5 Great Dog Toys: Gifts Your Greyhound Will Love

You saw this one coming...

American Kennel Club's AKC-approved stuffed bunny is soft and cute and fairly realistic - it's almost like they had a greyhound in mind when this toy was designed. Good quality, too. Actually, I wouldn't mind having one of these for myself.

Squeaky tennis balls are very popular around here, both with the hounds and with the humans. They're small enough to tuck into a pocket, ready to play a game of fetch at a moment's notice - or, in the case of greyhounds, to play a game of "you throw the ball and I'll chase it and grab it and run mad high-speed circles around you as I chomp down on my trophy and enjoy the squeaking noise it makes." Greyhound owners, you know exactly what I'm talking about here!

These are not chew toys, let it be said up front, so do supervise play. Also, squeaky tennis balls can be punctured by a pointy canine tooth, so the squeaker stops working. When the squeaker stops working, most greys will lose all interest... which is when you can pass the non-squeaking tennis balls off to a less demanding dog, like your friendly neighborhood Lab.

Rope toys in general are a good choice for greyhounds, as they are easy for them to get those narrow muzzles latched onto and are great for use in training the all-important "leave it" command. I like the Dog Toy Tag Rope Ball because it really keeps a greyhound's interest, with lots of floppy bits that flap around when you toss the ball. Some of the pieces make an intriguing crackling noise, too, which will make those little rosette ears perk right up!

One caveat, though - this particular toy is not suitable for leaving with your dog, as some of it has stuffing which a determined chewer can remove and may ingest. I'd supplement this one with a couple of basic knotted rope toys for when you can't supervise closely enough to let your grey play with the Tag Rope Ball.

For greyhounds who like to get right down to ripping the stuffing out of their stuffed toys before you can leap to the rescue - consider an unstuffed toy. Skinneeez is one brand we like, but there are two or three others just as good.

The ever-popular unstuffed toy comes in a variety of animal characters (I'm trying hard to resist the skunk) and in a couple of different sizes. The 24-inch one is, I'd say, the ideal size for a greyhound's toy - he can have loads of fun flipping it into the air and stepping on it as he drags his prize around.

From a dog's perspective, what's not to like about the Kong Wobbler?

You paw at the toy and it wobbles wildly all around in unpredictable directions, dispensing yummy treats all over the floor. Hours of fun!

Now, with a greyhound who is relatively fresh off the track and still in that "spaced out" state of mind in his new home, expect the Kong Wobbler to be a bit alarming to him. My tip - put a dab or two of peanut butter on it, and he'll soon get interested! Easy to wash, and a very durable "interactive feeding puzzle" your greyhound will come to love.