Everyone knows dogs are man’s best friend! Modern society has only incre-ased people’s desire to have a furry friend by their side.
Most dog owners treat their sweet companions to yummy treats and exciting toys, but few know anything about the dog toy manufacturing process.
At Petopia, we take the time to design and manufacture every dog toy with care and attention to detail.
If you’re curious about how your dog’s favorite toy came to be, you can find out here!
This article offers a comprehensive look at Petopia’s toy manufacturing process and why dog toys are so important and popular.
Keep reading to learn about how Petopia makes each and every one of our high-quality dog toys.
Why Dogs Need Toys
Dogs have the natural urge to chew on things and tear them up. It stems from their instincts to hunt, protect their territory, and defend themselves from other creatures.
Because these things are hardwired into their brain, they may become bored and restless if they don’t have toys that allow them to play out these instincts.
When dogs are alone or bored, they seek out things to play with and tear up.
If they don’t have toys to satiate this desire, they will turn to other objects, like your shoes, furniture, and other belongings.
Not only is this frustrating and inconvenient for you, but it puts your dog in danger of consuming something harmful.
Whether you have a dedicated working dog or a silly companion, toys are essential for keeping them engaged, stimulated, and happy!
Dog Toys On the Market
The dog toy industry is massive, with many different toys made from various materials.
Common materials include nylon, natural rubber, latex, plush, knotted rope, wood plastic, TPR, BPA, PVC, fleece, and more. These materials range from soft and delicate to durable and rigid.
Aggressive chewers need super-durable toys that can withstand constant gnawing. But more docile dogs may be happy just mouthing on a plush toy.
All the materials mentioned above have advantages and disadvantages, and certain materials suit different dogs.
However, natural rubber seems to be the superior choice when considering safety, bite resistance, durability, and toxicity.
The Process of Making Dog Toys
Before we make any toy at Petopia, we thoughtfully design and test the product and take several considerations into account.
When designing a toy, we consider what dog would benefit from and enjoy the most, whether that’s a particular breed, size, or age of the dog.
We consider different levels of chewing intensity, bite sizes, and more.
After performing tests and trials with design ideas, we move on to the manufacturing process, which you can read about below.
Step 1: Making the Materials
First, we make the material using standard material formulas.
For natural rubber, we reinforce the material by adding the necessary activators, vulcanizing agents, accelerators, filling material, and other components.
We add everything one at a time until the material stabilizes.
We pulverize the natural rubber according to the pulverizing standard work order. After, the rubber must sit and cool for a minimum of 24 hours.
We also must mix the material in the commercial mixing machine. Our company adheres to the mixing standard work order for each product.
After mixing, the rubber cools for another 24 hours.
The mixed materials must then go through another process according to the mixing and promotion standard work order.
The material is mixed on the open refiner and repeatedly refined until the mixture is homogenous. It cools on a sheet until it reaches room temperature.
Lastly, the material is delivered to the quality control department for inspection. If it passes inspection, it moves on to the molding department.
Step 2: Mold the Toy
Now, we use a toy mold to shape the material into the dog toy! The mold material is placed in a designated injection machine to be heated up so it’s pliable.
One of our workers will set the machine to follow the standard work order parameters and design for the toy. These parameters specify the shape and size of the toy.
When the temperature is in place, the worker can start the test run to make the mold.
They then fill out the first part of the inspection report, which we use to ensure quality and consistency between products.
These reports go to the quality control department for confirmation.
We inspect the mold for damage, warping, or incorrect shapes. If it has problems, we repeat the process.
If the mold looks good, we can inject the mold with the rubber material and make the toy.
Step 3: Quality Check and Final Touches
Once the toy is made, we take extra steps to ensure its quality. Each toy must be checked by using the Input Process Quality Control (IPQC) standards of practice.
If it passes, the toy will be moved into formal production. If not, we intervene and make adjustments.
These adjustments often involve trimming raw edges and assessing the toys for color, shape, or texture inconsistencies.
Employees fill out the self-inspection and self-check form throughout the quality check process, which eventually goes to the packaging department.
Step 4: Packaging and Shipment
After the toys pass IPQC inspection, it’s sent to the packing department, where they perform another inspection. The toys are brought to the warehouse to await shipment.
The finished toys are packaged and shipped by the warehouse management team according to customer orders.
Our warehouse team sorts all our toys to be shipped. But, before they go out, they go through one more round of quality control inspections.
Once the toy passes the Outgoing Quality Check (OQC) inspection, it’s shipped to the customer or vendor!
Conclusion
Many owners research the ingredients in their dog’s food and read hundreds of reviews before buying their leash.
But the safety and quality of your dog’s toys are just as important, so we take extra time and care to double, triple, and quadruple-check every product to ensure it meets our rigorous standards.
Now that you know how much care goes into every Petopia product, you can buy them confidently and give your dog top-quality toys!
