Dog Toys put to the test - sustainable tips

Dogs love to chew and play – but does it have to (or should it) be on plastic? A laboratory-test from the German consumer magazine Ökotest shows that plastic dog toys can contain harmful substances – but even if they don’t, there are better alternatives. IMAGE: AnnaD | Pixabay

Dog toys can contain toxins

Dogs have an innate instinct to hunt and play. You know this for sure, and maybe one or two of your shoes have suffered as a result. The industry offers a wide range of dog toys for this purpose – squeaky animals, rubber bones, strong cords… but many of them are not particularly environmentally friendly and may also contain harmful substances.

Ökotest tests dog toys

In January 2024, the consumer magazine Ökotest tested 21 dog toys for harmful substances. (10 x rubber and 11 x textile). The result of the test:

11 products from the test were completely harmless and received a “very good” (which does not mean that they are environmentally friendly).
2 natural rubber toys were contaminated with PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Phenanthrene is considered harmful to the environment because it is persistent and can contaminate aquatic life; naphthalene is suspected of causing cancer.
2 Toys were not saliva resistant and stained

Dog toys made from natural materials

The good news from the test is that dog toys appear to be rarely contaminated with harmful substances. However, as mentioned above, this does not mean that they are sustainable. You can buy many of the “very good” toys for just a few dollars in well-known pet stores. But they contain plastic and are often made in China. That means long transportation routes and materials made from a finite resource (crude oil) that does not decompose.

Dog toys made from natural materials are the environmentally friendly alternative. You can also find ideas for ecological and fair produced dog gifts in this (German) article on Utopia.de.

Dog accessories at Okelmann’s

Dog accessories are also a great souvenir from your vacation. At the family-run eco-hotel Okelmann’s in Lower Saxony, you can buy them in the hotel’s concept store. You can enjoy a wonderful vacation with your dog here, and even take part in a yoga class with your dog.