Pet toys are built to be destroyed. A dog chews, shakes and tears; a cat claws and bats a toy under the sofa. The questions that matter for a brand are what comes off the toy when that happens, what the material contains, and whether the toy could be mistaken for something a child should play with.

This guide is for pet product brands, retailers and online sellers who want toys made to their own design by factories in Asia. It sets out the material decisions, the weak points to test, how the line between a pet toy and a children’s toy works in the EU, and what to put in the test plan before you approve volume production.

💬 Developing a pet toy range? Send us your designs, materials and target markets, and we will look for factories in Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia that already make this type of toy. Tell us about your toys.

Start from the material, because it sets the tests

The material family decides how the toy fails under chewing, which chemical questions apply and which factory can make it, so choose it before you ask for prices.

Pet toys come from very different kinds of factory. A plush toy is sewn; a rubber toy is moulded; a rope toy is braided. Quote each family with a factory that already makes it.

Material familyTypical toysHow it tends to failWhat to ask the factory
Plush and fabricSoft toys, squeaky plush, crinkle toysSeams open, filling and squeaker come outFabric, filling, seam type, how the squeaker is enclosed
Rope and braided fibreTug ropes, knotted toysFibres shed, knots loosenFibre type, dye, how ends are finished
Natural or synthetic rubber, TPRBalls, treat-dispensing toys, chew ringsPieces bitten off, crackingCompound, hardness, colourants, odour
PVC or vinylSqueaky figuresSplits, squeaker exposedPlasticiser used, wall thickness
Nylon and hard plasticsChew bones, puzzle toysSharp edges after chewing, splintersGrade, colourants, edge finish
Cat toys with mixed partsWands, feather toys, balls with bellsSmall parts detach, stringsHow each part is attached, string length options
Electronic toysMoving balls, laser pointers, interactive feedersBattery compartment opens, casing breaksBattery type, compartment closure, casing material

Do not ask for a toy to be described as “indestructible” or “chew-proof”. No material survives every dog, and a claim like that sets up a complaint the first time a toy breaks. Describe the material and the intended level of play instead, and tell owners to supervise play and remove a damaged toy.

Pet toy or children’s toy: where the line sits in the EU

In the EU a product is a toy when it is designed or intended for play by children under 14, and the new Toy Safety Regulation adds a test based on what a parent could reasonably assume from the product’s functions, size and characteristics.

A dog toy is not, on its face, designed for children, but the definition also looks at how a product will be perceived. That matters for bright plush and rubber figures.

  • Directive 2009/48/EC, Article 2(1), applies to products “designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age”.
  • Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 on the safety of toys, which repeals the directive, keeps that definition in Article 2(1) and adds that a product is considered intended for play by children under 14 where a parent or supervisor can reasonably assume so “by virtue of the functions, dimensions and characteristics of that product”. The regulation states that it applies from 1 August 2030, with some articles applying from 1 January 2026.

What this means in practice:

  • design the toy and the packaging so that it is clearly a pet product, with pet imagery, the animal named on the pack and display in the pet section
  • state on the pack that the item is a pet toy and not a toy for children; this helps show the intended use, but it does not by itself decide the legal classification
  • if the product could pass for a child’s toy, take advice in the market where you sell before you launch it

Toys that fall outside the toy rules are still consumer products. In the EU they are covered by the General Product Safety Regulation; our article on pet product materials and labelling by market explains what that requires on the product and the packaging.

Small parts, squeakers and attachments

Pet toys often fail where one part joins another, so list every attached part and agree how each will be tested on samples.

Make a list of every component that could separate from the toy: eyes, noses, squeakers, bells, tags, ribbons, feathers, strings and the ends of ropes. For each one, decide how it is attached and how you will check it.

  • Embroidered rather than attached features. Embroidered eyes and noses on plush remove a part that could be bitten off.
  • Enclosed squeakers. A squeaker inside an inner pocket is harder to reach once the outer fabric is torn.
  • Bells and balls inside cat toys. Ask how the bell is enclosed and whether it can be reached by clawing.
  • Strings and elastic on wand toys. Owners use them under supervision, but say so on the pack.

We are not aware of a harmonised EU standard or a US federal standard written specifically for the strength of pet toys. Buyers therefore set their own test protocol. Some borrow methods from children’s toy standards, such as torque and tension tests, as a reference. If you do this, write in the purchase order which method you are using and what result counts as a pass, and confirm the current rule in the market where you sell.

💬 Not sure which tests to put in your purchase order? We help you write the test plan with the factory and arrange third-party laboratory testing on pre-production samples. Send us your toy list.

Chew durability: define it as a test you can repeat

“Durable” is a word, not a specification; write down a repeatable test, run it on the approved sample and hold volume production to the same result.

No laboratory test predicts every dog, but a test can catch a batch weaker than the approved sample:

  1. Agree the material grade and hardness the factory will use, as the factory specifies them, and record it on the specification sheet.
  2. Define a simple mechanical check on samples, for example pulling, twisting or compressing the toy by a set method, and photograph the result.
  3. Keep retained samples of the approved toy so that later batches can be compared.
  4. Grade the range on the pack by play style or dog size, without promising that a toy cannot be destroyed.

Changing the colour or the colourant can change how a rubber or plastic compound behaves. Treat a colour change as a material change and re-check it.

Material chemistry and the laboratory tests to consider

For materials that will be chewed or handled often, ask for test reports on the substances your market restricts, using a recognised method and a laboratory you choose.

Pet toys are mouthed by animals, but in a family home they are also handled, and sometimes mouthed, by children. Two examples from the EU REACH Regulation show why the material matters:

  • Entry 51 of Annex XVII (as amended by Regulation (EU) 2018/2005) restricts four phthalates in the plasticised material of articles, which can include PVC squeaky toys and coated fabrics.
  • Entry 63 of Annex XVII (as amended by Regulation (EU) 2015/628) limits lead in articles supplied to the general public that children may place in the mouth, which can include small rubber or plastic toys and metal parts such as bells.

Whether an entry applies to a given pet toy depends on its materials and use, so ask your test laboratory to confirm the scope. Our market-by-market article sets out the limits in these entries and other rules side by side.

What to testWhyStandard methods buyers often reference
Phthalates in plastics and coatingsREACH entry 51 in the EU; other markets restrict phthalates tooISO 14389 (textiles); the laboratory’s method for plastics
Lead and other elementsREACH entry 63 for mouthable articles; buyer policyEN 71-3 (migration of certain elements, a toy standard used as a reference)
Small parts and attachmentsChoking and ingestion riskBuyer protocol; some borrow torque and tension methods from ASTM F963 or EN 71
Colour fastness of dyed rope and fabricDye transfer when wetLaboratory textile methods agreed with the buyer
Battery compartmentAccess to button or coin cellsThe battery rules of the market where you sell

ASTM F963 is the US consumer safety specification for toy safety and covers toys intended for use by children under 14; EN 71-3 is the CEN standard on the migration of certain elements from toys. Neither is written for pet toys, so they are references the buyer chooses, not requirements that automatically apply. For the fabric and garment tests used on sewn toys, see fabric and garment testing before shipment.

Toys with batteries

A pet toy with a button or coin cell can fall under the battery safety rules for consumer products, and in the US a pet toy has been recalled for exactly that.

On 7 August 2025 the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of laser pointer and LED ball pet toys. It stated that they violated the mandatory standard for consumer products containing button cell or coin batteries required by Reese’s Law, because the plastic sphere could break on impact and make the batteries easily accessible to children.

If your range includes electronic toys:

  • ask the factory for the battery type and the design of the battery compartment, and whether it needs a tool or two independent movements to open
  • drop-test samples onto a hard floor and check whether the casing breaks open
  • put battery warnings on the product and the packaging as the market requires
  • confirm the current battery and electrical rules in the market where you sell before you order

Before the toys ship

Inspect against the approved sample, with the attachment checks and the test reports you agreed, before the goods leave the factory.

A pre-shipment inspection for pet toys should check shape and colour against the sample, attachment of every part on the component list, seam and squeaker enclosure on plush, flash and sharp edges on moulded toys, labels and packaging. Our guide to pre-shipment inspection and AQL explains how to set the sampling plan, and sample approval stages explains how to fix what the factory must match.

If toys are part of a wider range under your own brand, our guide to launching a private-label pet products brand covers range planning and packaging, and pet beds and cushions covers the sewn side of the range.

Frequently asked questions

1. Are pet toys covered by children’s toy safety rules?
Not as a rule, because they are designed for animals. In the EU, however, a product a parent could reasonably assume is for children’s play can be treated as a toy. Design and pack it clearly as a pet product.

2. Is there a standard chew test for dog toys?
We are not aware of a harmonised standard written for pet toy strength. Buyers write their own protocol, sometimes borrowing children’s toy methods, and hold production to the approved sample.

3. Can I call my dog toy indestructible?
We advise against it. No toy survives every dog, and the claim invites complaints. Describe the material and the intended play style, and tell owners to supervise and remove damaged toys.

4. Which laboratory tests should I ask for?
It depends on the materials and the market. Common requests are phthalates in plastics, lead and other elements, attachment strength and colour fastness. Your laboratory can confirm which rules apply.

5. Can the factory make a toy based on a well-known character?
You should not ask for it. Characters and brand names are protected. We develop toys from your own designs and do not arrange copies of other companies’ characters or logos.

Summary

A pet toy specification fixes the material, lists every part that could come off, defines chew durability as a repeatable test and checks the chemistry your market restricts. The line between a pet toy and a children’s toy deserves attention in design and packaging, and battery toys need their own checks.

Sunsho Trade is a trading company, not a factory. For pet toys we find and vet the factory that fits your brief, collect quotations on identical terms, arrange samples and laboratory testing, inspect before shipment and arrange delivery.

💬 Ready to develop pet toys under your own brand? See our pet products OEM service, or send us your designs and we will come back with factory options.

Sources

Checked on 26 October 2026.