Best Type of Toys for Westies

What kind of toys do Westie like

Westie walking on grassThe West Highland White Terrier is an energetic, playful, and smart little dog. Being a terrier, they also have high prey and chase instinct. The best type of toys for a Westie help to burn energy, cater to their natural chase instinct. and provide mental stimulation and challenge.

The Westie is a high-energy terrier and requires daily exercise to release pent-up energy. Failure to provide adequate exercise and keep them occupied can result in behavior issues. This can include nuisance barking, destructive behavior, and even escaping. For a guide to exercise for a Westie see here.

They also enjoy a good chew and would be categorized as a moderate to aggressive chewer. This means their chew toys need to be tough and durable.

Many Westies are also keen diggers. This is a natural behavior for them being an earth dog (breed that will dig into it preys burrow). This can sometimes become a problem if they are digging up your yard or even your carpet and furniture. You can’t train a natural instinct out of a dog but you can redirect it. Dog toys that cater to this digging instinct.

Here are our recommended toys for Westies

The must-have toy for Westies

Kong Extreme

If you don’t know what a Kong for dogs is it is a tough rubber dog toy with a hole in the center so you can stuff it with treats or even flavored paste. the Kong is actually three dog toys in one.

  • Food and treat stuffing puzzle toy. You can even freeze the Kong for a hot weather treat.
  • Chew toy – made of safe near-indestructible rubber
  • Fetch toy – due to its unique shape it bounces in unpredictable directions making a game of fetch more fun.

Although the standard red Kong Classic would be fine for a Westie I recommend using the black Kong Extreme. These are near indestructible and will last your dog’s lifetime.

black kong toy for dogs

They come in a range of sizes from XS to XL. For the Westie, I recommend using the medium or large Kong as the smaller sizes don’t hold as much food or treats as you would think.

For a Westie puppy, you should choose the Puppy Kong. These are made of softer more flexible rubber so they don’t do damage to their young and developing teeth and jaw. See Puppy Kongs on Amazon here.

Puppy Kong Toy

To learn more about how to use a Kong for dogs see here. If your Westie doesn’t have a Kong, get them one or even two. See the Kong Extreme on Amazon here.

Best Chew Toys for Westies

When it comes to getting the right chew dog toys for a moderate or aggressive chewer like a Westie, it’s important to keep size in mind. Toys that are too small can easily be choked on.

The most ideal material for chew toys designed for aggressive chewers is rubber. Rubber is durable and virtually indestructible, so this material should be your first pick in a dog toy. Look for soft, malleable edges that are smooth and not sharp.

Here are recommended chew toys for Westies;

Gough Nuts Indestructible Chew Toy

The Gough Nuts chew toys are my number one pick for aggressive power chewers. Extremely popular with people with power-strong dogs for their toughness.

Gough Nuts Maxx Chew Stick

Extremely tough and a good size and shape (11.75 inches long). Dogs like stick-shaped toys because they can hold them between their paws while they work on the end. Also great for a game of fetch.

View Gough Nuts Maxx Stick on Amazon

Gough Nuts Dog Chew Ring

The Gough Nuts ring is 5″ in diameter with a 1.75″ cross-section. Virtually Green goughnut toy for dogsindestructible, guaranteed! If your pet can chew through the outer layer to expose the inner red layer, GoughNuts will replace your toy.

View Gough Nuts Chew Ring on Amazon

Deer Antlers

If you are wanting a more edible dog chew, deer antlers are one of the toughest and longest-lasting. These are available in a range of different sizes to suit your dog. Antlers are a source of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. And many dogs seem to really like the taste.

View Deer Antlers on Amazon.

For more chew toy recommendations see here.

Toys for Westies that shred

Many Westies like soft plush toys. However, most plush toys would be shredded in minutes by many Westies. The key is to select plush toys that are tough and indestructible. These types of toys are also ideal for Westie puppies.

Tuffy plush toy range

The Tuffy range is known as the toughest soft toy for dogs. Tuffy plush toy range combines durability with softness. This is accomplished with seven-layer stitching, multiple tough outer layers of material and a fleece inner lining. They are also machine washable and float.

Tuffy Ocean Creature Octopus      

Tuffy Ultimate Dog Toy                           Tuffy toy for dogs

Tuffy Barnyard Dog Toy            Pig Tuffy Toy

(available in a range of animal shapes)     

See the full range of Tuffy Plush Toys on Amazon            

For more suggested plush toys for shredders see here.

Energy burning toys for Westies

Toys are a great way to provide additional exercise and energy-burning activity for your Westie. Toys that involve chasing or fetching are ideal for this.

Wicked Ball

If your dog is ball mad then the Wicked Ball is the ultimate moving dog toy for them. The magic ball runs and bounces all by itself and the LED light adds another level of engagement for your dog. No App or remote controller required.

It has several settings such as the Intelligent Companion mode. In this mode, the Wicked ball has 10 minutes of play and 30 minutes of rest. If your dog pushes or hits the ball it starts the play cycle again. It also has three reaction modes (gentle, normal, active) so you can set it to suit your dog’s mood.  Due to its obstacle avoidance system (collision sensor), it doesn’t get stuck in tight spots.

The Wicked ball is durable and dog safe and is also waterproof so it can be played with when swimming. It also has a treat hole for dogs that are food motivated.

View the Wicked Ball on Amazon.

Flirt Pole

Flirt pole is like a giant cat tickler for dogs. It has a long handle with a bungy type rope with a lure or toy attached to the end. You simply move the lure along the ground around in circles or in different directions as your dog chases it.

This activity is ideal for a Westie as it works directly with their natural prey instinct. Be sure they have a good “leave it” command and don’t allow them to destroy the toy. It is important that this be a controlled exercise. This is also a good training exercise for Westies as it teaches impulse control. See video for more.

For a full guide to flirt pole exercise for dogs see here.

View Flirt Poles on Amazon

Varram Pet Robot

The Varram Pet Fitness Robot is the newest automatic chase toy for dogs and cats. This device is super smart and ideal to keep your dog active when home alone. Using an app on your iPhone or Android you can schedule when to activate or have it in sleep mode. It also can sense when your pet is near wanting to play. It also has an obstacle avoidance ability and can learn where obstacles are.

The Varram Pet Robot has a few more functions than the other smart chase toys shown below, and as a result, is a little more expensive. It has a built-in treat dispenser to reward your dog for playing. It also provides all the stats and reports on the smartphone app such as monitoring your dog’s activity and how many treats were dispensed.

View the Varram Pet Fitness Robot on Amazon.

In addition to the Varram Pet Robot, there are several other moving chase toys available. This includes the GoBone, the Wicked Bone or the Petgeek play bone. To learn more about these dog toys that move on their own see here.

Digging toys for Westies

Westie digging toysDigging is a natural instinct for dogs and many Westies are real diggers. This is fine unless your Westie is digging up your yard or garden or even your carpet and furniture. Providing toys that cater to a dog’s natural digging instinct is a great way to redirect this instinctual behavior in a more productive way.

iDig Go

The latest toy for dogs that dig is the iDig Go from the people that have brought you the iFetch automatic ball launcher. See “Automatic ball launchers for dogs” to learn more.

This is the first dog toy that has been specially designed to cater to your dog’s natural digging instinct. You simply hide their favorite toy or treats in the flaps and let them dig away to uncover the hidden treasure. Not only will the action of digging help burn off pent-up energy, but the mental challenge of working out how to get to the goodies will help to tire them also.

Check out the video to see how this works or view the iDig Go on Amazon.

Snuffe Rug

Snuffe Mat is another great way to provide for your dog’s natural digging instinct and to provide mental stimulation and relieve boredom. A Snuffe mat is a mat that is made of fleece and you can hide dry food or treats into it. If you are someone that is good at crafts you can try to make one yourself or check out the range of Snuffle Mats at Amazon.

Puzzle and Interactive toys for Westies

Westies are smart and are excellent at solving problems. When selecting puzzle toys for your Westie it is important to choose toys that are challenging and not to easy to figure out.

Spinning Bottles

The spinning bottles give your dog a good level of challenge and keep them entertained for long periods of time. As long as there is food in the bottles they probably will keep going.

View on Amazon

iFetch Frenzy 

The iFetch Frenzy is the only dog puzzle toy that doesn’t use treats. The ball itself is the reward. Your dog drops the ball into the top and scrambles to find it as it randomly rolls from 6-12 feet out of 1 of 3 chutes at the base.

There’s no launching, like our other iFetch ball launchers. This product allows dogs to quickly return to the real challenge: the mental game of guessing where the ball will appear next.

View iFetch Frenzy on Amazon

Petgeek Automatic Rolling Treat Ball

This automatic rolling treat ball from Petgeek is activated by a soft touch from your dog and can last for up to 7 hours. It requires two AAA batteries and goes into sleep mode after a period of no activity.

It provides physical exercise and mental stimulation as they figure out how to release the treats.  Can hold up to 380ml of kibble or small treats(sized up to 0.3 inches). This is ideal for the home alone dog also.

View the Petgeek Automatic Rolling Ball on Amazon.

For more puzzle toy recommendations see here.

Toys for Westie puppies

Westie toyWhen selecting the best toys for a Westie puppy it is important to consider several things. Firstly, they should not be too hard and should have some give. This prevents damage to the jaw and the new teeth. It is also important that they do not shatter or break into small pieces. This is to prevent the risk of your puppy choking on any fragments that come off the toy.

Kong puppy chew toys

As mentioned at the top of this article, The Kong for dogs is a must-have. In addition to the classic shape Kong, there are other shapes available such as the Kong teething stick and the Kong Goodie Bone. These have grooves on the side so you can spread a little paste into them to make the toy more interesting than your shoes.

Puppy kong toyKong Classic for puppies 

Kong teething stick

Pink Kong Chew ToyKong Puppy Goodie Bone

Tuffy Junior dog toys

For puppies that love plush toys but tend to pull apart normal plush toys like Staffy puppies tend to, The Tuffy Junior range is ideal. They are more durable than other plush toys and are machine washable. These are for puppies mainly as an adult dog would be more than likely to be able to destroy them. They are available in a range of sizes to suit your puppy.

Let us know in the comments what your Westies favorite toys are.

Related post for best toys for Westies

How much exercise does a Westie need

Dog Toys for Diggers

Top puzzle toys for dogs

Best chew toys for dogs

Toys for dogs that like to shred

Author

  • Joseph Coleman

    A lifelong writer and proud dog dad. Joseph started this blog dedicated to helping other dog owners find accurate information on how to keep their pets at their healthiest through exercise and nutrition. His passion for all things canine shines through in his writing, and he believes that every dog deserves the best possible care. If you're a dog owner looking for reliable advice on how to keep your pup healthy and happy, be sure to check out Joseph's work.