What is a Labrador Retriever’s Favorite Toy?

Our question this week was:*Dr. Debra – I’m not much of a dog person but my brother is. He has 2 labs that he adores. Can you tell me in generally what type of toys labs like? I’d like to buy the dogs something for Christmas.*Angie. B

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. You wrote asking what type of toys to Labrador retrievers like them most. Labs love to play.

We actually did an extensive survey about what is it really like to have a lab at home. Honest answers from Labrador retriever owners about lots of things such as how much do labs they really bark, do labs shed a lot, and…what is their favorite toy. I’ll give you the answer that comes from the survey.

This answer is consistent with my experience with labs as well.

Question 37 (from the survey). What is your lab’s favorite toy? Labs like to fetch! Approximately 43% of lab owners said their dogs favorite toy was a fetch toy, followed by chew toy (36%), followed closely with stuffed toy (35%) and finally a pull toy (17%). The remaining 24% indicated that their dogs favorite toys were balls (all kinds with the #1 ball being a tennis ball), squeaky toys, Frisbee, and Kong® toys with treats in it. To read the full survey – go to: Is a Labrador Retriever Right for You? Survey Results from Lab Owners.

So I think a Kong (This is a brand of toys that are very durable – and some allow you to put a treat inside), a Kong you toss (some have rope on the end that allows you to toss it a long way) or something like a ball launcher – this holds a ball and has a scoop that allows you to toss it a long way. Another option is to get the dogs a gift card to a pet store near them and let your brother pick out what he things they would like.

We asked dog owners what they would like most for Christmas (related to their dog) and their #1 answer was gift cards. If you are interested – here are the results of the survey if you want to see the rest of the answers. Go to: What Dog Owners Want for Christmas.

Happy Holidays,

Dr. Debra

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