If your dog ignores half the toys you buy, you might be choosing toys when you should be choosing games.
A cupboard full of ignored toys does not mean your dog is difficult or that they do not enjoy playing. You may simply not have found the kind of game that makes those toys meaningful to them yet.
If you are wondering how to choose dog toys your dog will actually use, start with what happens during play rather than the label on the product. It is easy to shop by object: ball, tug, frisbee, squeaker, dummy. But dogs experience the chase, the grab, the carry, the retrieve, the tug, the splash, the search and the interaction with you.
That is why two dogs can be offered the same toy and use it completely differently. It is also why one dog may ignore a perfectly good toy until you change the game around it.
When choosing a dog toy, start by watching which part of play your dog keeps trying to repeat. Do they want to chase, carry, retrieve, tug, shake, swim or search? Breed can offer useful clues, but the individual dog gives you the answer. Choose toys that make the games your dog already enjoys easy, safe and interactive.
How to Choose Dog Toys: Start With the Game
A common mistake is asking, “Which toy does my dog like?” I find it more useful to ask, “Which part of the game are they trying to repeat?”
Chase
Your dog lights up when something moves away, flies through the air or skims across the ground.
Retrieve
The fun is going out, picking something up and bringing it back to continue the interaction.
Carry
Your dog enjoys having something substantial in their mouth and may proudly parade it around.
Tug
The best part is the shared, close-contact game once the toy reaches you.
Water play
Swimming, splashing and retrieving from water may be more exciting than the same game on land.
Search and explore
Some dogs would rather find a toy, sniff, forage or investigate than repeatedly chase something.
You may recognise several of these in the same dog. That is useful. A dog does not need one fixed “play style”, and you do not need to put them into a box. You are simply looking for patterns in what they genuinely choose and enjoy.
Your dog’s favourite toy might actually be their favourite game. Watch the behaviour around the toy, not just the object itself.
Choose the Toy for the Job
Before choosing a toy, decide what you want the toy to do. A toy designed for supervised chase, retrieve or tug has a different job from something intended for sustained chewing or food enrichment. No single toy needs to fulfil every purpose.
This guide focuses mainly on interactive dog toys: toys you use to create shared games with your dog. If your dog would rather lick, chew, forage or solve a food puzzle, that is useful information too. The aim is not to persuade every dog to play in the same way. It is to notice what your dog finds enjoyable and choose accordingly.
Breed Can Give You Clues, but Your Dog Gives You the Answer
Breed history can help us make sensible guesses about the kinds of activities a dog may enjoy. Retrievers were selected for retrieving. Herding and sighthound ancestry can make movement particularly interesting. But breed is not a prescription, especially with crossbreeds.
Bear and Blue are a good example. Bear is a Labrador who loves water, retrieving and carrying something substantial in his mouth.
Blue is a lurcher-cross-collie. Movement and chase are hugely exciting for him. He will happily sprint after a flying toy, but the chase has historically been more rewarding than bringing the toy all the way back.
Neither dog proves what every Labrador, lurcher or collie will enjoy. They simply demonstrate why it is worth looking at the dog in front of you rather than assuming every dog should play in the same way.
Why I Use BOB for Bear and Aero-Tug for Blue
The two toys in the video create different games, which is exactly why I like having both available.
BOB: substantial retrieve, carry, water and tug
BOB is a substantial natural-rubber dummy with a textured body and bungee handle. It floats and gives a dog plenty to grip and carry.
For Bear, the appeal is obvious. He can swim for it, retrieve it, carry it proudly, tug with me and generally behave as though he has just returned from a highly important gundog assignment.
Aero-Tug: flight, chase, retrieve and tug on the return
Aero-Tug is a much lighter padded flying disc. It floats, is designed for catching and retrieving, and its bungee handle means the return can flow straight into interactive play.
That combination suits Blue beautifully. He gets the movement and chase he loves, then I can make coming all the way back worthwhile by rewarding the return with tug.
BOB and Aero-Tug are designed for supervised, interactive play rather than being left with a dog to chew. Choose an appropriate size for your dog, check toys regularly for damage and put them away when the game finishes.
The Toy Your Dog Chases Is Not Always the Toy They Will Bring Back
Blue is the part of this video I find especially useful from a training point of view.
Getting him to chase the Aero-Tug is easy. The moving toy is already rewarding. The return has taken more work.
So when Blue brings the Aero-Tug back to me, I do not simply take it away and throw it again. I use the handle to start another game he enjoys: tug.
That changes what happens at my end of the retrieve. Coming back is no longer just the boring admin required before the next throw. It becomes another opportunity to play.
If one part of a game is naturally strong and another part is weak, use what your dog already loves to make the weaker part more worthwhile.
This principle can be useful well beyond fetch. Play can reinforce recall, checking in, releasing a toy and returning to you. If you want to use tug more thoughtfully, my guide to playing tug safely with your dog explains how I keep the game cooperative and appropriate for the individual dog.
One Dog Can Enjoy More Than One Kind of Play
This is important because I do not want the Bear and Blue comparison to sound like “BOB is for Labradors and Aero-Tug is for collies or lurchers”. It is not.
Bear enjoys the Aero-Tug too. Blue will happily retrieve BOB. The same dog may want a flying chase game on one walk, a tug game another day, or a water retrieve when the weather and environment are suitable.
The value of having different toys is not that every walk needs a bag full of equipment. It is that different toys can make different games easier to create when those games suit the dog and the situation.
This sits alongside the broader idea of meeting your dog’s individual needs. Play is one part of a fulfilling life, alongside sniffing, exploration, rest, social connection, chewing, learning and simply having time to be a dog.
6 Questions to Ask Before Buying Your Dog Another Toy
1. What part of play does my dog actually enjoy?
Look beyond “likes balls” or “likes tugs”. Is the value in chasing, carrying, retrieving, pulling, searching or interacting with you?
2. Will this toy help me join the game?
A toy that creates shared play can be more useful for training than one your dog only takes away and enjoys alone.
3. Is it the right size and shape?
Your dog should be able to grip and carry it comfortably, while you still have enough space to interact safely.
4. Does it suit where we will use it?
If you play near water, buoyancy and visibility matter. If you want it for walks, consider how practical it is to carry.
5. Can I create more than one useful game?
Retrieve into tug, recall into chase, search into carry. Versatility can make one toy far more valuable.
6. Does my dog actually want it?
The specification sheet does not decide whether something is rewarding. Your dog does.
Want to Try BOB and Aero-Tug?
The Sprint & Splash Bundle pairs the two toys, giving you different ways to create chase, retrieve, tug and water games according to what your dog enjoys.
The bundle is currently 15% off automatically until 6 September 2026. No code is needed.
What if My Dog Is Not Interested in Toys?
Not every dog is strongly toy-motivated, and there is no requirement for every dog to love fetch or tug. Some dogs would rather sniff, search for food, explore, chew, interact socially or simply move through the environment.
If your dog has never cared much about toys, experiment gently with different games rather than repeatedly pushing toys towards them. Movement away from the dog can make a chase toy more interesting. A short tug may be more enjoyable than a throw. Hiding a toy can suit a dog who likes searching.
On the other hand, if a dog who normally loves toys suddenly loses interest, especially alongside stiffness, reluctance to move, changes in appetite or mouth sensitivity, I would consider a veterinary check rather than assuming they are simply bored.
Use Play as Information
Good play tells you a lot about your dog.
It tells you what they find reinforcing, how they like to move, whether they prefer distance or close interaction, how easily they can switch between excitement and thought, and what makes them want to come back to you.
That is more useful than simply buying the toy with the longest list of features.
If fetch is a big part of your dog’s play, add variety through tug, pauses, searching, sniffing and interaction rather than relying on endless throws. Play should remain one enjoyable part of the walk rather than becoming the only thing your dog can think about.
And if you are teaching a release, the two-toy Drop method is another example of using play itself as the reinforcement.
Need Help Turning Play Into Training?
If your dog loves toys but struggles with bringing them back, dropping them, becoming overexcited, disengaging from play or listening around exciting distractions, a 1:1 consultation lets us look at what your dog genuinely finds rewarding and build the training around that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose the best toy for my dog?
Start with the kind of game your dog already enjoys. Watch whether they repeatedly choose chasing, carrying, retrieving, tugging, searching, chewing or water play, then choose a toy that makes that activity easy and safe. Size, grip, durability and the environment you will use it in matter too.
Why does my dog ignore some toys?
The toy may not create a game your dog values, it may be presented in an uninteresting way, or your dog may simply prefer other activities. Some dogs enjoy toys only when a person brings movement and interaction to the game. A sudden loss of interest in previously loved toys can also warrant a health check.
Should I choose dog toys based on breed?
Breed tendencies can give you useful clues, but they are not rules. A retriever may enjoy carrying and retrieving, while herding or sighthound ancestry may make movement especially interesting, but individual experience and preference matter enormously. Watch the dog in front of you.
What toy is good for a dog who chases but will not bring it back?
Look for a toy that lets you make the return rewarding too. A retrieve toy with a tug handle can work well for dogs who enjoy interactive tug, because bringing the toy back can immediately start another game rather than simply ending the chase.
What is the difference between BOB and Aero-Tug?
BOB is a heavier natural-rubber dummy-style toy suited to substantial retrieves, carrying, water play and tug. Aero-Tug is a much lighter padded flying disc designed around flight, chase and retrieve, with a bungee handle so the return can become tug. Both float and both can be used for interactive tug.
Can BOB and Aero-Tug be left with my dog to chew?
No. Tug-E-Nuff describes both as interactive, supervised play toys rather than chew toys. Put them away when the game finishes and check them regularly for damage before playing again.
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