Living with a Mastiff: part 2 Toys

It is always important to be sure that any toys given are appropriate for your dog. Not many toys can hold up to the Mastiff. By the time a Mastiff is six months old most toys present a serious choking hazard.

• No balls smaller than a soccer ball should be played with. And realize that no soccer ball or basketball can hold up to a Mastiff’s canines.
  
  
• Mastiffs can easily break pieces of rubber and plastic toys. This can cause serious internal problems and result in surgery. The black Kong is one of the few toys that can hold up to Mastiff chewing.
  
  
• An empty plastic liter soda bottle with the label removed can be a fun, cheap toy and it is interesting to see inside your mastiff’s mouth through the bottle. Once the bottle is finally defeated and begins breaking it must be taken away as the plastic can be sharp. Freezing water in the bottle can make it last a bit longer for supervised summer fun.
  
  
• Not all Mastiffs are shredders so large stuffed toys may be fine. Some of the new heavy canvas toys with heavily serged seams can hold up much longer but they can be expensive.
  
  
• You must supervise all toys and remove any loose stuffing or squeakers. Also once pieces start coming off plastic or rubber toys they must be removed.