Choosing Safe Dog Toys for Your Small Dog

By Blake Kritzberg
Choosing the appropriate toys will make your small dog's play time richer, while lessening his chance of accidental injury. Safe toys for your small dog can be purchased from pet supply stores or even made from household items, but it's good to keep these few main safety concerns in mind.
Size Matters With Small Dog Toys
In general, small dog toys should never be small enough to fit entirely in your dog's mouth, or be capable of being broken into smaller pieces that can stick in his throat. A dog toy that's too small can easily bounce back in your dog's mouth and obstruct his windpipe, meaning he could suffocate to death if you aren't in the immediate area to intervene! Sadly, this has happened to more than one dog. For that reason, small smooth balls just aren't the best choice for most dogs.
Tennis balls and the larger, hard rubber balls are big enough to stay out of the throats of most small dogs (make sure both kinds of balls are still whole and strong and not cracked). The small pull ropes found in pet aisles are also a good choice of toy for your small dog, unless you find him attempting to eat the rope when you're not busy playing. In that case, small fibers and threads from the rope can get stuck in his throat which again can be dangerous, especially if you're not around to help.
Very high quality, unusual shaped dog toys like Kongs are also a good choice for small dogs. Even much larger dogs find it virtually impossible to chew Kongs into smaller pieces that can lodge in the throat and cause problems, not to mention Kongs can be made infinitely fascinating to your dog by stuffing them with dog treats, peanut butter or frozen beef broth.
Ever thought of getting your small dog a pool? Most dogs love water, and will adore chasing their toys in and out of the pool. For small dogs, however, it's terribly important to make sure they can easily clamber out, even when heavy and wet from the water. Make sure the sides of the pool are low and that your dog's head easily clears the water. Avoid pools entirely for the toy dogs.
Is your small dog a ripper, or does he play nicely with his toys? Dogs that are gentle can play relatively safely with a wide variety of toys, including small plush animals and squeaky toys. Other, more aggressive dogs need to be kept safe from toys with ribbons, "googly eyes," or toys containing a squeaker, which can be chewed loose and pose a danger if swallowed.
Materials Matter For Small Dog Toys
No matter how carefully constructed, most dog toys are capable of splitting or crumbling at some point, and being ingested by your dog. This poses two problems. Most dog toy materials are naturally not meant to be eaten, and some can cause digestive trouble. Worse, if the piece in question is sharp, it can even puncture the dog internally. So it makes sense to select non-toxic small dog toys that don't contain any brittle materials. The safest route is to stick to high quality latex and vinyl toys crafted specifically for use with dogs. The manufacturers of higher-end products, such as Kongs, have gone to great lengths to eliminate these kinds of risks.
No matter what small dog toys you select for your pet, keeping these main safety points in mind should help you choose appropriate toys for your small dog that leave him happy and entertained -- and safe.Blake Kritzberg is editor of FavorIdeas. Stop by for continually-updated celebrity wedding news, remarkable beach wedding favors, exclusive hairstyling articles and gorgeous and unique wedding favors.

Dog Training Accessories - Toys, Tricks and Treats Used to Teach New Behavior

By Dean Forster
Dog training accessories are any toys, tricks or treats used to teach new behavior. Some people are under the misconceived notion that these items are only available at obedience schools or through training classes, but that simply isn't true. A trip to any pet store will reveal a number of training accessories for pet owners to buy and use at home.
The first type of dog training accessories are shock collars and electric shock fences. The collar contains a small transmitter hidden in the fabric and comes with a separate remote control for the owner to use. When the owner notices the dog doing something wrong, a gentle push of the button sends a mild shock to the dog. After several shocks the dog learns to associate the mild pain with the behavior.
An electric shock fence is one type of training accessory for those pets that refuse to stay inside their own yard. Dogs that run and wander aimlessly through the neighborhood can benefit from one of these fences. The shock collar works the same way as the one described previously, but is attached to a remote sensor. When the dog steps outside their designated area, a small shockwave is sent to the collar. Almost immediately your pet learns where it can't go and where it needs to stay.
Dog training accessories also include things that can be used at home without delivering any pain. Those that worry about delivering any pain to their pet can get the same results from a spray bottle of water. One spritz of the water will irritate the dog enough to stop it from snapping or barking loudly. If it is chewing on its skin or licking excessively, the owner can use bitter spray. The nontoxic formula tastes awful and makes the dog associate the taste with their behavior.
Dog training accessories also include positive conditioning items such as treats and toys. These items are highly beneficial when teaching new tricks and commands. The dog learns that when it follows a command, it gets a treat or the chance to play with a new toy. This type of accessory is readily available from any pet store.
There are a number of different dog training accessories out there for pet owners to use at home when teaching and training their dogs. Negative and positive reinforcement quickly teaches what is acceptable behavior and how it should act.Find out more about suitable Dog Training Products and accessories at => http://www.trainingdogschool.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dean_Forster

Making Safe Fetch Toys For Your Dog

By Michael Russell

Playful dogs love to play fetch. Playing "fetch" is an activity that is enjoyed by both the dog and the owner. Also playing "fetch" is an important training event which is a necessary part of teaching the dog to retrieve.
Sticks are the most often used "fetch" item for dog owners. It is common to pick up a stick and throw it for your dog. However a stick is simply too dangerous. Most owners get by with this time after time, but all too often the worst can happen and the stick will penetrate either the dog, or someone nearby. Sticks can be deadly in the mouth of a running dog. They can jam backwards into the mouth or jab into the eyes of nearby dogs or children. Another example of an inappropriate object is a rock, but unbelievably, there are numerous owners who think it is really cute that their dogs pick up rocks and bring them to be thrown. Unfortunately, rocks and the digestive system of the dog simply do not work well together!
It is important that you purchase safe fetch items for your dog. If you don't want to spend the money, you can make good fetch toys, toys such as braided rope items that are too thick or big for the dog to swallow. Individual socks that don't match make wonderful braided ropes, provided that they are tied together into a large enough knot that they can not be swallowed. Another excellent way to make several good throwing toys is to take an old garden hose and cut it into foot long strips. When you are teaching your dog to fetch it is a great training trick to have a whole set of these rubbery "sticks" handy, because you can throw one out and as the dog begins to bring it back to you, you can immediately throw another one...thus he will drop the first one and go after the one that you just threw. This is the first step towards training him to release the object to you.
Often dogs that are oriented to the water need to have "fetch" toys that will float. Here again, a stick is the one most often used and also the most deadly. It is far better to use a regular "bumper" type of toy. If you don't want to spend the money, especially since water toys can often be lost, you can make a much cheaper version. This version is a closed plastic bottle partially filled with water, (to give it enough weight to throw) with a rope tied around the neck. Give a good swing with the rope and you can sail this toy quite a distance out into the water. The toy has much the same action as a bumper toy and is very cheap to make.
Tennis balls are great toys but only for dogs who are small. Bigger dogs have bigger mouths than most folks realize and the tennis ball really can be swallowed or can end up actually choking the dog at the back of the throat. Bigger dogs often get the ball so coated with slime that it becomes really slippery and this will make it even easier to swallow! If you want to use a ball it is better to purchase a larger ball or make a tennis ball that can not be swallowed by putting it into the bottom of a long sock and tying it in place. Having the sock around the ball prevents the slime from building up and also allows for less chance of having it swallowed because of the "tail" of the sock.
Avoiding high vet bills and having fun with your dog with safe fetch toys can both be accomplished. A little imagination and keeping safety in mind can go a long way towards providing a safe play time and/or training time for both you and your dog.Michael RussellYour Independent guide to Dog Training
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell