difficult! While you can play with Chloe with plush toys, I would only do so supervised as she may be able to rip open a seam and eat the stuffing/squeaker. Rubber toys are great when teething, and filling the inside of a rubber toy with peanut butter (regular peanut butter, not one with artificial sugars that may be toxic) and putting it in the freezer can be a great option for the need to chew! If Chloe likes ice, you can also mix water and low sodium chicken broth together to make chicken flavored ice cubes for her to chew on.

Hello! Thank you for your question! In regards to when you should buy toys for puppies, there is really no set age. What I would say is to be careful of the size of toy that you buy as puppies can choose small pieces and swallow them and that can lead to problems such as intestinal obstructions. I would also refrain from buying very hard toys as teeth are quite fragile and these hard toys can break their teeth quite easily.

Chewing on toys is a great activity for dogs to help them burn off energy, keep them occupied, and help keep them from chewing on other things in the house that are inappropriate for them to chew on. Dogs have individual preferences for the types of toys they chew on, so it may take a bit of experimenting to find out what Abby likes. Rope toys, soft toys and rubber chew toys are all good options. There are even puzzle toys where you can hide food and that will keep your pup busy trying to get the food out. Avoid any toys that are too hard- you should be able to easily dent the surface with a fingernail, as anything harder than that could lead to fracturing of the teeth. Avoid offering bones, antler, and similar objects for this reason. Always supervise play, and if you notice your dog trying to eat any pieces of the toys, take them away, as the pieces could cause a blockage of the intestines that could lead to the need for surgery to remove it.

That looks like a rawhide type which is soft enough for puppies when supervised and removed before they become small enough to try and swallow. It is important to avoid over hard toys such as real bones, antlers, nylabone while he still has baby teeth

Thank you for your questions about Luke. I agree and would advise against stuffed toys as he will confuse them. Do keep the kids toys put away as he may think they are his anyway!!! Offer him a variety of toys. Nylabone makes a variety of chew toys for dogs. My only warning though is that the hard toys can break dog’s teeth if they are aggressive chewers. Some toys can break apart and you must always be vigilant to remove and replace these toys to prevent him from swallowing pieces as that could lead to intestinal obstruction. Experiment to find his favorite type of toys. Dogs like bully sticks but too much can make some of them sick to their stomachs. Same with something like a greenie. Always monitor him when he is chewing something because dogs can choke on these. I like to stuff a Kong with kibble, seal the opening with peanut butter (xylitol free) and then put it in the freezer for a few hours. I hope this answers your question and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It's ok to do, but monitor closely to make sure he plays with it appropriately and doesn't eat it. It should be large enough that he's chewing on a rounded edge rather than a flat surface (which can break this teeth).