The eight best eco-friendly dog toys in the US – pup-tested | Gift ideas from the Filter US

Better Bones

Soft Dog Chews

from $19.99

Over the years, we have used various forms of hard chews for our dogs, but we’ve never felt great about the plastic used in the most popular ones. Instead, we started Koopa off with BetterBone chews, which are made of cellulose fiber. This plant-based material is easier on both his teeth and the environment.

Better Bone chew toys are available in multiple sizes and hardnesses, but even soft is rugged enough to stand up to many hours of chewing. This is definitely a toy you’ll want to keep an eye on and throw away when it gets too small, but the good news is that the cellulose will biodegrade over time.

Himalayan

Dog Chew X-Large

from $16.79

Looking for something even more natural? These chews are made of yak milk, salt and lime. The resulting product is extremely hard, so you’ll need to watch to make sure your dogs don’t damage their teeth. We’ve used various types of yak chews with our dogs over the years, and they all love them. Himalayan Dog Chew is the original, and it’s noticeably higher quality than the other brands we’ve tried. They last for a long time but can be expensive, so they’re probably not an everyday kind of treat.

They’re also not the kind of thing to leave your dog alone with, since they can break into small pieces. Pro tip: when your dog wears a chew down to a small nub, throw it in the microwave. In just a few seconds, it’ll inflate like a high-school science experiment. Let it cool down for 30 minutes or so, and then watch your pups go wild. Himalayan also makes an accessory called a Bonehead that makes the shrinking chew harder to swallow.

Freya & Dax

Coconut Rope Toy

from $15.99

Rope toys can be great for fetch or playing tug, but letting your dog chew on rope is bad news. The long fibers don’t digest and can tangle in your pup’s intestines.

This rope toy from Freya & Dax is made of coconut fibers, which are shorter and so much less likely to cause a problem. They’re also all-natural, which means they’re biodegradable when the toy has run its course.

Koopa absolutely loved this one. He was so excited to play with it – he grabbed it while I was still getting some photos and had a blast swinging it around and playing tug for a few hours. Later, once he settled down, though, he had pretty well destroyed the thing inside after an hour of chewing. Coconut fiber definitely isn’t as durable as cotton or nylon ropes, but it’s safer, and Koopa very much enjoyed that hour.

Sonoma Wool Company

Wool Dog Toy

$16.95

Balls are another key ingredient to happy dogs, and amid an endless sea of plastic ones, these wool balls stood out. They’re about the size of a tennis ball, but where the rough texture of a tennis ball is bad for a dog’s teeth, these are much softer. Though looking suspiciously identical to Sonoma’s wool dryer balls, they turn out to be the perfect size for playing fetch and proved surprisingly durable despite Koopa’s rough play.

Sonoma Wool Company also sent along a felted wool rope section from LooHoo, which Koopa loved to toss around and play. This has survived several games of tug without issue, and is a lot easier on the hands than a typical rope toy.

Soda Pup

Bottle Top Flyer (small and large)

from $7.50

The most important rule in dog ownership is that a tired dog is a good dog. Not all dogs love catching flying discs, but if yours does, then congratulations because you’ve unlocked a fun and easy way of burning energy. If you’re looking for something better than a cheap plastic Frisbee that will be mangled and full of holes after just a few sessions, check out these Bottle Top Flyers from SodaPup.

They’re made of natural rubber, so they’re soft and flexible, and easier on your pup’s teeth and the environment. This means they are substantially heavier than a regular flying disc, so you likely won’t be slinging them as far as usual, but they fly well once you get the hang of them. Koopa loved the floppiness so much that he just enjoyed running around with the disc. (We’re still working on the “give” command.)

Project Hive

Chew toy (small and large)

from $19.99

A toy that you can stuff with food is another must-have for occupying a high-energy pup. The Kong is the gold standard here, but this chew toy from Project Hive has much better environmental cred.

It is recyclable, BPA-free, latex-free, phthalates-free, and durable enough to withstand rigorous chewing. The company also sells a line of edible filler sticks made of ingredients you can recognize, such as potato starch and pea protein. Koopa has an extremely sensitive stomach, so we don’t give him treats lightly, but he really enjoyed their pumpkin-flavored sticks, which are not only seasonally appropriate but smelled so good my wife and I were tempted to take a bite.

Cycle Dog

Duraplush Toys

$18

A plush taco isn’t exactly a typical toy for a dog, but then CycleDog isn’t your typical company. Based in Portland, Oregon, the company hand-makes its toys from post-consumer recycled materials and sells them at a location that is a combination tavern and dog park, proving yet again that Portland is a magical place.

CycleDog’s toys lack filling and squeakers, and we were a bit afraid that would mean Koopa wouldn’t be interested in them. But he loved the floppiness of the taco-themed toy CycleDog sent us to evaluate, and with no squeaker he seemed less inclined to rip it apart. He carried it around the yard for a little photoshoot, throwing it in the air and catching it. Later on, after coming back inside, he carried it over to his bed and used it as a pillow for an afternoon nap.

PetShop by Fringe Studio

Dino Earth-Friendly Dog Toy

$18

If you’re looking for a more traditional plush toy for a dog – that is to say one with a squeaker – check out this guy coming straight from the Cretaceous period (and from PetShop). He is made of recycled materials and contains recycled fill as well.

There is a big squeaker in the dinosaur’s belly, plus some crinkly material, which kept Koopa happily chomping for days. He did eventually gut the poor thing, tugging out the oversized squeaker, but the dino survived weeks of active play before losing its innards. In addition to the dino model, PetShop also makes these as whales, snakes, octopi and any number of cute creatures.