Your dog has a favorite toy. They carry it from room to room, bring it to you when you sit down, and somehow always know where it is. If they love that one so much, do they really need other types of toys?
A mix of toys can be useful because different toys give your dog different things to do. A plush they like to carry serves a different purpose from a chew toy or a ball they bring back to you. Humane World for Animals recommends offering toys for a range of activities. Humane World for Animals: Choosing dog toys
There’s also the toy they adored last week and now barely look at. What changed? Research on how dogs respond to familiar toys offers a clue.
Why do dogs lose interest in their toys?
There’s a name for becoming less responsive to something after repeated exposure: habituation.
In a 2012 study published in Animal Cognition, researchers repeatedly offered toys to 16 kennel-housed Labrador retrievers. They found that the dogs’ declining interest was consistent with habituation to the toy’s overall qualities. In everyday terms, the toy had become familiar. Pullen, Merrill & Bradshaw, 2012
The study was small and involved kennel-housed dogs, so it doesn’t tell us exactly when your dog will get bored at home. It also doesn’t establish that dogs have a universally “short attention span,” or that they need a new toy every month.
What it does offer is a useful explanation for that abandoned toy: something can still be perfectly usable and no longer feel very interesting.
What types of toys should you offer?
Think about what your dog actually does with their toys. Do they carry a plush around the house? Settle down for a chew? Drop a ball at your feet until you get the hint?
Those are different activities, and one toy may not suit them all. Humane World for Animals recommends offering toys for different purposes, including carrying, shaking, rolling and comfort. Its guidance also notes that soft toys suit some dogs but aren’t appropriate for every dog. Humane World for Animals: Choosing dog toys
Here are a few options to consider based on how your dog likes to play:
| If your dog enjoys… | Try… |
|---|---|
| Carrying something around | A suitably sized plush toy |
| Settling down to chew | A chew toy suited to their size and chewing style |
| Chasing and bringing things back | A dog-safe ball or fetch toy |
| Playing with you | A toy designed for tug |
| Searching and working things out | A food puzzle or a simple supervised search game |
You don’t have to tick every box. Start with what your dog enjoys, then offer something a little different and see what they choose.
Variety gives them something to explore
Enrichment means giving your dog opportunities to do things such as sniff, explore, play and solve problems. RSPCA Australia explains that different activities can engage an animal’s mind, body and senses, and recommends variety and rotation to help sustain interest. RSPCA Australia: Enrichment ideas
That gives you more ways to build an enjoyable routine. You might offer a supervised puzzle at one point in the day and play together with a toy later. Watch which activities your dog willingly comes back to; their preferences are a useful starting point.
And keep making time to join in. The RSPCA highlights play as a positive way to bond with your dog, alongside the importance of exercise and mental stimulation. A toy can be the invitation to spend that time together. RSPCA: Creating a good home for your dog
Do you need to keep buying new toys?
You can start with the toys you already have. Before writing off the ones at the bottom of the basket, try changing what’s available.
Humane World for Animals suggests rotating toys weekly, leaving only a few out at a time. If your dog has a favorite comfort toy, that one can stay. Humane World for Animals: Toy rotation
A simple way to start:
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Check the basket. Remove damaged toys and set aside anything unsuitable for your dog.
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Choose a small mix. Offer options for different activities your dog enjoys.
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Put the rest away. Swap some back in the following week and watch how your dog responds.
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Join the game. Try inviting your dog to play with a toy they’ve been ignoring.
Treat the weekly swap as a starting point. You’ll learn more from watching your own dog than from sticking rigidly to a schedule.
Choose variety that suits your dog
A toy only earns its place in the rotation if it’s appropriate for the dog playing with it. RSPCA Australia recommends considering size, age, health and play style, supervising enrichment activities, and regularly inspecting toys for damage. RSPCA Australia: Choosing safe enrichment
If your dog tears through plush toys, that matters when you’re choosing what to offer. If they gently carry them to bed, that matters too. Let those habits guide your choices.
A little more variety. A few more moments together.
At Box-Wow, we love the moment your dog picks a toy and decides it’s coming everywhere with them.
Each monthly box includes 3 plush toys and 2 chew toys, giving you a mix to introduce into their play routine. Bring them out gradually, rotate them alongside existing favorites, and discover which ones your pup reaches for.
Because the best part of spoiling your dog is getting to see them enjoy it.
Explore Box-Wow and find your pup’s next playtime favorites.
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