There are currently no mandatory safety standards for pet toys in Australia.
There are currently no mandatory material safety standards specific to pet toys in Australia. Which means products designed to sit in your dog's mouth every single day can contain vastly different materials, additives, dyes, coatings and plastics.
That's part of the reason we created The Sniff. One place where dog owners could stop guessing.
Why material matters more than most owners realise
Dogs don't just "play" with toys. They chew them. Lick them. Carry them. Swallow tiny fragments from them over time.
Research examining canine products found that some plastic-based toys and training devices released endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including BPA and phthalates, into simulated saliva environments. The same research also highlighted a major regulatory gap: pet toys are exempt from the kinds of certification standards applied to children's toys.
That doesn't mean every plastic toy is dangerous. But it does mean dog owners are often left to do their own filtering.
Plastic dog toys can leach chemicals when chewed.
What we look for instead
At The Sniff, we prioritise materials with stronger safety profiles and fewer unnecessary additives.
- Food-grade silicone
- FSC-certified natural rubber
- Coffee wood (upcycled from retired coffee trees)
- Simpler material compositions overall
- Products designed for supervised, appropriate use
The current evidence base consistently points toward more favourable safety profiles for natural materials like natural rubber compared to conventional plastic products containing BPA and phthalates.
The problem with "natural" marketing
"Natural" doesn't automatically mean safe.
Cooked bones, for example, can create physical hazards. Some hard chews can contribute to tooth fractures or gastrointestinal obstruction when poorly matched to the dog. Material choice is only one part of the equation. Sizing, supervision, durability and your dog's chewing style matter too.
We can't promise safe. We can tell you what we chose and why.
Daily use deserves a higher standard
A simpler starting point for dog owners
The pet aisle can feel like chaos. Too many options. Too many vague labels. Too much plastic.
The Foundational Edit was designed to cut through that with a smaller number of carefully considered daily-use essentials. Four products. Chosen for their materials. Built to last.
Fewer. Better. Clearer. Because daily use deserves a higher standard.