Chew toys can be a surprisingly contentious topic. There's a great deal of conflicting information online, and it's hard to know which sources to trust. Chewing matters, though—it gives your dog something to do and keeps their mind occupied—so it's worth knowing what to look for. Here's our take on choosing safe chew toys.
Why Are Chew Toys Beneficial?
Chew toys matter most in puppyhood. Puppies teethe from around 3 to 6 months, losing their baby teeth as the adult set comes through, and it's genuinely uncomfortable—so giving them appropriate things to chew provides relief and establishes good habits early.
One tip worth following: avoid toys that resemble household objects your dog shouldn't chew. A plush TV remote or a rubber shoe teaches your puppy that remotes and shoes are fair game, which isn't the lesson you want them learning.
Excess energy is the other common driver. Puppies and some breeds have a great deal of it, and a dog with nothing to do will find something—usually the sofa. Providing the right outlet channels that energy usefully, and you can pair it with situations you want your dog to feel positive about. A stuffed toy given every time they go into their crate, for instance, helps them look forward to being there rather than resenting it.
Puzzle and treat-dispensing toys work your dog's brain as well as their jaws. Hollow rubber toys are particularly good, since you can stuff them with a little peanut butter, cheese, or part of their daily kibble, and they'll spend real time working at it. Freezing the toy once filled makes it last considerably longer.
Two notes on fillings. Check peanut butter labels carefully, since some brands contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. And count whatever you use toward your dog's daily calories—stuffed toys add up faster than people expect, and treats of all kinds should stay under about 10% of daily intake.
What Makes a Chew Toy Safe?
The simplest guide is the thumbnail test. If you can make an indent in the object with your thumbnail, it has enough give to be reasonably safe. If your nail bends instead, the toy is harder than your dog's teeth and can fracture them. Rubber and silicone generally pass; nylon, antlers, hooves, and hard plastic generally don't.
Size matters just as much. A toy needs to be large enough that it can't be swallowed or lodged at the back of the throat, and that means sizing to your particular dog rather than to dogs in general—a toy that's fine for a Labrador may be a choking hazard for a terrier, and a determined large dog can destroy a toy meant for a small one.
Avoid toys with a single hole or ring that a dog can get their jaw or tongue through. We see cases where a dog has trapped their lower jaw or tongue in a toy, and freeing them usually requires sedation and sometimes cutting the toy off. Toys with two openings, so air can pass through, are a safer design.
Soft toys—fabric, rope, plush—suit some dogs well, but they need supervising. Nothing should have parts that come off: no plastic eyes, ribbons, tassels, or bells. Throw them out as soon as they start to fray or tear, because dogs are remarkably quick to pull off a loose piece and swallow it. Choose sturdy, machine-washable toys, and avoid anything filled with beads or polystyrene.
Rope toys deserve a specific mention. Swallowed strands cause linear foreign bodies, which are among the more serious obstructions we operate on, so rope toys are for supervised play and should be put away afterward. The same applies to anything stringy.
What Toys Should I Avoid?
Tennis Balls
Tennis balls carry two problems. They're a choking hazard, particularly for larger dogs who can compress a ball far enough back in the throat to block the airway—and a ball that's been chewed into pieces can be swallowed and cause an obstruction.
The other issue is dental. The fuzzy outer surface is abrasive, and a dog who chews tennis balls habitually wears down the enamel on their incisors and canines. Once the enamel is gone, the softer dentin beneath wears faster, and in bad cases the pulp is exposed—which is painful and needs treatment. Dirt and sand embedded in the fuzz make it worse.
If your dog loves fetch, use a smooth rubber ball designed for dogs, sized so it can't fit behind the back teeth. Keep balls for supervised play, put them away afterward, and only ever give one at a time—two balls in a mouth is how one ends up in the throat.
Rawhide
Rawhide has a poor reputation, and largely deservedly. The problem is digestibility: hard chewers tear off large pieces and swallow them whole, and rawhide swells and softens rather than breaking down. Those pieces can lodge in the esophagus or intestines, requiring endoscopy or surgery, or sit in the stomach for a long time causing vomiting and diarrhea. There are also questions about the chemicals used in processing some imported rawhide.
We'd steer you toward safer alternatives.
Bones and Other Hard Chews
The FDA has published a warning about bones and commercial "bone treats," and it makes sobering reading.
Reasons not to give your dog bones:
- Cooked bones splinter readily, and fragments can lodge in the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, or intestines, causing bleeding or obstruction
- Raw bones carry their own risks, including bacterial contamination affecting your household as well as your dog
- A perforation of the stomach or intestine can lead to peritonitis, which is life-threatening
- Bones fracture teeth—slab fractures of the upper premolars are a classic injury from hard chewing, and they're painful and expensive to treat
- A marrow bone can slip over the lower jaw and become stuck, which usually requires sedation and sometimes cutting to remove
The same reasoning applies to antlers, hooves, and hard nylon chews. All of them fail the thumbnail test, and all of them fracture teeth.
A stuffable rubber toy is a far better option—it satisfies the same urge to chew and work at something, without the risk.
But What About Keeping My Dog's Teeth Clean?
Chew toys aren't a substitute for dental care, and this is where a lot of marketing overreaches.
The claim that hard chewing cleans teeth is only partly true. Chewing can scrape some plaque from the crown of the tooth, but it does nothing below the gumline—and that's where periodontal disease develops. Plaque mineralizes into tartar within about 24 to 48 hours, and once it's tartar, only professional scaling removes it.
Brushing is far more effective than any chew. Daily is ideal, and every other day still helps considerably. It takes under a minute, and the trick is pairing it with something your dog likes—a treat or a meal immediately afterward—so they'll tolerate it. Use a toothpaste made for dogs, never human toothpaste, and if your dog won't accept a brush, dental wipes are a reasonable second best.
Dental chews and diets can help as a supplement to brushing rather than a replacement. The useful thing to look for is the Veterinary Oral Health Council seal, which means the product has actually been tested and shown to reduce plaque or tartar. Plenty of products claim dental benefits without any evidence behind them, and the VOHC seal is the shortcut past the marketing.
A few practical points on dental chews: they carry calories, so count them toward the daily total; size them to your dog; and supervise, since a dog who bites off and swallows a large piece can still choke. We're happy to recommend specific products that suit your dog—do ask, as the right choice depends on their size, chewing style, and how their teeth look.
Final Verdict
Chew toys are good for dogs, and the right ones provide real mental stimulation and some incidental dental benefit. The difficulty is that marketing frequently promotes products that aren't safe, so a little scrutiny goes a long way.
The short version: if it has some give and your thumbnail can indent it, it's probably fine. If it's harder than a tooth, it will eventually break one. Size it to your dog, supervise anything with string or stuffing, and throw toys away once they're damaged.
If you'd like help choosing something for your dog, or you have questions about their teeth, feel free to give us a call.