A lot of thought should go into choosing the right toys for your hound. You must first learn about the breed and understand its mannerisms before going to the store and buying anything old.

By nature, if a Bloodhound doesn’t have much to keep its mind occupied, it’s just like any other animal on the planet, it gets bored. Many new dog owners will spend a great deal of money pampering their new pet by going to their local pet store or buying all sorts of toys online that they think will be pleasing to the dog.

Bloodhounds like to have jobs to do, such as walking or running, training for search and rescue, or whatever they think will please their owner. They love to play and I don’t think they’ll ever get past that stage. Now don’t be fooled, he’s a very intelligent animal and some owners end up being the ones looking instead of searching, so you’ll want to keep your mind on the task at hand and not something else.

While they are idle in their yard or barnyard, they are always looking for something to do. Most bloodhounds like to chew, so you’ll want to choose a toy that will last and won’t hurt them if they ingest it. Once they are old enough to play with each other, they will want other items to occupy their time.

A toy that is good and will last a while is a wind-up toy. They will pull each other if they have a playmate and try to take it from the other. It is always good entertainment for the owner to watch their new dog play. Get involved with them as much as you can. Pull the string but let them as long as they have it so they know that this is their toy and no one will take it away from them.

Eventually the rope will get old and fray and they will start to eat it. Toys don’t last forever and once they do you’ll want to take them off and get a new one. They will be very happy to see a fresh new string to play with.

Another great chew toy for them is hooves. These can be found at almost any pet store. Ask the store manager where you can find them. They’ll also last a while and keep you busy for hours, but just like with rope, once they start to shrink and there are splinters everywhere, you’ll want to replace them with a new one.

Since bloodhounds like to chew, a new owner might be disappointed in the new dog because he likes to chew on his kennel. This is common to almost all bloodhounds I have seen. Some will literally destroy the house if they don’t have enough to keep them busy, and others will just nibble on it for a while.

The best toy for any bloodhound that I have found is a plain old stick. They come in many flavors, pine, aspen, willow, maple, oak. You will have to adjust the dogs taste to what is available to you. Where I live aspens are plentiful and I get them a fresh stick often and it keeps them busy for hours.

Toys for your hound don’t have to be fancy, just safe and practical to keep them busy and not hurt themselves by eating something that’s bad for them or gets stuck in their intestines.

Have fun with your dog, they won’t be around forever. Once you find a good toy for them, you will enjoy playing and watching them for hours on end a day for a lifetime.