Every pick on The Best Dog Toys is sniffed, chomped, chased, or napped on by Biscuit — our chief toy tester — before it earns a spot. Real products, real prices, no filler toys that die in a day.
“I chewed through the research so you don’t have to. If it’s on this page, it survived me.” — Biscuit
Chief Toy Tester
Est. nap record: 4 hrs
Start where your dog is. Biscuit has a pose — and a shortlist — for each one.
Nineteen festive picks pulled from Chewy’s and PetSmart’s top holiday lists and this season’s Amazon holiday lineup — now including the full PetSmart Holiday Dog Shop lineup: the $5 Chance & Friends collectibles that give back, the giant Santa Pickle, KONG’s Cozie Reindeer, and TUFFY’s Santa, plus six new Amazon finds for 2026. Every toy has its own page with Biscuit’s verdict.
The current roster. Add favorites to your Toy Box to keep a running list — checkout happens at Amazon, or at PetSmart for its exclusive holiday toys, where the final price and shipping live.
Prices are the starting (smallest-size) price we recorded for each pick, checked October 28, 2026. Every Shop button now goes to Amazon, where sizes and sales change prices constantly — Amazon’s page always wins. Product photos: the brands and retailers shown.
Answer three quick questions and Biscuit will match your dog to the right toy from his tested roster.
Short, practical, and learned the expensive way — so you don’t have to.
Tired of toys destroyed in minutes? These 6 durable dog toys for power chewers — from West Paw, KONG, Benebone, and more — stand up to aggressive chewers.
Read the full guide →
Fraying rope, cracks, loose pieces, missing stuffing — the seven warning signs a toy is done, how long each toy type should last, and four sturdy replacements from the shop.
Read the full guide →
A durable high-bounce ball, a launcher that throws 2–3x farther, and tough tug and chew options — the five picks that turn 15 minutes of fetch into a real workout.
Read the full guide →
Split your dog’s toys into three groups, swap one group each week, and keep the comfort toy out always. The simple system that makes old toys feel new again — no new purchases required.
Read the full guide →
If your dog ignores a toy box full of toys, the toys probably aren’t the problem. Dogs get bored with the same toys in the same place, day after day. The fix is simple: rotate dog toys. Split them into three groups, put out one group at a time, and swap once a week. A toy that was boring on Monday can feel brand new after a week back in the basket.
This isn’t about buying more toys. Rotation works best with the toys you already own: it keeps play fresh, stretches your toy budget, and makes it easier to spot a worn toy before it becomes a safety problem.
Novelty is what keeps a dog interested. A toy your dog sees every day blends into the furniture. The same toy, pulled out after a week away, gets sniffed, carried around, and played with like it’s new — because, to your dog, it almost is.
Rotation also helps with classic boredom behaviors: chewing shoes, digging at the couch, or pestering you nonstop. Those are often signs of an under-stimulated dog, not a badly behaved one. A fresh toy gives your dog something appropriate to do with that energy, especially on days when a long walk isn’t possible.
It also forces a weekly toy check: when you swap groups, you handle every toy and notice torn seams, cracked edges, or loose squeakers.
You need two baskets: one for toys in play, one for toys on break.
Here’s a rotation using toys from The Best Dog Toys shop — adjust it to what your dog already owns.
| Group | Chew / comfort play | Puzzle / treat play | Fetch / active play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | KONG Classic (stuffed and frozen) | Nina Ottosson MultiPuzzle | Chuckit! Ultra Ball |
| Week 2 | Benebone Wishbone (supervised) | Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel | Mammoth rope tug |
| Week 3 | West Paw Hurley | KONG Wobbler | Chuckit! Launcher |
A few notes on building your groups:
Find them all in the Shop on The Best Dog Toys.
Stuff it, freeze it, and it anchors a rotation week. The KONG Classic is the easiest toy to make feel new again: change the filling. Kibble one week, xylitol-free peanut butter and banana the next, frozen overnight for a longer-lasting challenge. Because the filling changes, the toy itself never gets stale.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Squirrels hide in the trunk; your dog figures out how to get them out. Unlike a standard plush toy, this one gives your dog a job: pull the squeaky squirrels out of a plush tree trunk, then you stuff them back in for round two. Supervise plush play, and pull the toy if your dog starts tearing rather than puzzling.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Sliding tiles and hidden treats that make your dog think. When a dog is bored, a puzzle toy is often the fastest fix — it tires out the brain, not just the body. The MultiPuzzle hides treats under sliding tiles, so your dog noses and paws the pieces aside to earn each reward. Start with treats partly visible, then hide them fully. Use puzzle toys under supervision and put them away after play, which makes them natural rotation toys.
Shop at Amazon ↗
A durable rubber fetch ball that out-bounces a tennis ball. Fetch toys deserve a place in rotation too. A ball that only appears for outdoor play stays exciting, and the Ultra Ball’s dense rubber holds up far better than a standard tennis ball, which shreds quickly and can wear down tooth enamel. Keep fetch toys by the door, so “ball time” stays an event.
Shop at Amazon ↗Try the Toy Finder — three quick questions, and Biscuit matches your dog to a toy from the shop. And if your dog has a favorite that always survives rotation, nominate them for Biscuit’s Buddies, our monthly feature of real dogs and their favorite toys.
Once a week works for most dogs: put out one group, keep the rest out of sight, and swap on the same day each week. Every two weeks still helps if weekly feels like too much.
Four to six is plenty: one chew, one puzzle or treat toy, one fetch or tug toy, and a comfort toy that stays out permanently. More than that, and the toys blend together — the boredom rotation is meant to fix.
It helps a lot, but it isn’t the whole answer. It works best alongside daily exercise, training, and social time. If your dog is still destructive after a few weeks of rotation, they may need more activity or a harder puzzle toy, not just different toys.
Yes — puppies benefit even more, since they chew constantly while teething. Keep it gentle: softer toys, and always keep their comfort toy available. Supervise all chew and puzzle play with puppies.
If your dog comes back from a walk still bouncing off the walls, a longer walk probably isn’t the answer — a better game of fetch is. The best fetch toys for high-energy dogs go farther, bounce higher, and survive being chomped on the way back. Our top combo is the Chuckit! Ultra Ball with the Chuckit! Launcher, rounded out by the West Paw Hurley, KONG Classic, and Mammoth rope tug. Fetch burns energy fast — a sprinting dog covers far more ground in 15 minutes than on a 15-minute walk — but cheap toys don’t survive the job: tennis balls shred, hollow plastic cracks, and a ball lost in tall grass ends the game early.
Find them all in the Shop on The Best Dog Toys.
Dense rubber, high bounce, and bright enough to spot in tall grass.
If you buy one fetch toy, make it this one. The Ultra Ball’s thick, dense rubber bounces higher than a standard tennis ball, floats in water, and holds up to daily fetching far longer than felt tennis balls. The bright orange and blue design is easy to track and find. Sizes run from small to XX-Large (4 inches) for dogs over 100 lbs, and it fits the Chuckit! Launcher.
Best for: everyday fetch, water fetch, dogs who destroy tennis balls.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Throw farther with less effort — and pick up the ball without touching the slobber.
The Launcher is the single best upgrade to a game of fetch. This lightweight plastic arm cups the ball and lets you throw two to three times farther with less effort, so your dog gets a real sprint instead of a short hop. It also picks the ball up off the ground hands-free. The 26-inch Classic fits medium balls for dogs 20–60 lbs; the Large fits 3-inch balls for bigger dogs.
Best for: high-energy dogs who need a longer run, owners with sore shoulders, muddy days.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Built to be thrown, chewed, and floated — and guaranteed by the maker.
The Hurley is a bone-shaped toy made from West Paw’s Zogoflex material: firm, bouncy, and buoyant, so it works as a fetch toy on land and in water. It’s the pick for dogs who don’t just fetch — they carry the toy around and gnaw on it between throws. It floats, it’s dishwasher-safe, and West Paw backs it with a guarantee against dog damage. And because it’s a bone shape rather than a ball, it bounces unpredictably, which keeps smart dogs guessing.
Best for: dogs who chew between throws, water fetch, owners who want one toy that does two jobs.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Throw it, stuff it, freeze it — the hardest-working toy in the box.
The KONG Classic is famous as a chew toy, but it’s also a great fetch toy: its uneven shape makes it bounce erratically. After the game, stuff it with kibble or xylitol-free peanut butter, freeze it, and the same toy becomes a calm-down activity for after the excitement of fetch. That two-in-one role is why it earns a spot here: fetch followed by a stuffed KONG is one of the most reliable ways to turn a wired dog into a napping dog.
Best for: dogs who need a cool-down after fetch, rainy-day enrichment, puppies and heavy chewers.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Fetch and tug in one toy.
Fetch doesn’t have to be all running. The Mammoth rope tug gives your dog a different workout: pulling and tugging works the neck and shoulders and tires a dog out differently than sprinting. It’s a good change of pace when your dog needs a breather from running. Use it as a reward between throws, or as the second half of a play session: a few rounds of fetch, then a tug game, then a rest. Supervise tug play, and retire the rope when it starts to fray.
Best for: mixing tug into fetch sessions, two-dog households, dogs who love to pull.
Shop at Amazon ↗
| Toy | Best for | Why it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuckit! Ultra Ball | Everyday fetch | High bounce, floats, durable | Size up if between sizes |
| Chuckit! Launcher | Longer throws | Throws 2–3x farther | Match launcher to ball size |
| West Paw Hurley | Fetch + chew | Tough, floats, unpredictable bounce | Bone shape — some dogs prefer round |
| KONG Classic | Fetch + settle-down | Erratic bounce, stuffable | Pick the right size |
| Mammoth rope tug | Tug breaks | Works different muscles | Retire when frayed; supervise play |
Try the Toy Finder — three quick questions, and Biscuit matches your dog to a toy from the shop. If your dog’s fetch game is legendary, nominate them for Biscuit’s Buddies, our monthly feature of real dogs and their favorite toys. Rotate these toys with the rest of the collection using our weekly system — see How to Rotate Dog Toys to Prevent Boredom — so fetch day always feels fresh.
The Chuckit! Ultra Ball with the Chuckit! Launcher is the best combination for most high-energy dogs: a durable, high-bounce, floating ball plus a thrower that sends it two to three times farther, so your dog gets a real sprint every throw.
They aren’t ideal for regular fetch. The felt wears down tooth enamel, and they shred quickly under strong jaws, leaving pieces a dog can swallow. A dense rubber ball is a safer everyday choice.
Ten to fifteen minutes of active sprinting is enough for most dogs. Build up gradually and stop while your dog is still enthusiastic — exhaustion and overheating are real risks on warm days.
The ball should be too large to fit completely behind your dog’s back teeth. As a guide: small (2 inches) for dogs under 20 lbs, medium (2.5 inches) for 20–60 lbs, large (3 inches) for 60–100 lbs, and XX-Large (4 inches) for dogs over 100 lbs. When in doubt, size up.
Most dog toys don’t fail all at once — they wear out a little at a time, and the day a toy becomes unsafe usually looks like any other play session. Replace a dog toy as soon as it shows fraying, cracks, loose pieces, missing stuffing, or a broken squeaker — don’t wait for it to fall apart. A quick weekly check takes two minutes, and it’s the simplest way to keep playtime safe.
This guide covers the seven warning signs that mean a toy is done, how long each type of toy typically lasts, and four sturdy replacements from our shop when it’s time for a new one.
Rope toys are the classic example. A few loose fibers are normal wear, but once the rope starts to unravel into long strings, it’s time to retire it. Dogs can swallow strands, and long strings are the most common cause of intestinal blockages from toys. If you can pull a strand longer than an inch or two free from the rope, the toy is done.
Hard rubber and nylon toys don’t shred — they crack. Run your thumb over chew toys and feel for splits, chips, or rough edges. A cracked rubber toy can break into a piece small enough to swallow, and a chipped edge can cut gums. This is the number-one reason to retire a KONG-style toy or a hard nylon bone.
Eyes, noses, squeakers, buttons, and stitched-on parts are all choking hazards once they start to come loose. Give plush toys a firm tug on every attached part during your weekly check. If anything wiggles, pull the toy — and if a squeaker has already come loose inside a plush toy, don’t just sew the toy shut and keep using it. The squeaker is still in there.
A plush toy that’s leaking stuffing is past its useful life. Dogs that like to “de-stuff” will keep going once they find an opening, and swallowed stuffing can cause blockages. Small holes can sometimes be repaired if the toy is otherwise in great shape, but a toy your dog has already gutted belongs in the bin.
A toy that was safe when new can become dangerous as pieces wear or break off. The rule of thumb: if the toy — or any piece of it — can fit entirely behind your dog’s back teeth, it’s too small. This is especially common with balls and chews that get gnawed down over weeks of play. When in doubt, size up on the replacement.
Dog toys live in mouths, mud, and the yard. Most rubber and nylon toys are dishwasher-safe; most plush toys can go through a gentle wash cycle. But if a toy still smells sour after a proper wash, bacteria has settled into the material — usually in cracks or deep in stuffing. Retire it rather than letting your dog keep chewing on it.
This one isn’t a safety emergency, but it matters. A toy your dog ignores is just clutter, and a toy your dog destroys in minutes was never matched to their chew strength in the first place. Both are signs to replace the toy with something better suited: a tougher material for heavy chewers, or a puzzle toy for a dog who needs a job, not another plush.
The easiest way to catch all seven signs is to make toy inspection part of your routine — the same day you rotate toys is a natural fit. Pick up each toy in play and check:
Any toy that fails one of those checks goes straight in the bin. Don’t put a failed toy back in the basket “for gentler play” — once a toy is unsafe, it’s unsafe.
Lifespan depends on the toy and the dog. A gentle senior with a plush toy can keep it for months; a power chewer can destroy the same toy in an afternoon. These are rough guides for an average adult dog:
| Toy type | Typical lifespan | Retire it when |
|---|---|---|
| Plush toys | 1–3 months | Seams split, stuffing shows, squeaker loose |
| Rope toys | 1–2 months | Fraying strings, unraveling knots |
| Rubber chew toys | 3–6 months | Cracks, chips, or chunks missing |
| Hard nylon chews | 2–4 months | Sharp edges, pieces breaking off |
| Fetch balls | 2–6 months | Cracks, peeling, or chewed small enough to swallow |
| Puzzle / treat toys | 6–12 months | Broken sliders, cracked plastic, loose parts |
Puppies chew harder while teething and need more frequent checks. Heavy chewers should be checked twice a week, not once.
Plush and rope toys go first, and that’s by design — they’re soft, satisfying to chew, and meant to be the sacrificial toys in the box. Rubber chew toys last longer but still need watching, because cracks hide on the underside where you don’t look. Puzzle toys last longest of all, since dogs work them with their paws and noses rather than their jaws — but the moment a slider cracks or a compartment breaks, the whole toy goes. Knowing which category a toy falls into tells you how often to check it: soft toys weekly, rubber toys every couple of weeks, puzzle toys monthly.
When a toy fails the check, replace it with something built for the job. These four picks from the Shop on The Best Dog Toys are the ones we’d buy again:
The hardest-working toy in the box — and a fresh one is safer than a cracked one.
If your dog’s old chew toy cracked or chipped, the KONG Classic is the obvious upgrade. Its thick, durable rubber is built for heavy chewing, and because you can stuff and freeze it, it doubles as a settle-down toy after play. Retire the old one the moment you see a split — a fresh KONG costs far less than a vet visit.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Built to be thrown, chewed, and floated — and guaranteed by the maker.
When a fetch toy starts cracking or a chew toy keeps getting shredded, the Hurley is the replacement that covers both jobs. It’s made from West Paw’s Zogoflex material: firm, bouncy, buoyant, and dishwasher-safe. West Paw backs it with a guarantee against dog damage, which is rare in this category — and a useful sign of how long they expect it to last.
Shop at Amazon ↗
A nylon chew with a shape dogs can actually grip.
Hard chews wear down into sharp edges, and that’s the moment to swap them. The Benebone Wishbone’s curved shape is easy for dogs to hold with their paws, and its nylon is flavored to keep dogs interested. Supervise chew sessions as always, and retire it once the ends wear down or the surface gets rough.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Dense rubber, high bounce, and bright enough to spot in tall grass.
Tennis balls are the fastest toy to retire: the felt shreds, the ball gets smaller, and worn felt is hard on tooth enamel. The Ultra Ball’s dense rubber bounces higher, floats, and holds up to daily fetching far longer. If your dog’s old ball is cracked, peeling, or small enough to fit behind their back teeth, this is the swap.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Try the Toy Finder — three quick questions, and Biscuit matches your dog to a toy from the shop. And if you want to keep the whole collection fresh, our weekly system — see How to Rotate Dog Toys to Prevent Boredom — builds the safety check right into swap day.
Replace a dog toy as soon as it frays, cracks, loses pieces, leaks stuffing, or smells bad after washing. Don’t wait for it to fall apart — a weekly squeeze, pull, look, and smell check catches most problems early.
It depends on the toy and the dog. Plush and rope toys typically last 1–3 months, rubber chew toys 3–6 months, and puzzle toys 6–12 months. Heavy chewers and teething puppies wear toys out faster, so check theirs twice a week.
They can be. Worn toys cause most toy-related vet visits: swallowed stuffing, rope strands, and broken pieces can cause choking or intestinal blockages, and cracked toys can cut gums. A toy that fails a simple safety check should be retired immediately.
Yes, washing extends a toy’s life but doesn’t fix damage. Most rubber toys are dishwasher-safe and most plush toys can be machine-washed on gentle. If a toy still smells bad after washing, or has cracks, fraying, or loose parts, washing won’t save it — replace it.
If your dog can turn a brand-new toy into confetti before lunch, the problem isn’t your shopping — most toys aren’t built for determined jaws. The best dog toys for power chewers use dense rubber or solid nylon, have no seams or stuffing to rip open, and are sized generously so your dog can’t get dangerous leverage on them.
One honest note first: no dog toy is truly indestructible. What the toys below offer is a much better shot at lasting weeks or months instead of minutes — paired with the supervision and replacement habits covered at the end. Biscuit, our mascot, is a gentle chewer by comparison, so these picks lean on material and construction, not cuteness.
Who it’s for: Dogs who chew hard but still love fetch, carry-around toys, and water play.
Why it lasts: The Hurley is a single piece of West Paw’s Zogoflex rubber — dense and slightly flexible, with no seams, squeakers, or stuffing to exploit. It gives under jaw pressure instead of cracking: rock-hard toys can chip teeth, while this one flexes. It’s dishwasher-safe and backed by West Paw’s chew-toy guarantee.
Watch-outs: It’s a chew-and-fetch stick, not a food toy, so a purely flavor-driven dog may lose interest. Retire it once pieces start coming off.
→ Find the Hurley in our Chew Toys picks.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Who it’s for: Food-driven chewers and dogs who need to settle in a crate.
Why it lasts: The KONG Classic’s hollow cone has been a trainer and vet staple for decades: thick, springy rubber built to be gnawed on. Stuff it with kibble or peanut butter and freeze it, and a five-minute snack becomes a half-hour project.
Watch-outs: Size up. Most KONG failures aren’t the material — they’re a too-small KONG a big jaw can compress and tear. For genuinely aggressive chewers, KONG’s black “Extreme” line is tougher. Supervise until you know how your dog handles it.
→ Find the KONG Classic in our Chew Toys picks.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Who it’s for: Dogs who prefer a long, focused gnaw over fetch or food puzzles.
Why it lasts: The Wishbone is solid nylon infused with real flavor (chicken, bacon, or peanut), so dogs chew it because it tastes like something. The curved shape is the clever part: your dog can brace it between their paws and hold it at a good angle unaided. Nylon wears down gradually instead of chunking apart, so a correctly sized bone lasts weeks.
Watch-outs: This is a chew, not a food — it’s not edible, and it’s a supervised-chew option, full stop. Dogs should gnaw, not bite off pieces. Take it away once it’s small enough to fit in the mouth whole, or if sharp edges appear. Dogs who crack chews with their back teeth do better with rubber.
→ Find the Wishbone in our Chew Toys picks.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Who it’s for: Ball-obsessed dogs who shred tennis balls and peel the felt off in minutes.
Why it lasts: Tennis balls are a quiet hazard — the felt is abrasive on teeth and the ball splits under strong jaws. The Ultra Ball is thick-walled rubber built to survive between-fetch gnawing. It bounces high, floats, comes in easy-to-spot orange, and fits Chuckit! launchers.
Watch-outs: It’s a fetch ball, not a chew toy — let your dog mouth it during play, then trade it for a dedicated chew. Size it so it can’t fit entirely behind the back teeth, a choking risk with any ball.
→ Find the Ultra Ball in our Fetch Toys picks.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Who it’s for: Dogs who live for tug-of-war, and owners who want a strong, simple game toy.
Why it lasts (with a caveat): Mammoth’s cotton-blend rope is thick and tightly knotted, and holds up well to hard tugging with you at the other end. Honest framing, though: a rope toy is not a leave-alone chew — its durability is about interactive play.
Watch-outs: Never leave a rope toy down unsupervised. A determined dog can unravel and swallow strands, and swallowed string is a genuine emergency. Play, then put it away — and replace it once it starts unraveling.
→ Find the Rope Tug in our Fetch & Tug picks.
Shop at Amazon ↗
Who it’s for: Power chewers whose destruction is really boredom — dogs who dismantle toys because they need a job to do.
Why it lasts: The Wobbler is a hard plastic dispenser your dog bats and noses around to spill out kibble or treats. Clear-eyed framing: it’s a feeding puzzle, not a chew toy. But its rigid shell stands up to pawing and the occasional frustrated gnaw far better than soft puzzle toys, and slowing down meals is a real win for gulpers.
Watch-outs: If your dog tries to chew through the shell instead of batting it, use it for supervised mealtimes only.
→ Find the Wobbler in our Puzzle Toys picks.
Shop at Amazon ↗The toy matters, but the habits matter more:
Replace any chew toy when you see:
When in doubt, throw it out. A replacement costs a few dollars; a swallowed fragment can cost an emergency vet visit — or worse.
Try the Toy Finder — three quick questions, and Biscuit matches your dog to a toy from the shop. If your power chewer has a favorite that survives everything, nominate them for Biscuit’s Buddies, our monthly feature of real dogs and their favorite toys. And when a chew finally wears down, see When to Replace Dog Toys for the seven signs it’s time for a new one.
No toy is truly indestructible, but dense, seamless rubber toys like the West Paw Hurley come closest: the material flexes instead of cracking, with no stuffing or seams to rip open. Pair any durable toy with supervision and regular inspection.
Nylon chews like the Benebone Wishbone are safe for most dogs when sized correctly and used under supervision. Dogs should gnaw them down gradually — if yours bites off fragments or cracks the chew with its back teeth, switch to dense rubber instead.
Most standard toys are designed for average mouths, with seams, stuffing, and thin materials a strong-jawed dog opens in minutes. Boredom makes it worse — chewing is self-soothing, so an under-stimulated power chewer works harder and longer. Durable materials, treat-stuffing, and toy rotation all help.
Inspect chew toys weekly and replace them at the first chunks missing, cracks, sharp edges, or a toy worn small enough to fit in your dog’s mouth. With heavy daily chewers, expect durable toys to last weeks to a few months — not forever.
Biscuit is a golden, biscuit-colored puppy with strong opinions about toys and a professional commitment to napping. Every product here had to survive his three-part review: play it, chew it, sleep on it. Most toys fail part two. The ones on this page didn’t.
Shop, guides, the Toy Finder, and Biscuit’s story now live on their own pages.
Biscuit isn’t the only dog with strong toy opinions. On the 1st of every month we feature one real dog, their human, and a toy matched to how that dog plays — and now the featured Buddy wins a prize, too.
Not sure what to submit? Borrow the formula these examples use: one clear photo, a favorite toy named in full, and a short story only your dog could have. Then make it yours on the entry page.
Please read first: The 20 buddies below are AI-generated example illustrations created only to show what a good submission looks like. They are not past submissions, they are not past winners, and none of them received a gift card. Scout, above, is the real featured Buddy — every real monthly feature comes only from real entries sent through the entry form on the contest page.
See a style you like? Your dog’s real photo and real story are exactly what we’re looking for — enter on the contest page →
The entry form lives on its own page now — built to be quick and easy from a phone, a social post, or an email link. Entries close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the last day of the month; the winner is featured right here on the 1st and emailed a $100 Chewy gift card.
Ready-to-use ad copy for promoting Buddy of the Month. Swap in the month’s entry link (TheBestDogToys.com/#/enter) and this month’s winner photo where marked. Tap “Copy” on any card.
🐾 YOUR DOG COULD WIN $100 TO CHEWY 🐾 Introducing Buddy of the Month at The Best Dog Toys! Submit your dog + their favorite toy for a chance to be featured every month — and if Biscuit picks your pup, you win a $100 Chewy.com gift card. 🎉 ✅ Free to enter ✅ 2 minutes to submit ✅ New winner monthly — featured on the 1st How to enter: 1️⃣ Tap the link in bio → Buddy of the Month entry page 2️⃣ Share your dog’s best photo + favorite-toy story 3️⃣ Check back on the 1st to see the winner! Tag a dog parent who needs to enter 👇 No purchase necessary. US 18+. See official rules at the link in bio. #BuddyOfTheMonth #TheBestDogToys #DogGiveaway #Chewy #DogMom #DogDad #DogsOfInstagram #DogToys
Creative: winner-style photo of a happy dog with toy + big text overlay “WIN $100 TO CHEWY.” Pin this post and add a link sticker in Stories.
🏆 MEET THIS MONTH’S BUDDY OF THE MONTH! 🏆 Say hello to [DOG NAME]! 🎉 [DOG NAME] stole Biscuit’s heart with [1-line story hook — e.g. “a 3-year love affair with a very chewed rope toy”] — and just won their human a $100 Chewy gift card! Want your dog in this spot next month? Enter free at the link in bio → Buddy of the Month entry page. Photo + favorite toy + short story. That’s it. Congrats, [DOG NAME]! Spend it well. 🦴 No purchase necessary. US 18+. New winner every month — featured on the 1st. #BuddyOfTheMonth #Winner #DogGiveaway #TheBestDogToys
Post on the 1st when the new feature goes live. Tag the winner’s handle from their entry and use their winning photo (with permission granted at entry).
[ON CAMERA, holding dog’s favorite toy] “POV: your dog’s favorite toy could win you $100 to Chewy.” [Cut to dog playing] “This is Buddy of the Month at The Best Dog Toys. Submit your dog, their favorite toy, and their story —” [Cut to the monthly feature screenshot / happy dog photo] “— and once a month, on the 1st, Biscuit picks one dog to feature AND sends their human a $100 Chewy gift card.” [On-screen text + voiceover] “Free to enter. Link in bio. Entries close on the last day of the month!” Caption: Enter your dog for Buddy of the Month 🐶 $100 Chewy gift card for the winner featured on the 1st — link in bio! No purchase necessary, US 18+, rules at link. #DogTok #BuddyOfTheMonth #DogGiveaway #ChewyHaul
Film vertical, captions on. End card (2 sec): “TheBestDogToys.com/#/enter — Enter by the last day of the month.” Boost the launch version as a Spark / in-feed ad.
FRAME 1 (poll sticker): “Could YOUR dog be Buddy of the Month? 👀” [Poll: OBVIOUSLY YES 🐾 / Entering now!] FRAME 2 (photo of dog + toy, text): “Winner gets featured on the 1st + a $100 CHEWY GIFT CARD 🎁 Free to enter — photo + favorite toy + short story.” FRAME 3 (link sticker → entry page): “⏰ Entries close on the last day of the month at 11:59pm ET Tap to enter your dog 👆 No purchase necessary. US 18+. Rules at link.”
Run in the last week of the month as a deadline push, plus a “winner is live” frame on the 1st linking to the feature. Save as a Highlight: “Win $100 🐾”.
Your dog’s favorite toy could win you $100 to Chewy. 🐾 Buddy of the Month at @TheBestDogToys: submit your dog’s photo + toy story free, and once a month one featured pup wins a $100 Chewy gift card. Enter by the last day of the month ET 👇 [LINK] No purchase necessary. US 18+. Rules at link. #dogs #giveaway
Post early in the month (launch/reminder) and in the final week (deadline). Quote-post the winner announcement on the 1st for social proof.
PRIMARY TEXT: Dog parents: your pup’s favorite toy is worth $100. 🐶💸 Enter Buddy of the Month at The Best Dog Toys — submit a photo + short story free, and if Biscuit features your dog on the 1st of the month, you get a $100 Chewy.com gift card. Takes 2 minutes. New winner every month. HEADLINE: Win $100 to Chewy — Enter Your Dog Free DESCRIPTION: Buddy of the Month. Photo + story. Winner featured on the 1st. CTA BUTTON: Learn More → Buddies entry page ALT HEADLINE (test B): Is Your Dog the Next Buddy of the Month? Fine print for ad / landing link: No purchase necessary. US residents 18+. Judged on photo & story. See Official Rules.
Audience starter: dog owners, Chewy / pet-store interest, lookalike of site visitors. Objective: traffic to #/enter (the contest landing page). Kill/keep rule: keep your existing house rule — pause at $10 spend with no entry-form interaction.
Subject (pick one): • Your dog could win $100 to Chewy 🐾 • Now live: Buddy of the Month (winner featured on the 1st) • Preheader: Free to enter — photo + favorite-toy story Body: New at The Best Dog Toys: Buddy of the Month now comes with a $100 Chewy gift card. Submit your dog’s best photo, their favorite toy, and a short story. On the 1st of every month we feature one Buddy — and send that dog’s human a $100 Chewy e-gift card. [ BUTTON: Enter Your Dog — Free ] Entries close on the last day of the month at 11:59 p.m. ET. No purchase necessary, US 18+. Full rules on the entry page.
Send early in the month for that month’s entries; add a PS reminder in your end-of-month send: “Entries for next month’s Buddy close tonight.”
SMS / PUSH (under 160 chars): Win $100 to Chewy! Enter your dog for Buddy of the Month — free, 2 min, winner on the 1st: TheBestDogToys.com/#/enter COMMENT / DM AUTO-REPLY: Thanks for asking! 🐾 You can enter free here: TheBestDogToys.com/#/enter — just add your dog’s photo, favorite toy + short story by the last day of the month at 11:59pm ET. The featured Buddy on the 1st wins a $100 Chewy gift card. Good luck! PINNED COMMENT (on every promo post): 👇 ENTER HERE: Link in bio → Buddy of the Month entry page. Free entry, new $100 Chewy winner every month. Rules at the link.
Use the DM reply verbatim so every “how do I enter?” gets the deadline, prize, and rules line — no follow-up needed.
Compliance line for every channel: always keep “No purchase necessary. US 18+. See Official Rules.” with the post or one tap away at the entry link — paid ads must show it in the primary text or landing page above the form (it’s already above the form here).
One real dog is featured on the 1st of every month — photo, story, and favorite toy, right here on The Best Dog Toys — and that dog’s human gets a $100 Chewy.com gift card. Entering is free and takes about two minutes.
Prize: $100 Chewy gift card
New winner every month
One submission = one entry for that month’s Buddy of the Month. Biscuit picks a new winner once a month, featured on the 1st.
What the winner gets: the Buddy of the Month spotlight (photo, story & favorite-toy link right here), eternal dog-park bragging rights, and a $100 Chewy.com gift card.
Didn’t win this month? Eligible entries roll forward for 2 more months — or submit a fresh photo and story any time to re-enter.
Sponsor: The Best Dog Toys (TheBestDogToys.com). This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Chewy, Inc. Chewy® is a trademark of Chewy, Inc. Gift card is subject to Chewy’s own terms.
One (1) winner each month receives one (1) $100 Chewy.com e-gift card (approximate retail value $100 USD), delivered digitally to the email address in the winning entry. Prize is non-transferable as a featured spot — the feature and the gift card go to the same entrant — and no cash alternative is offered for the feature itself. Gift card has no cash value except as provided by Chewy.
This is a judged feature, not a random drawing. Biscuit (and the humans who help him type) selects the Buddy of the Month from eligible entries based on: quality and clarity of the photo (40%), strength and specificity of the story (40%), and fit of the favorite-toy angle for readers (20%). Decisions are final. Odds depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received that month.
By entering, you confirm the photo is yours (or you have the photographer’s permission) and you grant The Best Dog Toys a royalty-free, worldwide license to publish, crop, and share your photo, your dog’s name/breed/location, your first name, and your story (lightly edited for length/clarity) on TheBestDogToys.com, email, and our social channels in connection with Biscuit’s Buddies. You can ask us to remove a non-winning entry at any time by emailing us; published winner features will be updated on request where reasonably possible.
This is a judged feature, not a random drawing — here is exactly what each entry is scored on, so you can give your dog its best shot.
Clear, bright, and full of personality. Mid-play, mid-nap, or mid-mischief — action shots beat posed ones, and one great photo beats five blurry ones.
Specific beats generic. How did this toy become the toy? What does your dog do the second it appears? Two or three sentences only your dog could inspire.
Name the favorite toy in full — brand and model if you know it. Entries that help other dog parents discover a great toy score best here.
Scout, a Belgian Malinois from Tampa, Florida, holds the current Buddy of the Month spot. Biscuit matched him with the West Paw Zogoflex Hurley — a floatable chew built for serious jaws and a pool-adjacent lifestyle.
See Scout’s full feature — plus 20 example entries for inspiration →
No — entry is completely free, no purchase is necessary, and buying something never improves your chances. The winner is picked on photo and story alone.
Entries for a month close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the last day of that month. The winner is featured on this site on the 1st of the following month, and we email the winner within 2 business days of selection — reply within 5 days and the $100 Chewy e-gift card is sent within 7 days of your reply.
Entries are submitted through the form on this page: pick your dog’s photo in the form, check the preview, and hit submit — the photo uploads with your entry. That’s it; there’s no email step.
Your entry stays in the running for 2 more months automatically — no need to re-enter. You can also submit a fresh photo and story in a later month, any time.
Legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., age 18 or older, who own or co-own the dog submitted. One entry per dog per month. Full terms are in the Official Rules above.
Buddy of the Month $100 Chewy Gift Card Giveaway — sponsored by The Best Dog Toys (TheBestDogToys.com). This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Chewy, Inc. No purchase necessary. Judged on photo (40%), story (40%), and favorite-toy fit (20%). See the Official Rules above for full terms.
We reviewed the top holiday dog toys at Chewy, PetSmart, and Amazon, then kept the nineteen worth gifting — the original six, every dog toy on PetSmart’s Holiday Dog Shop page, and six new Amazon finds for this season: the Chance & Friends collectibles, the Merry & Bright exclusives, and the KONG, TUFFY, and BARK headliners. Seasonal toys sell out every December; if it’s in stock, don’t wait on it.
Santa’s chief toy tester
Gift-tested, Biscuit-approved
Hide-and-seek gingerbread men in a plush house.
ZippyPaws Burrow →30+ quiet minutes while guests, wrapping, and cooking happen.
WOOF Pupsicle →The one holiday gift still intact in January.
West Paw Toppl →A Santa-hat classic made for couch naps and photos.
Lamb Chop →$5 collectible plush — 10% supports PetSmart Charities adoptions.
Chance & Friends →An XL pickle in a Santa hat. The photo alone is worth it.
Santa Pickle →Prices marked “from” are the starting prices we recorded on November 4, 2026; where a toy’s price moves too fast to print honestly, the card says so and the retailer’s page is the final word. PetSmart-exclusive toys (Chance & Friends, Merry & Bright, Joyhound) are sold only at PetSmart — their buttons go to PetSmart’s Holiday Dog Shop. Holiday stock is seasonal — listings can sell out or be replaced by the maker’s next run.
As early as you can — seasonal toys are made in limited runs and the popular ones sell out in early December. Checkout and delivery estimates are the retailer’s (Amazon or PetSmart); its product page shows the date that applies to your address.
Two on this page are built for that job: the West Paw Toppl, in Zogoflex with West Paw’s replacement guarantee, and the Nylabone Holiday Power Chew Ring — durable nylon sized for dogs 50+ lbs. For strong players who still want plush, the TUFFY Santa and Joyhound Rip Roarin’ Tree are the toughest soft toys here — but they’re interactive toys, not chew toys. The rest of the plush picks are for gentle and moderate players, supervised.
The WOOF Pupsicle: fill it, freeze it ahead, and hand it over when the doorbell starts. It’s the pick both Chewy and PetSmart put in their holiday guides for exactly that moment.
How the site works, where prices come from, and how your dog can be featured.
When you buy through a “Shop” button, the retailer may pay us a small affiliate commission. It never changes the price you pay — and it’s what keeps Biscuit in testing toys. Full details are in the disclosure below.
No — they’re a dated snapshot. Each card shows the starting price we recorded for the pick, checked October 28, 2026, and every Shop button goes to Amazon. Amazon changes prices and runs sales constantly, so treat Amazon’s page as the final word.
No, and any brand that implies otherwise is stretching it. Even the toughest picks here carry the same advice their makers give: supervise play, inspect toys regularly, and retire anything that’s cracking or losing pieces.
Use the entry form on the Buddy of the Month entry page: tell us your dog’s name, your email, their favorite toy, and their story, agree to the Official Rules, and attach a favorite photo in the email it opens. One new Buddy is featured on the 1st of every month — and that month’s featured Buddy wins a $100 Chewy.com gift card, delivered by email. No purchase necessary; US residents 18+. Full rules are on the entry page, just below the form.
The retailer on the button. Most Shop buttons check out at Amazon, which runs that shipping and returns; the PetSmart-exclusive holiday toys (Chance & Friends, Merry & Bright, Joyhound) check out at PetSmart instead. Your Toy Box here is just a personal shortlist to shop from.
