Dog Toys - Does Your Dog Really Need Them?

Everyone knows that dogs love to chew. Have you ever returned home to find your favorite shoes damaged by your dogs teeth or your favorite book ripped to shreds? Sometimes dogs get bored, and playing is essential for keeping them mentally occupied. If dogs are not given toys to play with, they will find something else to play with or, rather, destroy. Chewing is normal behavior for puppies who are teething but some adult dogs may show destructive chewing behavior, and some dogs are more destructive than others. Toys should not take the place of human attention and regular exercise, but if your dog is left alone and you don't want him to chew your personal items, make sure he has plenty of toys to keep him satisfied. It's been said that a dog should have at least 10 toys at all times to keep from chewing on things he shouldn't.

Recently there has been concern about the safety of dog toys that are imported from other countries, but there are high-quality, non-toxic dog toys on the market that are made in the USA. There are different types of toys, including plush dog toys with squeakers sewn into them, tough chew toys, tug toys, toys that can be tossed like balls and frisbees and toys that can have treats hidden within them to make them more challenging to your dog.

Plush dog toys, even though they are made with reinforced and strong fabric, typically do not last as long as other types of dog toys, depending on the chewing behavior of your dog, but they can easily be cleaned by throwing them into the washer and dryer.

It's a good idea to rotate your dog's toys to refresh his interest in them as "new" toys are more interesting than old ones. Stash away some of your dog's toys so that only a few are available at one time. This helps to prolong the life of each toy, while rekindling his interest. The toys can be washed in between use so that the dirt and slobber do not become "ground in."

When washing squeak toys, sometimes the squeaker will become water logged. Most of the time this will clear up quickly if the toy is shaken and the squeaker is repositioned to promote drainage. Also letting your dog squeak it to force air through it may help with the problem. If your dog's squeak toy becomes so battered that it can no longer be repaired and is not safe anymore, the toy can be quietly disposed of when your dog is distracted, and if you've been rotating his toys all along, he'll be happy when you pull a "new" one out of the closet.

Chew toys often last longer than plush ones and there are even "guaranteed tough" dog toys that are guaranteed to last or you can get a free replacement. For anyone who wants to "go green," you can find dog toys that are made from recycled materials, and some of the toys are even recyclable again. You may also consider toys that can be stuffed with treats as these toys often hold a dog's interest longer at one time, especially when left alone. Interactive dog toys are fun for both dogs and humans, and it's easy for your dog to get exercise while he catches a frisbee or fetches a ball.

Dogs really do need toys, that is, if you don't want them chewing your personal things. Dog toys keep dogs mentally occupied so that they don't get into mischief and help puppies with teething, so it's important to make sure your dog has enough toys readily available to him or her at any given time.

Anita Funkhouser is the owner of http://www.gogreendogbeds.com, offering high-quality, eco-friendly dog beds, toys and sweaters made from recycled materials, and http://gogreendogbeds.blogspot.com/, a blog about dogs.

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Does the Kid With the Most Toys Really Win?

After attending several recent birthday parties for young children, I was amazed at the amount of toys one child could receive just for turning another year older. It reminded me of a conversation I had at Christmas with an 8 year old little girl. When I asked her what she was wanting for Christmas this year, she answered, I don't know, I have everything, just surprise me! I was utterly stunned.

I never gave it much thought before, but this made me think does a child really need all these toys to be fulfilled? And can having too many toys be good? Don't get me wrong I love birthday parties, and I believe they should be celebrated no matter what age a person is.

I began to wonder are there side effects of having too many toys besides the obvious one of too much clutter in the house? I began to look into it and found that it does have a few side effects. You will find that too many toys:

Shortens Attention Span, Creativity & Imagination

If you watch small children in a room full of toys they will naturally go from one toy to another exploring what each toy has to offer. If too many toys are available to explore it can diminish their enthusiasm and decrease the chance that they will actually take time to play with any one toy. When this happens it decreases their creativity, imagination or observational skills.

If you notice that your child is bouncing from one toy to another you may want to limit the number of toys available to play with. That way they can give their full attention on a few different toys so they are not being easily distracted.

Takes Away the Specialness

When a child knows they have a lot more toys available to play with or that mom and dad will buy them whatever they want, there is no need to take care of any particular toy. The child's expectations have become greater than their appreciation.

As a kid did you ever wish for or wanted a toy that you knew your parents couldn't afford, or maybe you had to save up your own money to get? Remember how excited and proud you were when you finally got what you wanted. It might not have even been a big item, but you took care of it. Some of you may have even kept a few special childhood toys to this day. How many special toys will your child keep?

Overwhelms and Over Stimulates a Child

A US government-funded study regarding the effect of children with too many toys said children can get overwhelmed and over-stimulated and then they cannot concentrate on one thing long enough to learn from it. Also too many toys means they are not using their imagination when they play. What this says to me is by having too many toys we are limiting their ability to learn to concentrate or to finish what they started. And we are limiting their imagination by giving toys that do everything for them. I think a big mistake people make when buying toys for young children, is they get toys that can do a lot when they could be selecting toys that children can do a lot with.

Not Enough Play

Studies also show that when a child is given a new object they go through two stages, the first is exploration and the second is play. When in the first stage of exploration, a child is wondering what does this object do? During the second stage of play the child is figuring out what they can do with this? When they have too many new toys they take a lot more time exploring what the object does and taking very little time playing with it.

Makes Bored and Whiny Kids

We don't usually think that by having too many toys our children would be bored and whiny. Most likely we think the opposite to be true, that they need more toys to give them more to do so they won't be bored. However studies have concluded that children become easily bored and whiny by having too many toys because they become overloaded and over stimulated. Some children will throw the toys, and sometimes break them on purpose or be aggressive in their use. This goes back to no appreciation or respect for the item or who gave it to them. There is no reason to take care of the toy; as they have many more.

Not as resourceful

A child with too many toys will not learn how to use their imagination or creativity. A special study was done in which they removed all toys from a group of children for three months to observe what would happen. Not surprisingly these children invented games and used their imagination to play. They turned the chairs and tables into forts, houses, and invented their own games. They were resourceful to use what they had to have a great time. This study shows a child does not have to be resourceful when they have an abundance of toys.

Too Much Landfill

Last but not least, think about the amount of toys that just one child has and multiply that by millions of other children who have just as many, and ask yourself, where are all those toys going to wind up? You got it, in the landfills of our nation. If you are concerned about our environment you will want to teach your children by example, and limiting plastic toys is a great way to teach them.

I have heard it said that children who can use their imagination and creativity in play tend to be more emotionally secure. We as moms do the best we can and we want our children to be emotionally secure. Although it is sometimes hard to say no to a new toy it may be one of the best things we do for our kids.

Donna Randol is owner of Krazy Kids Bedding specializing in childrens bedding [http://www.krazykidsbedding.com] and accessories. The products offered have timeless designs that are fresh and relevant without using cartoon characters, or motion picture heroes. We help you make their bedroom a safe place that inspires creativity and imagination in their play. Creating a room that is as unique as they are!

Donna also owns Hushabye Baby Gifts specializing in toddler baby gifts. Where you will find many baby shower gifts, baby gift baskets, along with personalized baby gifts, and gifts for boys and gifts for girls birthdays as well. Make a memory with our keepsake baby gifts.

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