Americans love their pets. How much do we love our pets? Well, if the size of the market for toys for pets is any indication, quite a lot. And we spend more on toys each year.
Retail sales for dog and cat toys in the U.S. reached $1 billion in 2016, according to market research firm Packaged Facts. This is an 18% increase from 2011, when Americans spent $849 million on toys for dogs and cats. The toys market for dogs and cats accounts for 28% of the larger durable petcare products market, which also includes items such as beds, kennels, apparel, and leashes.
Dog owners are the biggest spenders, accounting for 69% of the toys sold in 2016. Of course, dogs may wear out or devour toys at a higher rate than cats. There are also a greater number of households that have dogs as pets than cats. There are 60.2 million households with dogs compared with the 47.1 million households with cats.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed the best-selling and top-rated dog toys online in order to determine the best toys for dogs. Whatever type of lovable canine one has at home, there exists a perfect plaything for them.
Click here to see the 25 best toys for dogs.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.
25. Hartz Dura Play Ball
> Company: Hartz
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.3
> Price: $2.65
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24. Snug Rubber Dog Balls
> Company: Snug
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.6
> Price: $9.85
23. Dogwood Durable Real Wood Dog Chew Toy
> Company: Petstages
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.2
> Price: $6.69
22. Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel and Puzzle Plush Squeaking Toy
> Company: Outward Hound
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.4
> Price: $19.99
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21. Paradise 4 by 13-Inch Knots Block
> Company: Paradise
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.4
> Price: $7.92
20. Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy
> Company: Smart Pet Love
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.1
> Price: $25.01
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19. Ethical Pets Mini Skinneeez Raccoon
> Company: Spot
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.0
> Price: $3.49
18. Chuckit! Indoor Ball
> Company: Canine Hardware
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.1
> Price: $4.49
17. Nylabone Dura Chew Wishbone
> Company: Nylabone
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.4
> Price: $6.65
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16. KONG Rubber Ball Extreme
> Company: KONG
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.6
> Price: $6.29
15. KONG Cozies Dog Squeaky Toy
> Company: KONG
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.0
> Price: $4.29
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14. ZippyPaws Loopy 6-Squeaker Plush Dog Toy
> Company: ZippyPaws
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.3
> Price: $6.5
13. KONG Rubber Flyer
> Company: KONG
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.1
> Price: $6.76
12. Nylabone DuraChew Ring
> Company: Nylabone
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.2
> Price: $6.7
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11. Mammoth Flossy Chews Cottonblend Color 5-Knot Rope Tug
> Company: Mammoth
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.5
> Price: $4.49
10. Chuckit! Sport Launcher
> Company: Canine Hardware
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.6
> Price: $9.92
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9. ZippyPaws Skinny Peltz
> Company: ZippyPaws
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.2
> Price: $9.2
8. Trixie Flip Board
> Company: TRIXIE Pet Products
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.1
> Price: $9.99
7. Nylabone Dura Chew Double Bone
> Company: Nylabone
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.0
> Price: $6.99
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6. Benebone Flavored Wishbone Chew Toy
> Company: Benebone
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.3
> Price: $11.59
5. OurPets IQ Treat Ball Interactive Food Dispensing Dog Toy
> Company: Our Pets
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.0
> Price: $11.07
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4. Chuckit! Ultra Ball
> Company: Canine Hardware
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.8
> Price: $7.95
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3. Nylabone Dura Chew Textured Dog Chew, X-Large
> Company: Nylabone
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.3
> Price: $7.75
2. Kong Classic Dog Toy
> Company: KONG
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.4
> Price: $6.56
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1. MultiPet Duckworth Duck Large 13″
> Company: Multipet
> Amazon rating out of 5: 4.3
> Price: $8.34
Packaged Facts’ National Pet Owner Surveys reveal that the top concerns of dog owners when buying a toy for their dogs are “pleasing the pet,” followed by product quality and safety. The largest complaint when buying toys is “lack of durability.”
The most common type toys purchased by dog owners in 2016 were fetch toys, followed closely by chew and comfort toys, according to American Pet Products Association. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those owners who bought chew toys purchased the most of that specific type – averaging 3.8 chew toys acquired throughout the year. Among the products on our list are several chew toys by Nylabone, Benebone, and KONG.
The pet industry is virtually recession-proof – clocking in sales hikes even during the recession – and it is growing. While 45% of dog owners reported buying their dogs toys in 1996, 69% did so in 2016. As businesses further tailor their products to owners’ needs, these figures will likely increase.
To determine the 25 best toys for dogs, 24/7 Wall St. identified the best-selling dog toys on Amazon on January 3, 2018. The results were then filtered so as to remove all items that received fewer than four out five star ratings. Also removed were items determined to be too similar to a higher ranking item to merit separate inclusion.
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