There are few things in life that make me happier than seeing Mara wide-eyed over a new toy. While Logan is definitely a treat boy, Mara is all about the squeakers.
If you are a new dog mom and haven't checked out our post about the Top 20 Must-Haves for Your New Puppy, check it out. We touched a little bit on buying a toy from each category (plushies, Kong toys, squeaky balls, chew toys, etc.) to see which type your pup likes versus buying every cute or cool toy you see and watching the rejects slowly sink to the bottom of the toy basket, never to be seen again.
HOWEVER...
This post is not about all the random toys in the universe, this post is about Mara's Top 3 No-Fail, 100% Must, Need-Need Toys that every pup needs to own at some point in their life.
So without further adieu let's get into it.
Top 3 Must-have dog toys
1. IKea Gosig Golden Dog
When Mara was about a year and a half, one of my girlfriends gave me an extra little Golden Retriever from Ikea (AKA Gosig Golden) in exchange for helping her move. Oh my word - Mara's favorite toy of all time. "Puppy" is a children's toy and does not have any squeakers BUT it is the most perfect basic plush puppy in the world. The fabric is very soft, and the dog is super cute. I have accidentally mistaken it for Mara laying on the ground more than once - Yikes... I need new glasses, I know.
We will be purchasing another since Logan has destroyed #2 and #3; however, it is frequently out of stock (as it is now). When it becomes available again we will be purchasing two in the 15 3/4 size (the other size is ugly and way too big). They are only $8.99 and last a long time if your dog is not a chewer. Since there are no squeakers, I have found that Mara doesn't chew holes in it. She only tends to make holes when she is trying to get to the squeaky parts.
2. Multipet Lambchop
Another no-fail dog toy is the Multipet Lambchop. We got Lamby as a gift from one of Mara's doodle friends and like the Gosig Golden dog above, we are on "Lamby" #3 (and he already needs major back and spine surgery). The Lambchop has several squeakers and is actually a dog toy, in contrast to the Gosig Golden children's toy. There are various sizes of Lambchops out there, but the 10" is where it's at. The bigger size isn't as cute (kind of creepy lookin') and isn't as engaging in our experience. The squeaker in Lamby's back has lasted a decent amount of time for how disheveled the rest of the body is.
I guess Logan doesn't care about that part...
The 10" Lambchops are inexpensive at $5.99 a pop on Amazon, and are a Goldendoodle-proven favorite. Two of my close doodle mama friends commented on a recent IG post I had about Lamby and said "We have bought about 10 lambs" and "[my friend's dog] got that same lamby and was obsessed <3."
3. Zippy Paws Miniz/Zippy Paws Burrow Toys
Mara has always been a plushy lover. There is no feeling comparable to the one I get when I pull a new Zippy Paws toy from my bag and see Mara's little face light up. While they are available in pet stores, I think the best place to find the cute ones are online or *dog mom secret* Home Goods.
Each burrow toy consists of a foam shell and three mini squeaker toys. The mini squeaker toy has one relatively low quality round squeaker that fails after 10 minutes; however, pet stores and other online retailers sell the Miniz as separates for $2.50-$3.50 each if you want replacements.
We have purchased no less than 50 replacements, and purchased some individual Seahorse, Shark, and Fish Miniz as party favors for Mara's "3 Under the Sea" Party.
Although the quality of the Miniz is a little frustrating (solely because Mara loves them so much and gets so sad when the squeaker dies), the teeny price tag makes me care less than if it was a more substantial investment.
Perhaps the best thing about the burrow toys and Miniz, though, is the VARIETY! They always have the cutest seasonal styles that are perfect for gifts and parties (and Instagram if that's your thing). In fact, when I was grabbing examples for this post I saw the CA-YU-TEST new toys from the Zippy Paws Easter collection!
Yes, the little Easter egg and animals burrow toy is in my Amazon cart.
Here are a few classic dog toys:
1. Hot Cocoa and Marshmallows (Have purchased more "marshies")
2. Milk and Cookies (We've had so many that Mara knows the word "cookie")
3. Unicorns in Rainbow (Like come on... seriously how cute is this)
And here is a screenshot of some new, relevant to current times ones (LOL the Dogecoin- To the Moon one):
Conclusion
I hope that you and your pup loved these suggestions!! I would love to hear which toys are your Top 3! We passed Lamby at the pet store hundreds of times until we received it as a gift and fell in love. You never know what will become an obsession for your pup until you give new toys a try!
Happy shopping! Happy playing!
xoxo,
Tiffany