Care guide

Safe Toys, Chews and Beds

Pick toys too big to swallow, skip hard chews, rawhide and bones, watch your puppy while it chews, and throw out toys that are falling apart.

What to do

Choose toys and balls too big to be swallowed or to fit fully inside your puppy's mouth.
For chewing, pick toys that bend a little. If a toy won't bend, it's too hard for growing teeth.
Watch your puppy while it chews, even with toys made for puppies. No toy is completely safe.
Play tug with rope toys together, then put them away so your puppy can't shred and swallow the threads.
Throw toys away once they rip, lose stuffing or have parts coming off, and don't let your puppy pull out squeakers.
Keep socks, shoes, hair ties, children's toys and other small things out of reach, and rotate a few safe toys.
If your puppy chews its bed, take soft bedding out when you can't watch, so it can't swallow the stuffing.
If you think your puppy swallowed part of a toy or chew, call your vet now.

Don't

Don't give rawhide, pig ears, bones of any kind, antlers or hard nylon chews to a puppy.
Don't give a small puppy a ball it can fit fully in its mouth.
Don't leave your puppy alone with toys it can rip apart.

When to call your vet

Vomiting
Not eating
Belly pain
Diarrhea
Low energy
Choking

Why

Puppies explore with their mouths and can swallow squeakers, stuffing, rope threads or chunks of chews, which can cause choking or a gut blockage. Very hard chews can break teeth.

Sources

Guide reviewed 9 October 2026.

General information from the sources above, not a diagnosis. When in doubt, call your vet.