Best German Shepherd Toys

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The best toy for a German Shepherd Dog (GSD) is yet to be made. It has to be indestructible, not just durable. There are many of those, but one that will outlive the dog?

Not available.

So you will have to be happy with the second prize, which is that it will last a few weeks or months.

The best toy also has to be interesting and stimulating to the dog. Here we have a bit more luck...

Manufacturers have realized that you need to challenge and stimulate clever dogs like GSD’s and there are now amazing toys on the market. They even sometimes challenge humans...

Our Favorite German Shepherd Toys for Boredom



Best GSD-Proof Toy

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As you’ll find below, there’s no truly indestructible, or German Shepherd-proof dog toy. But the mighty Goughnuts is the closest we’ve tested. Here’s what your fellow GSD owners are saying about the Indestructible Chew Toy MAXX:

  • “We have 3 German Shepherds & they destroy every toy we buy them within a day, costing us hundreds of dollars (even all the toys marketed as “tough”). They love it and almost look frustrated because they CAN’T destroy it. Great product if you have heavy chewers.”
  • “My German Shepherd stopped chewing up sticks after getting this.”
  • “This is literally the only toy my German Shepherd has not been able to destroy.”

Best GSD Puzzle Toy

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Added health bonus:

Use it as a slow-feeder so your German Shepherd can’t wolf down his food in 2-seconds flat.

Why is that a health bonus, you ask? It reduces the chances of bloat in GSDs…and you don’t want your pup to get bloat. Trust me. :-(

Best Mind Game for GSD

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Is there a more challenging mind game than a rousing match of hide and seek? We think not and your German Shepherd meets his match with this toy.

Just remember that this toy is intended to exercise your GSD’s mind…not his jaws, so you should supervise playtime (at first, anyway) and consider ordering extra squirrels. :-)

Best Interactive GSD Toy

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This “snuffle mat” forces your German Shepherd to use his brain as well as his nose.

Best GSD Puppy Toys

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Best GSD Teething Toy

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Real-world reviews from your fellow German Shepherd owners:

  • “My 2 month [& 9 month] old German Shepherd puppy loves it!”
  • “Time hog”
  • “German Shepherd Approved”

Do You Really Have a Bored German Shepherd on Your Hands? Here’s How to Tell (& How to Squash It)

First, we need to look at 2 things:

1. Not every GSD that chews his way through a concrete wall is bored, so how can you tell he is bored?

Actually, chewing is a sign of boredom, especially when it is chewing something other than the toys lying around. But it can also be because of fear, anxiety, or medical issues such as inadequate nutrients in food.

Other definite signs are excessive barking, particularly when you are away, repetitive pacing (if you can see a worn path where he paces or runs all day long, that is a sure sign, do not ignore it!), and generally destructive behavior.

Remember that the dog is not aware that he is destructive, he is trying to alleviate a monotonous existence.

On the flip side, sleeping all day long is also a sign of boredom – it’s the only escape that is available to the dog into a more interesting world.

2. Look at yourself in the mirror: what are you not providing your dog (time, environment, etc.) that is causing him to be bored?

If you are working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and you travel to work and back, and you have family responsibilities to take care of, how much time is left for your dog?

Correct answer: not enough.

In this respect, farmers are ideal owners for GSDs, who love to be with you all day, every day, going places, seeing the world, smelling the flowers…you get the drift.

What do German Shepherds Like to do for Fun?

Sniff new scents. Find things using its nose and brains.

Herd. Herd. Run. Play. Work.

Stare at you with tilted head to make you love it more!

Are German Shepherds good guard dogs?

Chew, if nothing happens.

Sigh.

The dog, not you.

It can sigh while watching you that says explicitly it needs some fun!

Anything that involves physical and mental activity is fun for a GSD.

Lying around all day is not.

Peace and quiet = boring!!!

Fun Activities for German Shepherds

We are, unfortunately, not all farmers or people who work with the dog every day.

In fact, most GSDs will spend more than 90% of its life in the back yard. That being so, think how you would feel if confined to that space for the better part of every day.

The least you can do is make the back yard as interesting as you can. He must have his own space, please do not make everything a no-go zone:

  • Plant trees for shade and marking; shrubs that he can burrow through after things that rustle.
  • A digging pit where he can dig without being scolded.
  • A hideout where he can have privacy
  • Some stuff that he can climb over and onto and get a different perspective.
  • And most importantly: an outside view. The view will show him the world and different goings on every day. Yes, he will bark at some people or vehicles but it will be an alert bark, not the pathetic whining bark of a dog going out of his mind with boredom.

One of the better ways of preventing boredom is of course companionship.

Having another dog to play with, chase, sleep with, etc. is much better for a dog than facing each day alone. If you really are unable to keep 2 dogs, consider leaving a radio on a talk station where the dog can hear the human voices.

One of the reasons why solitary confinement is punishment is the lack of hearing the sound of another living being – human, or otherwise. Don’t sentence your dog to that.

Do you really consider “crating” your dog while you go to work is acceptable?

A Chihuahua, maybe.

But a large, intelligent, working dog like a GSD? Go lock yourself in the bathroom for hours on end every day and see what it does to you.

Being locked in gives them a sense of security?

Where are the threats, and why don’t you rather remove or address that? There is a delicate balance between not anthropomorphizing a dog and not acknowledging that it is sentient.

Walks should be part of your daily exercise routine with your German Shepherd. But consider the boredom factor here as well.

Take him on different walks to different places. Like the supermarket (of course, you have trained him to behave in public, haven’t you).

Take him swimming.

Go to a place where you can let him off leash so he can run.

Load him in your car and drive to a totally strange place that he has never explored before.

My GSD loved to spend the whole Sunday with us at the lake where we parked far away from others so that she could run, swim, play as much as she liked without bothering anyone. And she got to eat with us in her special vacation bowl that was only used for outings.

Happiness!

German Shepherds are extremely clever and inquisitive dogs. One of the best ways to have fun for both the dog and yourself is to do some formal training.

Obedience training is one thing (however, be very careful to select a trainer that doesn’t cause you to end up with a vicious, maladjusted “guard” dog).

Much more fun is agility, herding, and tracking.

These activities will stimulate your dog, work off excess energy, prevent mental and physical boredom, and you can compete against other dogs if you want to. It also happens to keep you, the owner, fit and interesting as well!

German Shepherd Fetch: Do GSDs Like to Play Fetch?

Yes, mostly. But not every German Shepherd.

Remember: GSDs are not retrievers.

To a Retriever, it comes naturally to chase, catch, bring back to you and drop it at your feet.

Well done, boy!

For a German Shepherd, fetch is just our word for what they see as “chase and catch”. They have a high “prey drive” and will chase something that looks like it’s running away. So you need to train them that fetch actually means “chase, catch but bring back to me”.

Some of them will fetch once and not again. His mind works like this: you have given him a task, he has done it, he sees no point in doing it again and again. He does not realize it’s a game, so again, it’s up to you to teach him that this is fun! Not work! The American Kennel Club has an excellent method for teaching your dog to play fetch.

How to Keep Your German Shepherd Busy While at Work?

If you can keep your GSD in a big backyard with interesting toys, exploration opportunities, a companion, views of the neighborhood, a den, food, and water (obviously) then you really do not have to worry too much about it keeping itself busy. Especially if you go for a long walk before you leave in the morning.

If you confine it in a house or an apartment for 6+ hours a day, you have a problem.

Walking first before you leave remains an important option so that the dog has had some stimulation and exercise before being left.

The view outside is even more important for a German Shepherd locked in a house than one in the yard. It knows there is a world out there and it will be much happier if it can see what is going on, rather than staring into four walls for hours.

Providing lots of toys and a den is a basic requirement.

Make the den a refuge that it can choose to access or not. Not a cage that it is locked in all day without the chance to move, explore, sniff, play.

If you aren’t able to have your German Shepherd in the whole of the house, leave it in a room with a window, the toys, the food and water, the den, etc. Still not ideal but better than being treated like a zoo animal.

Public Service Announcement: We’re not accusing, but someone has to ask the hard questions (& someone has to answer them):

What do you expect it to do about urinating and defecating?

Do you expect your dog to hold it in for 8 – 10 hours? What if you’re late?

Holding eventually leads to bladder infections, kidney stones, incontinence in old age, and chronic constipation.

Yes, you can train it to hold it but be prepared for the health consequences.

Consider getting a large dog litter tray or piddle patch and train it to use it. At least it provides the dog with the option to relieve itself without being scolded for soiling.

Indestructible, German Shepherd-Proof Toys

You really, really need an indestructible toy for German Shepherd Dogs.

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Why?

Because German Shepherds have the eighth most powerful jaws of all dog breeds, as measured by pounds of force per square inch (238 PSI).

Think eighth is not so bad?

Well, considering there are over 340 dog breeds in the world (yes, we know the AKC recognizes only193) that means a GSD is up there with the most powerful jaws.

When they chew, not much can withstand those crunchers.

“Indestructible” is a word a bit like “never”…a theoretical concept that can change in an instant. In the case of your German Shepherd, it can be anything from 10 minutes to a few years.

A bit of googling will provide you with many owners who report that their GSDs destroyed an “indestructible” toy with the casual ease of a man swatting a fly. Well, one can but try.

To begin, eliminate all those that won’t make it through the 10-minute barrier. Those include:

  • Plush toys. The fabric is no contest for the GSD teeth, and then we get to the real problem – the stuffing and squeaker (if any) are serious choking hazards. Don’t even try it, especially for an adult dog.
  • Latex and vinyl. That’s fine for the other 300 or so dog breeds, but just not strong enough for GSDs and their mates at the top of the jaw-crunching chain.
  • Toys made out of any material that can rip at all. Your GSD will rip it. Guaranteed.

Now that you are sufficiently dejected, there is good news!

There are a couple of toys that get good reviews all round – from owners, trainers, vets, working dog organizations and so on. These toys are probably the closest you are going to get to the ideal.

They come in different sizes for different dogs (large for GSDs, thank you),  different shapes (balls, bones, doughnuts) and are made from rubber or kevlar.

Brands?

Try Goughnuts, Kong and Nylabone.

Best Puzzle Toys for German Shepherds

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There are loads of puzzle toys on the market. Many of them can be stuffed with a treat, which means your dog has to use its brain as well as its nose.

This is good for your GSD, who is actually better at air scenting, but still. No harm in keeping those scent muscles in shape.

The advantage of the treat in the toy is that it keeps the dog going at the puzzle after it may have grown bored.

How many pushups would you do for nothing?

…But if you know there is an ice cream cone (or a beer!) at the end of the effort?

Bingo!

Some puzzle toys reveal treats by requiring the dog to scratch at discs or flaps to open up a compartment. This hopefully satisfies the GSD’s notorious need to dig but beware:

The toy (and environment where your dog is playing with it) needs to be really sturdy to stand up to those powerful paws and nails.

It is fun to fill the different compartments with different treats and, once the dog has worked out how to open them, see which ones he always goes for first.

Best Mind Games for German Shepherds

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And the difference between puzzle toys and mind games are…?

Gee, it’s a puzzle!

Where humans are concerned, there are 3 different kinds of mind games.

  1. The first is a form of conscious one-upmanship and is an aggressive, demoralizing way to behave. Lots of people with inferiority complexes play this game with dogs and other animals. So easy. So nasty. So abhorrent.
  2. The second is a largely unconscious game that establishes certain social relationships. Flirting is an easy example. This kind of game is not played with animals but they can be used in the process. Walking your dog with the ulterior motive of picking up girls, for example.
  3. The last one is the one that can also be applied to animals, dogs, and GSDs in particular. This game is a mental exercise that is engaged in to sharpen certain mental functions. Generally, a puzzle is considered to be a particular kind of mental exercise.

Now that we have done Psycho101, what games are there that can sharpen up your GSD’s mind?

1. The easiest one is to use your existing puzzle toys for a game of hide-and-seek.

Be creative but responsible when hiding the toy. Don’t make it too difficult to start with.

Eventually, you can build a whole obstacle course with various treats or treat-filled toys hidden in different places. Praise lavishly when he finds it.

This will stimulate your brain too!

2. Teach him a useful trick.

You need to know a bit about the basics of teaching a dog commands to do this one.

Teach him the names of objects, “newspaper”, for example.

Leave it on the floor and let him go fetch it. Then, instead of bringing it to you, teach him to deposit it in the paper recycling bin.

Voila!

He has learned to do a job (German Shepherds love doing jobs) and is helping you be a responsible citizen.

Lots of owners use this method to have the dog pick up all his toys and put them back into a bin or other container.

There are many more possibilities. Watch this GSD loading a washing machine!

Call me when yours knows how to pour a gin and tonic. With lemon.

Best Interactive Toys for German Shepherds

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What distinguishes an interactive toy (also called an enrichment toy) from a regular toy?

  • They are multi-functional.
  • They are mentally and physically stimulating.
  • They can be adjusted to different levels of difficulty.
  • They usually move in unexpected ways (it bounces in unexpected directions).

Puzzle toys are definitely interactive, especially the ones that reward the dog. This usually takes the form of treats.

Dogs lose interest in a new toy in, on average, in 2 and-a-half minutes.

Interactive toys are designed to keep them busy a bit longer than that, but you can get more bang for your buck if you:

  • Buy more than 1 toy and rotate them.
  • Fill treat dispensers with different treats.
  • Hide toys in different, creative places so he has to find them before he can play.

Homemade Dog Toys for German Shepherds

Well if big factories with state of the art synthetic material science and mind-blowing expensive machinery struggle to make safe indestructible toys, you may as well make those toys that will go to toy heaven in a week yourself at home at much less cost.

Lots of home-made toy recipes (is that the right word? It’s going to be chewed on…) use old socks, denims, or T-shirts.

Err.

I would think twice about “gifting” old socks, jeans, or shirts as toys because the dog does not know the difference between an old T-shirt fashioned into a toy and one you still want to wear.

Whatever material you use to make tug toys, balls, or whatever, think about what you do not want to accustom your dog to chew on.

Fleece strips plaited in all sorts of ways around old tennis balls make good toys, just keep your fleece jackets out of reach!

Also, have a look at the safety issues below for puppies, they are as important for adult dogs.

Nylon rope toys take a bit of time and skill to make, but will still be a lot less expensive than the commercial variety and will withstand quite a bit of GSD TLC (read “Chew like crazy”).

Once you know how to make the knots you can experiment with different shapes. Ensure that all loose ends are melted away so that fibers can not come loose. Use the thickest strongest rope you can find otherwise you will still only get 10 minutes’ play out of it!

The best homemade German Shepherd dog toy ever remains a sturdy stick..

German Shepherd assistant branch manager

Get one that fits the dog’s jaw comfortably  – not so small that it can be accidentally swallowed nor so large that it cannot get a grip on it.

Play stick fetch!

And they will gnaw on it for hours. So make sure it’s not from a toxic kind of tree.

Best Puppy Toys for German Shepherds

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Best Teething Toys for German Shepherd Puppies

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How come teething toys for German Shepherd puppies are different?

Well, they’re not, they just need a bit more thought than buying any old rubber bone with bells and whistles.

Durability

We already know that GSD dogs have extremely powerful jaws, and it is equally true for the pups.

Their toys need to be very strong and sturdy otherwise you will be buying toys on a weekly basis. They start teething at 3 – 8 weeks and it lasts until 6 – 8 months of age.

Safety

  • The toy must not be so small that it can get stuck in the puppy’s throat. Toys made for the small mouths of an 8-10-week old puppy may cause choking in a 6-9-month-old pup.
  • Neither must it have spikes, pins, springs, rough edges or anything else that can cause injuries to mouth or eyes.
  • There must not be any smaller parts that can come loose and when the toy is being chewed to pieces, those pieces need to be thrown away, and it is probably time to get rid of the toy itself as well. This includes long strips of material, ribbons, and string. For this reason, it’s not a good idea to give your puppy a rope toy that is friable. And most of them are.

Chemicals

The possibility that toxic chemicals can be released when a dog handles a toy is a consideration for adult dogs as well, naturally.

There are no laws to regulate the manufacture of pet toys.

While most rubber toys are made from the natural product and you would instinctively think it must be the best, that is not necessarily true.

In fact, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) toys are guaranteed non-toxic and they are usually recyclable. This “plastic” compound is even used for human consumption products and medical products.

Other undesirable chemical components include:

  • Phthalates
  • Bisphenol A (BPA)
  • PVC
  • Lead
  • Chromium
  • Melamine
  • Arsenic
  • Bromine
  • Formaldehyde

Health

While it is not necessary to get paranoic about bacteria it is a good idea to wash toys every so often.

Puppies are born with a fully developed physical immune system (non-specific or innate immunity) but it takes about a year for the immune response to develop fully (specific or adaptive immunity).

They need a bit more care to ensure that they are not overexposed to harmful bacteria that thrive on toys, especially chewing and teething toys.

Most toys have cleaning instructions printed on the packaging so don’t throw it away.

In general, toys that have any plastic or rubber parts are best washed by hand with hot soapy water, whereas plush toys and toys that are entirely made of natural fiber, without any artificial bits, can be tossed in the laundry machine.

Stimulation

Your German Shepherd puppy’s teeth and gums are itchy and even painful when he’s teething. The only way he knows how to relieve it is to chew!

A good teething toy, in addition to all the above, should provide tactile stimulation.

It is a challenge to find a toy that is soft enough to be chewed without harming the gums and growing teeth, but hard enough to provide that stimulation that will keep it coming back to the toy instead of looking for something better…like your shoes!

Ridged chew toys for puppies receive good reviews from puppy owners who report that it stimulates the gums without hurting it.

Desirability

Now here’s a difficult one.

One pup’s desire is another pup’s pet hate (excuse the pun).

  • The color apparently doesn’t come into it – you are the one who has to decide whether you prefer pink or green or whatever.
  • Teething toys that can be stuffed with treats like pieces of dog biscuit, or peanut butter, will help to keep the pup interested in the toy and hopefully lure it away from your possessions.
  • Chewing toys that bounce (it can be something different than a ball) can be chased, which is right up your GSD puppies’ alley!
  • Most pups like cold things to chew on so you could choose a toy that can be frozen. Or just give him some frozen cubes of beef stock. Yum!

Think Ahead

Chances are good that whatever you give the pup during his teething phase is the toy he is going to prefer for the rest of his life.

So do not give him any toy that resembles anything you will not want him to chew on later! Specific things NOT to give your German Shepherd puppy:

  • Socks
  • Old shoes (he doesn’t know the difference between old and new shoes!)
  • Balled-up clothing
  • Anything that comes out of the bathroom
  • Bags, any bags – especially not plastic bags (suffocation is a terrible way to die)

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