Buying commercial dog toys can be very expensive at times. You are also not 100% sure if they are safe to your canine pet. Some dog toys contain deadly toxins and chemicals that may be detrimental to your dog’s health. Other pet chews and toys also have lead components that can cause vomiting, poor appetite and dog’s diarrhea.

Though dog toys are not a necessity, they can play an important role in sustaining your dog agility while training him to be independent and boosting his confidence. They can also provide entertainment and keep your dog preoccupied and physically active all day long.

To make sure that the toys you give to your k9 are safe and non-toxic, why not make simple homemade dog toys yourself? Here are a few ideas on how to make dog toys from recyclable materials that can be found in comfort of your home:

Rope Dog Toy

To make this simple homemade dog toy, an old towel or handkerchief and scissors will be needed. Cut about 4 inches of strips of towel along the end then bundle the strips together to create a knot. Afterwards, braid your strips together and until 3 inches from the end. Voila, as simple as that, you have a nice little rope dog toy!

Gutless Fleece Dog Toy

You will need 9 feet of rope and a can of 3 tennis balls. Begin by placing one tennis ball in a clamp. With the use of a drill, make a hole through the tennis ball. Next, thread the rope through the holes. Tie a simple knot near the ball. Knot the ends of the rope to avoid fraying. Finally, tie a second knot near the ends of the rope.

Water Bottle Dog Toy

Making this homemade dog toy is so easy. All you need are an empty water bottle and popcorn kernels. The bottle can either be small or large in size. Start by unscrewing the top off the bottle and place about a tablespoon of popcorn kernels inside.

Rope Dog Chews

If you have old ropes that are not being used, tie several knots at each end to make a homemade dog toy for fetching and chewing.

The abovementioned ideas for homemade dog toys can help you save a great deal of money. Bear in mind, however, that you need to supervise your dog whenever he plays with these homemade dog toys. Check them for any damage to avoid choking or the ingestion of parts.



By: Andrei Smith

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Golden retrievers have a special knack for stuffing their face with stuffed toys. They seem to be born with a craving for stuffed toys. I know my golden, Nikki, already had a penchant for stuffed toys at the age of six to eight weeks old.

She is an amazing Certified Therapy Dog but, she will steal resident’s stuffed toys if I would allow her to. Now, for those of you who are handy with the needle, you could remove the stuffing, and fill the toy with tough fabric instead, that way, it will last forever!

I think that dogs feel closer to being a dog when they actually have a stuffed toy in their mouth. They feel that they have caught it. They can carry it around, they can claim it, they can retrieve it (especially retrievers), and it is theirs. And, it feels good to them. After a while, the smell of this stuffed toy becomes awful to us, but great to the dogs.

Depending on the breed you have, some dogs will kill the stuffed toys, some dogs will love it, sleep on it and snuggle with it. Retrievers will consistently have it in their mouth when you return home.

By far, the cheapest way to keep your dog in stuffed toys is buying cheap, right sized stuffed animals at garage/yard sales. I wash them in hot water, and a bit of Solumel (Melaleuca household cleaner that helps get rid of bacteria and it is animal and nature friendly), this is very important! Then, I remove all the detachable; lose things like eyes, whiskers, etc. These toys are a very cheap alternative to expensive pet store toys.

Be very careful though that you check and make sure that this toy is not stuffed with small, styrofoam beads. Avoid those. You can easily tell by squishing the toy in your hand. Dogs often rip open their stuffed toys, and the styrofoam beads could become a hazard to your dog.

I know of some big dogs that shake their stuffed toy to so much that they are actually killing it. If you have more than one dog watch that the other dog doesn’t get hurt by the toy that is being shaken. It is easy to have your other dogs eye get punctured or hurt.

So to repeat the question, why do dogs like stuffed toys? Well, it seems that we all love stuffed toys. Adults have them, kids love them, cats play with stuffed mice, and dogs claim them to kill it, to claim it, or just to love it.



By: Ruth Bird

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It’s a sad fact that many of the most dangerous toys are favourites. Thousands of cheap, unsafe toys are finding their way onto the market place with little being done to stop them. How many unsafe toys are there on the shelves that we just don’t know about? Potentially dangerous toys are a serious issue, but the scale of the problem is not yet big enough to spark an exodus of U. Despite industry standards and ongoing improvements, dangerous toys are still widely available and sold. Dangerous toys can be classed as toys with parts that young children can choke on, stick up their nose, or otherwise hurt themselves with: sharp corners, fast-moving, massive projectiles, etc. Children’s toys can become dangerous if they are misused or if they fall into the hands of children who are not old enough to play with them. Just looking around car boot and garage sales will show you where most of the older and dangerous toys are bought and sold. People think they are getting a bargain but what is the real cost?

Millions of dangerous toys which are for sale on shelves are being recalled every day because of various reasons. There are several different factors that can make a toy dangerous. Toys with magnets are high on the list due to the lead content, and the fact that young children can swallow, or push the small detachable parts in the toys where they shouldn’t go. Many toys that are recalled have high levels of lead in the surface paint; lead being dangerous because it is poisonous. Any kinds of magnets in your toys should put the toy high on the dangerous toys list. The majority of dangerous toys have little parts which can be removed and swallowed by a young child. Toy parts that can easily become lodged in a child’s throat have led to many incidents of death and brain damage yet can still be found in newly designed toys. You should check all toys for loose or small parts which you feel may be dangerous to your kids. It is also dangerous for your kids to play with toys which are meant for older children. From time to time, inspect your kids’ toys for any wear and tear which can make them dangerous. .

Toys and games represent a thirty (30) billion-dollar-a-year industry. Toys caused an estimated 150,000 visits to the emergency room last year. Toys should be solid, strong and well made. Toys should have lasting interest and not just be the latest on the market. You can visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC website. They publish a list of toy recalls. Parents and children alike have a right to expect that the toys they select and play with are designed with the child’s safety in mind. The first line of defence for toy safety must be safe design and manufacture. The current state is that many parents will never know when a product has been recalled.

Protecting our children from unsafe toys will always remain the majority of parent’s number one concern, but when will it become the number one priority within toy industry and the government regulatory bodies. The toy companies, retailers and the Government must listen and act when dangerous toys are brought to their attention so that we don t see the same hazards and the same injuries reappearing year after year. Dangerous toys are not as common as they used to be, but they are still out there. Parents, guardians and carers still must continue to check that the toys they are buying are correctly labelled with the CE mark confirming the toy is safe. Where, for example, dangerous toys are being sold that could cause serious injury to unsuspecting children, the Office of Fair Trading must be able to remove those toys from outlets.



By: Rachel Harding

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From:http://www.buy-china-toys.com/

  Selling toys to kids is no child’s play. Toys “R” Us, a $13.79 billion company based in Wayne, N.J., is trying to run with the market leader — Wal-Mart — by building toy “supercenters” around the country.

  The grand opening of the first toy superstore in Georgia is Friday.

  The store is filled not just with toys, but the latest hopes of a retailer that has seen competitors like FAO Schwartz file for bankruptcy. And Toys “R” Us has faced losing market share to Wal-Mart and Target’s low prices.

  Called “R” stores for short by the company, Toys “R” Us is putting cribs, strollers, diapers and onesies under one roof with Hannah Montana electric guitars, Harley Davidson-branded Big Wheels and Ripsticks, a two-wheeled skate board.

  The supersized, 70,000 square foot toy store here is anchoring a new strip mall, The Plaza, at 3480 Financial Way in Buford, a suburb near Lake Lanier. It’s the seventh “super” toy outpost nationwide for the 60-year-old retailer. Toys “R” Us CEO Gerald Storch says 19 more are planned this year.

  In Georgia, there are 17 Toys “R” Us, nine Babies “R” Us stores, one side-by-side store and one supercenter.

  “Eleven years ago, we started Babies ‘R’ Us as a standalone (store),” said Storch. “But we fractured the traffic so parents would have to choose between them. In this era, people don’t want to go to multiple places.”

  Toys “R” Us also has upgraded its aisles and inventory to look more like Target, known for fashionable gear and trendy looks at a cheaper price.

  “The stores were not in fighting shape when I got here,” said Storch, the former No. 2 executive at Target who’s headed Toys ‘R’ Us since 2006.

  Toys “R” Us is owned by KKR, Bain Capital, and real estate firm Vornado Realty Trust. They took the toy chain private in a $6.6 billion deal in 2005.

  Storch says Toys “R” Us is not a discount brand like Target, and the changes reflect the desire to be “the authority” on everything from baby bottles to toys. He emphasized he is not copying Target, but doing things that make sense for selling toys — like branding aisles pink for girls or blue for boys, and including pictures on the signs so kids can read them too.

  Three toy industry watchers said it makes sense for Toys “R” Us to team up Babies “R” Us because the baby business is year-round, while toys are seasonal, peaking over the holidays.

  “Babies ‘R’ Us is successful and not seasonal,” said Sean McGowan, an analyst with Needham & Co. in New York. “That’s probably the biggest ‘Aha.’ “

  He said this toy story is really turning around. “This was a broken story,” he said. “It looked like the chain couldn’t survive Wal-Mart and was on its death march. But they didn’t separate [Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us], they hired some world-class executives and it started to dawn on everybody that they are really going to turn around.”

  Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a national retail consulting and investment banking firm in New York, said that Toys “” Us “has gone through a lot of pain.”

  About 15 years ago, when he consulted for the company, Toys “R” Us led the American toy market with a 28 percent market share, he said. Today, their market share has dropped to 16 percent, with Wal-Mart at 26 percent. Target is third.

  “And the toy department in Wal-Mart is only 5,000 square feet, but they have a lot of stores,” said Davidowitz. By combining the babies and toy stores, Toys ‘R’ Us is trying to create a destination, he said, which is “logical.”

  Jim Silver, editor and chief of Toys and Family Entertainment in New York, said the new concept makes sense.

  Said Silver: “People are creatures that often don’t change. This will be a one-stop shop from the time a child is born.”

  That was true for Amy Rundell of Duluth, who was shopping at the new store in Buford on Wednesday. She has a 19-month-old daughter, Molly, a 7-year-old son, Max, and is expecting another baby.

  She was happy she won’t have to drive out of her way anymore to go to a Babies “R” Us store. “This is great. One stop,” she said, hauling the loot that the kids’ grandmother and great-grandmother had just bought for them, including blocks, coloring books, school supplies and baby food.

  Storch said that’s the point.

  “We think we can do even better with Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us by merging their strengths,” he said.

  The company still plans to build more Babies “R” Us standalone stores. But going forward, the strategy will also include more superstores, or Babies “R” Us areas within the smaller Toys “R” Us footprints. One of those is in the works for Savannah. Storch said the company’s goal is to open about two dozen converted stores and 20 new superstores per year.



By: utut1

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Dogs can get bored and restless easily. This is usually when they cause problems. They need to be stimulated through play. Your dog needs plenty of playtimes with you, but you can’t always play with your dog and this is when toys are important. Toys can satisfy a number of a dogs needs. There are some basic toys available for dogs today and hundreds of different selections. When choosing toys for your dog, consider its size and what it enjoys doing.

First off, toys must be appropriately sized for dogs. Logically, small toys are better for small dogs and large toys are better for larger dogs. You can see how a small toy would probably be destroyed or swallowed by a large dog and a large toy would be too big for a small dog’s mouth. Along this same line of thinking, you should match the toy to your dog’s chew strength. Heavier chewers would need stronger, more durable toys and softer chewers would need lighter, easier to gnaw on toys. Puppies would need softer toys that should be replaced as the dog grows.

You may walk in a dog store and pick out toys that are colorful. Unfortunately, a dog has a difficult time distinguishing color and it would be wiser to pick out toys of different shapes, sizes, flavors and smells. Remember, a dog’s strongest sense is smell, so choose toys with aromas. A selection of five or six toys, that are rotated frequently, should be enough to keep your pet actively engaged.

There are different toy categories to choose from and the deciding factor will be what your dog likes to do. There are chewing toys, fetching toys, playing toys and puzzle and treat toys. If your dog just loves to chew, then supplying him with some chew toys will keep your favorite slippers safe. An aggressive chewer should be suited with a hard rubber and nylon toy that won’t be easily broken down. Chew toys are also ideal for dental health, so they will be a good option for almost any dog. Balls and Frisbees are always fun when playing fetch. The rope toy is great for a game of tug of war, but be cautious of playing this with an overly aggressive dog. Squeaker toys and glow or light up toys will keep your dog’s interest, while the soft and plush toys are cute and fun. Treat toys will help with training and also ease a dog’s separation anxiety. For the high energy and intelligent dogs, puzzle and treat teaser toys will test their minds. They teach the dog through play with them by hiding a treat inside. Just be careful to check all toys for possible pieces that may come loose and be swallowed.

As you can see, there are many types and selections of toys available to entertain and stimulate your pet. Taking into account their size, likes, chewing strength and intelligence, you can find the most suitable toys to keep their playtime interesting and fun.



By: Matthew Hick

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Every individual who loves their pet wants to give the best care for him. This can be with regard to dressing up, medical help, and cute dog toys. There are lots of innovative toys for your pet dog to play with. A range of collection of toys is introduced year after year, to suit the needs of your pets. These toys are a product of new innovative concepts and ideas. They come in attractive colours and shapes. The sizes are also small and cute so that they can be well played by your pet dog. These toys are replicated from the original pieces in colour as well as designs. This makes dog toys all the more interesting and cool as well as fun to play with.

All of the toys are made up of good material and cosy texture so that your pets can feel comfortable to its touch. Plush dog toys are stylish pieces of toys and are shaped as a cream filled pastry, a dummy credit card, a glass of juice, a bone piece, etc. All these are made up of soft cloth and filled up with cotton to give the shape of a soft toy. These are liked very much by all pets but it goes without saying that it is always the bone shaped toys that are the most sellable ones. Plush toys can be easily washed as pets often use their mouth to pick up the toys. Dog toys surely will get dirty, so a regular washing is necessary to have them always neat and tidy. There are several other types of toys like a set of glass and a jug or a pot, a pair of high heeled shoes, a Christmas house set, etc. These toys are available in fun theme toy sets so that your pet can learn to play in an organised form. This also brings awareness to your pet that shoes are worn or kept in pairs and a jug is used to pour water in the glass, etc. In this way you can take the help of dog toys to teach them healthy lessons and you can train your pet to use them appropriately.

There are other toys which are meant for chewing purposes. The chewable dog toys are for pets that have an itching tooth and love to tear off things. These toys when chewed squeeze in the mouth and spread out a wild squeak when released or left by the pet. Pet dogs find these chewable toys very interesting and they love to play with it. These dog chew toys are manufactured, with great emphasis upon the quality and hygiene hence they are absolutely fine for your pets. They can also be used by small pups as the toys are very colourful. Also the attractive sizes of the toys, which match the size of the pets make it dearer to them. Dog toys do get worn and torn out; throw them out and its time to buy new ones.



By: Jane Molano

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Welcome to our Hubpage that’s all about Star Wars Lego toys! The Star Wars galaxy is one of the biggest science fiction films which has been awfully popular for decades now, thanks to the flicks, the comics, the computer games, the merchandise and the various cartoon versions of it, and Lego fans have had lots to collect in the world of Star Wars Lego toys.

Over time, a huge number of the well known stores, film characters and scenes have been recreated in Lego form, giving Star Wars fans old and young the chance to build and enjoy their favourite things from the Star Wars films. there were tiny scale sets and huge dioramas, and the selection has offered brilliant Star Wars Lego building blocks for e ach budget and interest.

So whether it is the original Star Wars trilogy, any of the prequels, the CGI versions like The Clone Wars, the console games or the big Star Wars galaxies, there’s the best Star wars Lego money can buy! Let’s take a look at the various kinds of Lego Toys that have been provided in the Lego variety….

There have been a good number of brilliant Lego toys and play sets available for each of the 6 Star wars science fiction films, so whether you are an old-skool original trilogy fanatic or a lover of the more recent Star wars prequels, there is some grand Star wars Lego out there so you can gather and enjoy. The original shipss, including the Millenium Falcon, the X-Wing, the TIE Fighter, and even the Imperial Destroyer, were all recreated as fantastic Lego toys, allowing fans to recreate the film as Lego with the excitement and battles of the first trilogy.

Followers of the prequel movies were treated to a huge choice of items and play sets relating to those films, including assorted ships and other vehicles ( from both sides of the war ), dioramas (such as the very preferred Genosian arena from Episode 2: Attack of The Clones) and naturally, the characters themselves.

Lego Star Wars toys have been an enormous pull for Star Wars lovers ever since the first bits came out to the public. As with all Lego, when you have made the vehicle (or starship) in the way it would be put together, you are then in a position to make changes, add to and try different things with the Lego designs and more, providing you with even more possibilities to create your official Star Wars merchandise and create your own versions of the mythical ships and scenes from the film!

After the most recent trilogy had been completed, along with the CGI ‘Clone wars’ clips, where next for the Star Wars franchise? The answer arrived in the form of the latest computer animated Clone Wars TV series.

The animated series started with a extra long length episode of the series that were shown at cinemas all over the world. While the Clone Wars television series and the theatre release were both had a meeting with a walm hearted reception, the authentic toys for Star Wars: The Clone Wars has demonstrated to be a major success with fans old and young. The stylized versions of favourite characters, ships and locations in space, mixed with a few really good brand new characters like Ahsoka, have been very hip indeed.

A serious bit of the Clone Wars merchandise on the market is undoubtedly the Clone Wars Lego toys and play sets. The Lego makers have really acheived a great job bringing the stylized vision of the Star Wars galaxies to the Lego toy trade, and collectors have been having a blast with the new versions of favourite star ships and scenes. Clone wars lego is turning out to be one of the best ranges of Star wars Lego than ever before!

There in addition has been a sequence of good interactive games released based upon mostly on the Star Wars Lego toys variety. How brilliant could that be?! One of these hit interactive games were based on the recent films, and the follow up covered the first films. There’s also a version which is known as ‘The Complete Saga’, which goes across all 6 parts in the Star Wars film episodes. The translation of the Lego Star wars ideas to the interactive games platform has been a massive success with both fans of Star Wars and the interactive games generation generally. All the classic film scenes and best film characters are present, including the awesome lightsabre battle with Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode one : The Phantom Menace. The Lego Star Wars interactive games are among the best Star Wars games ever, and certainly great fun!



By: Loyd Dennis

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Rawhide dog toys are very popular. Found in pet stores, grocery stores, and even dollar stores, they would seem like a safe bet. But that is not the case. As the saying goes, caveat emptor (buyer beware).

Rawhide treats offer many benefits. They are relatively cheap, dogs enjoy them, and they help with overall teeth and gum health. Multiple shapes and sizes are available, so the right type can be found for any dog, toy breeds and large working dogs alike. Because of these benefits – and the relatively low number of cases where dogs have been injured – many owners often give rawhide treats to their dogs.

If you choose to give your dogs rawhide treats, you should keep in mind that there are health risks. Rawhide is dried out animal hides, typically cow, horse, or bull hide. The material is cleaned up and processed into the chunks sold as rawhide chew toys. The processing includes two industrial steps, the first being to clean off the membranes, meat, fat, muscle, etc. from the skin. The second step is to clean off the hairs on the outside. According to Dusti Summerbird-Lockey this process typically involves the use of chemical solutions, with cocktails that include Ash-Lye or Lime and then a cleaning with a bleach solution.

In addition to the chemicals themselves, another issue that emerges with rawhide treats, especially when related chewable items like pig ears and beef jerky treats are included, are bacterial infections that can be picked up from handling the items. In 1999, the FDA released a warning to consumers regarding a medical problem occurring in Canada where humans had been showing signs of illness attributed to handling these items. The FDA cautioned that “These products may pose a risk of bacterial infection such as Salmonella infantis which can cause flu-like symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea) in normally healthy people, but may cause far more serious – even life-threatening injury in immune-compromised patients.” Arsenic based preservatives are used by some manufacturers, though it is not legal to use for rawhide made within the U.S.

Assuming that the treat itself does not have any toxic chemical or bacterial traces, is it safe? Not necessarily. Rawhide treats pose a choking hazard and the risk of intestinal problems. When chewed the rawhide becomes wet and slippery, allowing the dog to gulp down more than he can swallow or digest. That creates choking risks as well as problems with GI blockage if the piece makes its way to the dog’s digestive track. GI distress is also reported both due to digestion difficulties as well as bacteria.

If you choose to give your dog rawhide treats, do so carefully. Make sure to buy products made in the US and to carefully monitor your dog’s chewing. Do not let him swallow large chunks of rawhide. Supervision of his chew time can increase his safety, but there are plenty of other toys that are just as fun and much safer, such as Kong chew toys that can be stuffed with flavorful treats even better than rawhide.



By: Jon Dakins

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