I did a double take when I spotted this pic! I thought perhaps this photo was meant for LilSugar, but these toys are going to the dogs. Compare more of the brand-new Fisher-Price pets line (offered starting this September in PetSmart stores) with the iconic children's set in this slideshow.
Time to build toys for dogs that need a challenge to distract them from separation anxiety or boredom! The new Kong Genius line features rubbery toys in three sizes and two shapes — Leo and Mike ($6 and up) — that can be attached together to great a long chain of fun.
The holes perfectly fit these new IQ treats made of 100 percent salmon (bye-bye creative shoving) or that super cool must have Stuff'in.
If you want to see these toys in action, see a short video and read more
It's not an easy task to choose a safe fetch stick since wood splinters are not safe for pup's tummy while shards of wood aren't exactly optimal when stuck in your hands while safely teaching tug. Still, there are many pups who long to play this way all day, every day. 
That's where these fake sticks come in. The Kong Pet Stix ($7–$10) are made of heavy-duty nylon for strong chewers and light on the stuffing for those creatures who sense, seek and destroy such toys. With many side "branches," the twig offers so many ways to get a grip. Is it time to go along to the park with this new toy?
The Zogoflex line is a perennial fave for crazy chompers! Made of tough yet pliable rubbery material, it's gentle on teeth but still built to last. Now, one common problem with the standard size is that the tiny pups can barely get a grip but West Paw Design recently released two new, lil products — Hurley and Zisc — the same as the existing toys with those names but minified.
Both toys still come in bright hues of Tangerine, Granny Smith, and Aqua and are totally dishwasher safe if they get too sandy during outside playtime. New Mini Zisc (6.5-inch instead of 8.5-inch) begins shipping in August but Mini Hurley (4.5 inch vs. the 6-inch small and 8.25-inch large) is available now!
Q: I'm doing an apartment purge and trying to figure out what to do with my pup's unused or gently worn toys. Can I wash and donate them to a shelter? Help!
A: First off, it's so great that you're thinking of other animals in need! You'll have to check with your local shelter as some will accept pet toys and others will not. If you are planning to donate, don't give any heavily used, ripped, or otherwise ruined toys. (Remember, if your pup discarded it for a missing squeaker, chances are so will the next pup.) Review my tips on how to clean dog toys of all kinds, get them fresh, and you're good to go.Typically, I've seen more hard toys in shelters than plush — for an aforementioned destruction factor — so think Kongs and balls of all types to start.
If any of you have experience donating toys, please share what you offered up in the comments below, and don't forget to pose your own problems or questions in the Pet Peeves group when you're done!
Flickr User: MShades
Since it's not plush or squeaky, some dogs don't care for the standard-issue, red rubber Kong. However this special model attracts pups with super sensitive sniffers and slows their roll — I mean their gobble — as it rolls. I think there's a certain type of pooch that would be into this Kong Wobbler ($10) toy but would that be yours?
From soft and squeaky to rubbery and flavored, my pooch will use any excuse to chomp, chomp, chomp away at toys. The one sound I've never tempted him with . . . would be a rattle.
While I thought these noisemakers were best left to my pal LilSugar, lo and behold, the Pajama Pal Rattles ($15). Meant for dogs — who apparently like stuffed animals in pajamas?! — yet, the knit shapes with charmingly embroidered details do seem rather delicate for canine roughhousing.
Hey, hey now, don't mock his taste in literature?! After all, Catch-22 Fetch-22 and To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mocking Squirrel sound right up North's alley. He shares my love for books, only these have bonus squeakers . . . and I won't be mad if he chomps it. While they don't impersonate shoes soles (like this toy), a $19 asking price puts them over the cost of both the real book and a squeaky toy combined.
I could easily see the words "Merry Christmas, little doggy" coming out of my mouth this month, but imagine a toy that says it for me. With a series of catchy catch phrases, the Holiday Doggie Babble Ball ($9) spreads cheer (and bah humbug) to furry friends.
Touch-activated, the toy's triggered by breath, paws, or even the vibration of a pet passing by — would your furballs love this or turn the other way?
Those aren't sticks, check out Antlerz ($19-$49), actual antlers shed naturally by actual deer. Outdoorsy company, Orvis, collects, cuts and cleans these real horns before packaging into a nonsplintering, eco-tastic dog toy for pups that have seen enough of the rubber and the plush. Would you spring for such a thing or is it a tad too lifelike for your liking?
