A lot of thought should go into choosing the right toys for your hound. You need to first learn about the breed and understand its mannerisms before going to the store and buying any old stuff.
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 ordering online for all sorts of toys that they think will be enjoyable for 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, it is a highly intelligent animal and some owners end up being the seeker instead of the seeker, so you will want to keep your mind on the task at hand and not something else.
While they are idling in their yard or corral, 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 swallow it. Once they’re old enough to play with each other, they’ll 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 away from the other. It is always good entertainment for the owner to watch his new dog play. Get involved with them as much as you can. Pull the string but always let them have it so they know that this is their toy and no one will take it away.
Eventually the rope will get old and frayed and they will start to eat it. Toys don’t last forever and once they do you’ll want to take them away and get a new one. They will be very happy to see a fresh new string to play.
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 them busy for hours, but just like a 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 hounds I have seen. Some will literally destroy the house if they don’t have enough to keep them occupied, and others will just nibble on it for a while.
The best toy for any hound I’ve found is a plain old stick. They come in many flavors, pine, aspen, willow, maple, oak. You will need 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 bloodhound don’t have to be fancy, just safe and practical to keep them occupied and not get hurt by eating something that is 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 their whole life playing and watching them for hours and hours a day.