Four Shepherd Puppies Climbed Into the Toy Box With the Toys

Packed into a wooden toy box, a squad of sable puppies peers out with wide eyes and soft, folded ears. A blue plush toy, a yellow ball, and a rumpled cloth share the space, and nobody seems sure which of them are the toys and which are the puppies. The box sits on a woven rug in front of a gray couch, with a curtain and a houseplant behind it.

Toy boxes are a great way to keep a puppy's playthings together, but they also teach an important lesson in rotation. Offering a few toys at a time and swapping them every few days keeps a pup interested and less likely to chew on furniture. Check each toy for loose eyes, buttons, or stuffing that a pup could swallow, and replace worn ones.

German Shepherds are clever and need mental work as much as exercise. Puzzle toys, treat-dispensing balls, and short training games satisfy their brains in a way that a long walk cannot. Bored shepherds can become noisy or destructive, so a variety of safe toys is a good investment. If you have questions about which chews suit a teething puppy, your vet can help.

For now, these four have made themselves at home among the plush, and they are ready for whichever toy gets pulled out next. It looks like a very cheerful toy store with live samples.