3 Best Toys for Blind Dogs

When we first got our blind dog, I thought I had to get all special toys for her. You really don’t.

Each dog is different but here are my recommendations for the best toys for a blind dog.

1. Scented toys

The balls, bones, or the tug ropes by Playology are amazing.

Playology makes high quality, super long lasting toys that smell like chicken, beef, and more. We got our blind dog a bone shaped toy from Playology and not only does she love to chew on it, she can find it easily on her own.

You can see her Playology bone in the picture below.

This also makes a wonderful scent training toy. It is incredibly important to do nose work with your blind dogs. It is great stimulation and exercise for the brain. It cures boredom.

So we let her smell it, hide it in the yard, give her the command for “find” and voila, she returns it 99 percent of the time.

All three Playology toys we have bought her are still in perfect condition, which I cannot say with many other toys that she has.

2. Puzzle and treat toys

It is incredibly important to play with your blind dog, and train it like with the above toy.

However, once in awhile you need a break.

Puzzle toys allow you to hide treats in them, and your dog has to figure out how to get the treats out.

There are a variety of kinds and brands. I recommend getting a stationary puzzle and a ball puzzle for indoor and outdoor stimulation.

Outward Hound Nina Ottosson Puzzle Brick Dog Toy

As far as treat balls go I prefer the hard rubber ones that are difficult to break and my dog loves them. She doesn’t just love getting the treats. She loves the challenge.

EETOYS Dispensing Dog Toy IQ Treat Ball with Squeaker

And again, because it has food/treats in the toy, she can find it herself because it’s extra smelly making it the perfect toy for blind dogs.

3. Any toy you can play with together

My dog loves to play tug but the toy has to be long so she doesn’t accidentally get my hand. I recommend either these long snake toys or long hardy rope toys (like the scented one above, or this non-scented one by Mammoth).

Try and stay away from stuffed toys as they just don’t last long. This is a good bonding toy and gives you time to play with your blind dog. It will also wear your dog out for a good nights sleep.

Bonus: Squeaker toys

If your dog is blind AND deaf, they will still love squeaker toys!

They might not hear or see the squeakers but they feel them and love the accomplishment of digging the squeakers out. (Safety note: just be careful to supervise your dog with toys like this where small parts may break off.)