Dog toys: our Mascoboutique favourites this summer

Every time a new client walks into the shop saying "my dog destroys everything" or "he gets bored when I leave for work", the answer starts here: with toys. Not the cheap ones from the supermarket, not the "anything he chews works" — toys designed for the type of dog you have, for the specific problem you want to solve, and from brands that last more than three afternoons.

I'll tell you my favourite dog toys this summer: the ones clients take home when they ask, the ones we actually use at home with our dogs, and the ones I see survive beating after beating. It's not a catalogue list — it's a personal selection.

Why toys matter more than they seem

Many people still see toys as a luxury — nice to have but not essential. And from the shop, after years, I'll tell you straight: the right toy is the difference between a calm dog and a dog who starts gnawing the sofa legs. It's not aesthetic, it's not a whim. It's necessity.

What a good toy does for your dog:

• Gives him an acceptable outlet to chew. Dogs chew — all of them, not just puppies. If he doesn't have a proper chew toy, he chews whatever he can grab: your shoe, the remote, the table leg.
• Occupies his mind when you leave. A mentally active dog handles four hours alone. A bored one doesn't.
• Reduces anxiety. Licking and chewing are calming behaviours for a dog — they lower cortisol. That's why a snuffle mat or interactive toy works as self-regulation.
• Strengthens your bond. Five minutes of tug-of-war a day with a chew toy changes the relationship with a teenage dog more than a thousand scoldings.

And a detail I see a lot in the shop: the same dog can hate toy A and live for toy B. The stat is real — one in three dogs ignores balls. One in four passes on plushies. You have to try several types before knowing what motivates him. That's why I tell you this by category.

Types of toys by dog profile

For dogs that chew a lot

If your dog is young, in the teething stage (between 3-7 months) or one of those that needs to chew something every afternoon —typical French bulldog, labrador, american staff—, what he needs is a resistant chew toy, no toxic stuffing, double stitching and, if possible, a textured surface (those thick braided ropes) for gum massage.

What I recommend: rope-knot chew toys (the so-called "wild knots" or similar) are the ones that hold up best with chewy dogs. There are some stuffed with plush inside for extra motivation, but the outside is always thick braided rope. My tip: that the toy has weight — light ones get swallowed and then you have a scare.

For dogs that get bored alone

Boredom at home is the number-one cause of destruction, barking and separation anxiety. The solution isn't buying more toys — it's the right toy: one that distributes the effort/reward ratio so it occupies the dog for 15 to 45 minutes alone.

This is where refillable interactive toys shine: silicone or rubber pieces with compartments where you hide kibble or snacks, and the dog has to figure out how to get it by licking, scratching or rolling the toy. My favourite in this category is the Lickin' Layers — a multi-layer interactive toy the dog has to lick and disassemble to reach the food. I recommend it to ALL clients with a dog who's alone more than three hours a day. For puppies, there's also a Puppy version with reduced difficulty.

For sniffing work

Smell is the dog's most important sense and, paradoxically, the least stimulated in urban life. Ten minutes of olfactory work equals half an hour's walk in mental tiredness. If your dog is very energetic and walks aren't enough, you don't need more walks — you need sniffing work.

Snuffle mats are the perfect tool for this. They're fabric mats with fringes, folds and pockets where you hide kibble or snacks, and the dog has to sniff and search to get the reward. Five minutes of snuffle mat is the most tiring five minutes of the day for many dogs. Especially recommended for nervous dogs, dogs who can't do much physical exercise (older, post-surgery recovery) or puppies with mental energy they can't burn on long walks.

For playing together

And the fourth category, the most sentimental: the toy you and the dog use together. Here come the soft squeaky plushies, balls, throwers. It's not for the dog to play alone — it's for the moments when you're both on the sofa or in the park, and you spend fifteen minutes being silly together.

Plushies from the brand P.L.A.Y. are the ones that fly off the shelves in this category. It's an American brand specialised in dog plushies with rubber and squeakers inside — when squeezed they make a squeaky sound that drives dogs crazy, and that "squeak-squeak" activates their prey and play instinct. They hold up well to biting and the fabric is washable. The good thing about P.L.A.Y. is that they're in the catalogue all year round — they're not seasonal collections. And the variety of shapes is brutal: pizza, donut, takeaway coffee, duck, cookies, pig, cinnamon roll... the choice is aesthetic.

What works best in summer

Summer changes the rules. With the heat, the dog spends less energy running and more licking, chewing and sniffing. The recommendations I'm asked most this time of year:

• Refillable interactive toys you can put in the freezer with wet kibble inside — cools the dog while it entertains him. Lickin' Layers handle this perfectly.
• Snuffle mats instead of long midday walks. When it's too hot to go out, mental work replaces physical exercise without overloading the dog.
• Light chew toys, not thick plushies. Stuffed plushies warm the dog while playing — in July and August, better rope.
• Floating balls if you're going to the pool or beach. But careful: not all balls survive salt water or chlorine — look for the ones specifically made for canine swimming if you go often.

Our selection of toys at Mascoboutique

From the whole category, these are the four that fly out the shop and the ones I most recommend when asked "what do I buy my dog?" One per profile:

P.L.A.Y. plushies — the Pizza Plushie, the Donut To Go, the Duck, the Cinnamon Roll, the Takeaway Coffee, the Cookies... My recommendation if what you want is a plushie for playing together. P.L.A.Y. is the American brand specialised in dog plushies with rubber and squeakers inside — when bitten they go "squeak-squeak" and that activates any dog's play instinct. They handle biting well, they're washable and, best of all, they're in the catalogue all year (not seasonal collections that sell out). More than 30 different shapes between foods, drinks and animals: the choice is aesthetic. At home I have the Pizza and the Donut To Go and I use them every night for the five minutes of tug-of-war before dinner.

Lickin' Layers Interactive Toy. My recommendation for dogs that get bored alone at home. It's a multi-layer toy with compartments where you hide kibble or wet snack, and the dog has to lick and manipulate the pieces to access. It occupies him 20 to 45 minutes depending on how motivated. In summer I put it in the freezer with wet kibble inside — the dog has entertainment AND a cool-down at the same time. For puppies, better the Puppy version, with reduced difficulty.

Snuffle mat — available in Food and Birthday Party versions. For sniffing work. Hide ten kibble pieces among the fringes of the mat and watch him hunt: five minutes of sniffing = thirty of walking in mental tiredness. Washable, foldable, lasts for years. Essential if your dog is nervous, older or can't do much physical exercise.

Wild Knots rope plushie. My recommendation for dogs that chew a lot. Thick braided rope outside, plush filling inside for added motivation. Genuinely resistant — handles a young american staff for several weeks. If your dog destroys it in a day, the problem isn't the toy: it's the size. There are smaller versions in catalogue. We also really like the Squirrels Plushie — a plushie with holes where you tuck in small squirrels and the dog pulls them out; mental game + chew toy in one.

To see the full catalogue (over 40 references), take a look at our full dog toys section. And if you're unsure which suits your dog, write to us on WhatsApp with his breed, age and character — we'll tell you where to start.

In short: how to choose the right toy for your dog

If you arrived searching for "dog toys" without a clear idea of what to buy, here's the practical summary:

• Identify the problem first: does he chew too much? does he get bored alone? does he have surplus mental energy? do you want to play with him? The answer leads to a different category.
• Chewy dog: thick braided rope (Wild Knots and similar). No thin stuffing he could swallow.
• Bored-alone dog: refillable interactive toy (Lickin' Layers). In summer, in the freezer with wet kibble.
• High-mental-energy dog: snuffle mat. It's the best mental tiredness there is.
• For playing together: P.L.A.Y. squeaky plushies (Pizza, Donut To Go, Duck, Cinnamon Roll, Takeaway Coffee...). American brand, in catalogue all year.
• Size matters: a toy too small is dangerous (choking), too big won't motivate.
• Rotate the toys: keep 4-5 stored and bring one out each week. It'll seem new every time.

If you have the profile clear but are unsure about the model, write to us on WhatsApp with your dog's breed, age, weight and character. We'll recommend exactly what suits best. And if you live in Madrid, come to the shop — we have them all on display and you can see sizes and materials in person.

About the author

Mar is the founder of Mascoboutique. What started as an idea to dress and equip her own dog became, over the years, a reference boutique in Madrid for families with dogs. Every toy, harness or accessory that comes into the shop passes through her hands first: she tests the materials, looks at the stitching and pictures the dog who's going to use it. That exigency is what she also applies to the blog: here we don't recommend what sells best, but what she'd put on her own dog.