Why Are Dog Toys Important?

Series Summary

As anyone who has ever watched an episode of “The Dog Whisperer” can attest, despite hundreds of years of domestication, dogs (canines) continue to possess a deep-seeded and unavoidable instinct closely tied to their history as wild pack animals. Many dogs do not have a very strong inclination towards a pack or family lifestyle, but most have enough of it to enjoy a domesticated family life and companionship with other dogs. Many dogs with very strong pack instincts do not spend as much time at play as others, since the play drive is somewhat irrelevant to a truly wild dog such as a coyote or wolf, but since play is a dominant part of the socialization process for puppies (both domesticated and wild), most dogs that are pets enjoy it and continue to crave play, physical exercise with other animals, and bonding games with their owners and human families throughout their entire lifetime.

In this instructional and informative video clip series, our expert will discuss the ways in which a dog's natural instincts and domesticated needs affect its behavior in the home. Something as small as a chew toy or play rope for teeth and gum health can make a huge impact on a puppy's health, instinct awareness and control, as well as general positive disposition in the home and as a member of the family.

This series is an Equilibrio Films production.

Video Transcript

" Hi, this Elise McMahon from Expert Village.com and in this video series we are going to be talking about dog toys. If you would like to find out more about what I do, you can visit my website at www.canineheadstart.com. So in this first short video, we are going to be talking about why toys are important for your dog. One of the best examples I can give is lying right here next to me, a 4 ½ month old puppy who is lying here absolutely content chewing on a toy. One thing we would like to see is puppies that know the difference between things that are appropriate for them to be chewing with and playing with and things that are not appropriate. Not appropriate items which are often very interesting to dogs are things like socks and shoes. They often have our smell and they are attracted to them. In the absence of appropriate toys for the dog, they are going to be picking up things like this and playing with them. It is really the dog owner’s responsibility to provide appropriate chew toys and play toys for their dogs so we can steer them in the right direction. "