Do you have an Australian Shepherd and are looking for some toy ideas? Read this to find out a whole range, from the simple and low cost to sophisticated.
What are good indoor or outdoor toys to keep an Australian Shepherd busy? Now, of course, we mean the dogs, not an actual Shepherd. We won’t be reviewing PlayStations or dirt bikes. We mean the best dog toys for Australian Shepherds. We’ll be looking in detail at the pros and cons of 12 low- or full-priced dog toys.
Best Toys for Australian Shepherds
This is a working breed, not a Pug puppy who will be happy to sit on a sofa and chew a slipper. Aussies generally want to be active all day until they are tired out – then (if you let them), sit on the sofa with you in the evening and do it all again the next day. They are a tremendously rewarding dog to own if you understand and adapt to their natures.
With these facts in mind, here are twelve dog toys that will help keep them happy and fit.
So, here are 12 great toys for Australian Shepherds
1. SHARLOVY Dog Squeaky Toys 5 Pack
Best toys for Australian shepherd puppies
When thinking about the best chew toys for Australian shepherds, this thoughtful squeaky plush toy product is well worth considering. In truth, any old shoe or bit of rope is fine for a chew toy but this 5 animal squeaky toy set allows your puppy to identify different animal types and you to praise and reward them when they get the right one, which is ideal for an Australian Shepherd’s temperament. There is a squirrel, cow, fox, wolf, and tiger in the set. So, that’s great scope to play throw games like ‘go get the Tiger’ or hiding games like ‘where’s your Wolf?’.When throwing the animals have tails, so you can get a good swing in for distance.
Your Aussie puppy will have fun with squeakers and you can play tug of war too. There’s no stuffing, which will keep them in shape a bit longer and they are machine washable too, but they aren’t designed for aggressive chewing adult dogs, so this is a toy mainly for younger puppies in their earlier months, not a lifetime lasting toy.
You aren’t going to come across many Tigers and Wolves but you can invest in a bit of fun puppy training, on correct animal identification and praising the result. Praise is really important to this kind of breed.
- Great for your Puppy for chewing but also throwing, hiding and tug-of-war games. It also helps teach animal identification. It can be machine washed. No messy stuffing to worry about and gentle on their mouths.
- Will not last long with some Puppies and will not survive long with older aggressive chewers.
2. Trixie Mad Scientist for Dogs
Best puzzle toys for Australian shepherds
This clever treat reward Windmill toy is our top recommended puzzle toy because you can set different levels of difficulty. Once your pet has understood all the stages, you can them vary things around a bit, keeping their interest. The form factor is a four hollow-armed windmill on a base, with treats placed in one or more of the arms. To get the treat out, your dog first needs to learn how to rotate the windmill, so the treat drops out of the arm. Once they have understood that part, you can place different kinds of puzzle caps on the end, giving them another brain work out.
If your dog has the habit of feeding too fast, this can also be used for dry dog food pellets, rather than treats, meaning your dog will have to put some time and effort into their meal, rather than just wolfing down a bowl.
If all that sounds a bit worthy, this is also really fun to watch.
- Great fun to watch, gives your Australian Shepherd a mental workout which can be varied and can be used to slow down eating. If you have a Cat, this is the kind of toy they might enjoy too
- The base isn’t that stable
3. PawHut 5 Piece Outdoor Game Dog Agility Training Equipment Set
Best basic agility set
Heading outdoors now for our next toy is this well-priced and well-featured agility set. Agility training is a popular pastime for Australian Shepherd owners. Aussies can be common sights at agility shows and enjoy themselves at least as much as their owners. All the dog breeds that share a common gene pool that includes Aussies and Collies are very well suited mentally and physically to Agility training and often have their own show categories, to make it fair on other less suited breeds.
This basic starter kit includes a short tunnel, weave poles, pause box, high jump, and hoop, which is a great start for most of the Agility basics. Even if you aren’t planning to compete at a show, your Aussie will like playing with you on these and get a great outdoor workout, in your garden or in a park (a carrying bag is included), without the need for very long ‘walkies’.
- Reasonably priced and great fun for both of you. All that running and jumping will keep your Australian Shepherd fit (and maybe you too) and provides lots of opportunities for your Aussie to please you and be praised by you, which is something they love and need
- For the price, don’t expect the strongest construction or that the bases are very stable and you don’t get a see-saw, ladder platform, etc
4. SlowTon Dog Snuffle Mat
Best toys for mini Australian Shepherd / Best fun snuffle toy
This soccer pitch design snuffle mat is a fun toy for your mini dog or puppy, and you, especially if you have kids who like to play with the dog. A dog’s sense of smell is way better than ours. So, why not get them a snuffle mat? Australian Shepherds don’t quite have the noses of some breeds but they are still instinctive foragers.
There are lots of snuffle mats out there and they all do a similar job – let your dog naturally forage for food. This mat might appeal to kids, as they can set up a soccer game, with goals, midfield players, strikers etc. with blue vs yellow teams (which an Australian Shepherd can discriminate between) and score the result. Maybe you get to provide the match commentary?
- If you are buying a snuffle mat, why not get one that entertains you as well as your dog. This is easy to set up and easy to wash (it is machine washable)
- Not especially chew proof and might get a bit chewed as part of your Australian Shepherd’s victory celebrations
5. Wickedbone Smart Bone
Best interactive toys for Australian Shepherd
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a topical subject and this interactive toy is a good example. It rolls around interacting with your dog in either a standalone mode, where it adjusts its behavior, or you control it via a smartphone (Apple and Android). There are other interactive toys we’ll look at a bit later that you can control from work, etc. via a camera but this one is more straightforward: either the dog chases it or it chases the dog. In order not to freak out a timid dog, users might leave it with other dog toys unactivated for a few days, then start it off. It is really for indoors only and runs best on a solid floor, rather than a thick carpet or rugs.
- Fun for the confident dog and fun for you if you want to operate it
- Not fun for the timid dog and a bit limited if you want to operate it on dense carpets, rugs, etc. Not especially chew proof for a bigger dog
6. Furbo Dog Camera
Best home alone toy
So, your Aussie is home alone. That is a bit odd for a working dog breed whose ancestors were used to being out working too. The Furbo Dog Camera allows you to see your Aussie at home, on your smartphone, from a built-in camera routed via your house wifi. You can also talk to your dog and the dog gets to bark back, whine, etc. If you want, the camera body has a small treat dispenser built-in and will at your command throw a treat the dog’s way. There’s also the option of Alexa control.
A ‘barking detector’ that will notify your smartphone if your dog is getting agitated, so you can check in on them. If it’s just being caused by the next-door cat taunting your Aussie through the window, then no problem and you can soothe the dog. If it’s a possible intruder or some other real problem your dog is sensing, this is actually a security aid, especially as the camera also has basic night vision.
- Interact with your dog from a remote location to prevent loneliness. Has security benefits too
- No Apple support yet, limited interaction with the dog (voice and treat)
7. Petcube Play 2 Wi-Fi Pet Camera with Laser Toy
Best high-end interactive toy
Ok time for some serious technology. This Petcube camera, unlike the Furbo just described, actually lets you see, hear and play in real-time with your pet, anywhere in the world that your Android phone works in. There’s a good quality camera system with wide-angle, zoom and night vision and decent two-way audio, all driven from a phone app. What is really cool is the laser pointer which we all know dogs and cats just love chasing. That can be set to work automatically, or you can have fun driving it yourself from your phone during lunch break or even in that boring meeting while pretending you are looking at that vital document.
So, dog and owner both get some playtime together remotely.
- A really fun toy. Your Aussie will love it and if you have a Cat – well you know how they are with laser pointers
- Expensive
8. XiaZ Retractable Interactive Dog Toy
Best outdoor toys for Aussies
Ok, back from the high tech for a while. This inexpensive low-tech bungee exercise outdoor rope toy is ideal for an Aussie workout. It is a straightforward elasticated bungee rope and ball toy, that allows for a vigorous workout. It should be fitted to a tree or post in the garden and can be set at different heights. This is important if you have an aggressive chewer as you don’t want the toy to be chewed non-stop, rather it should be just about in reach when jumping.
The more vulnerable bungee part is kept away from teeth too, so less risk of chewing weakening the strap. Ideally, you need to attach 10 plus feet up.
- A great Aussie workout, simple and low cost
- Needs a strong tree or post of the right height
9. SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy
Best toys for new Aussie puppies
We recommend this toy for all breeds of young puppies. This is a very clever and thoughtful plush toy ‘mother’ dog or ‘surrogate sibling’ which has a heartbeat and can warm up. This produces your Aussie pup’s positive feeling of sleeping with a sibling puppy or a mother. Your Aussie will instinctively relax and feel secure. It’s a good idea for when your puppy first arrives at your home and it will help them in the process of settling in without feeling lonely. The heat source is a microwavable gel pack that works a bit like a hot water bottle and fits into a velcroed cavity. Users can and do put in other warm objects. The heart is a different system and uses 2 AAA batteries, which can be replaced.
One neat trick with a new puppy is before you buy it, get the seller to get the scent of the mother dog on the puppy, so the first few weeks, your Aussie puppy will have something that feels, sounds and smells like its birth family.
- Will keep your new puppy happy and reduces loneliness
- Older dogs might chew
10. PetSafe Automatic Ball Launcher Dog Toy
Best for automatic outdoor play
There are a few ball launcher products, this one we like because it has some neat proximity sensor safety features, plus a launch warning sound, so you, our your Aussie won’t get hit, and the ability to adjust where the ball is thrown (it will throw the ball up to 30 feet).
If your Aussie is smart enough to bring the ball back and drop it into the launcher, the ball is then thrown again. It has the option of rest period programming if you don’t want your dog exhausted. Your Aussie will get a really good work out in any case and it’s fun to watch too.
It runs off mains for indoors or batteries for outdoors (the batteries are not included). Standard tennis balls are the best fit and you can load up to three
- Will give a good automatic work out safely
- Pricey and you also need to buy batteries
11. CHUCKIT! FLYING SQUIRREL
Best fetch toy
Finishing on a simple and low cost but fun fetch or catch product, the toy comes in high-visibility colors, which makes it easy for you to spot however dogs can’t actually see the red color on the body.
It glows in the dark, allowing night play and it floats in the water, too allowing pool, river, etc. fetch games.
- A cheap and effective fetch toy that won’t get lost that easily, day or night
- An aggressive chewer will make short work of it
How about very low-cost Aussie toys?
If you are looking for very low-priced Aussie dog toys, you don’t really need more than a stick or an old tennis ball. In fact, a Puppy will be happy for a while with a smelly old shoe. The point about the toys we are reviewing here is that some real thought has gone into them, that they have real benefits either for adult dogs or pups (or both) and they are from a reliable brand.
Do Aussies need more exercise than other breeds?
Yes (or at least more stimulation. The modern Australian Shepherd or ‘Aussie’ has genes that descend from old European herding dogs, who were bred over the centuries for intelligence, obedience, and stamina as working dogs on sheep or cattle farms.
The Aussie is genetically closely related to the Border Collie. These are both smart dogs and anyone who has owned one (including the writer of this article) is that they love to work and they love to please. The downside to this is that some of them can get bored easily and will make work for themselves by herding the kids, herding cats, etc. if they have nothing to do.
There’s a lot of choices here and some of them are quite pricey. How do I know if they are worth investing in?
That’s a good question. The best toy for your Aussie has to fit with your circumstances (where you live, if you are retired etc.) and what your Aussie loves doing. For example,there are some great toys here for people with mobility issues that mean they can still get some exercise for their dog. Also if you have a house with a huge back yard, that’s a different situation than if you are living in a city apartment. Then you have to consider individual dog temperament. Do they prefer hanging out with you on the sofa (a plush toy is good) or rushing around a park? Just make sure you have a think about these factors before buying.