The toy basket reset: fewer toys out, more reasons to play

Clunk. Squeak. Rustle. Somehow the toy basket is full, but your pet is interested in the one thing that rolled underneath it.

Before buying more, try a small reset with what you already have. AKC's indoor-playroom guide suggests rotating dog toys. Best Friends Animal Society also describes rotating toys as part of indoor-cat enrichment. Neither idea requires turning your home into a pet-store aisle.

First, inspect what is there. Put damaged or unsuitable items out of reach. Choose a small selection of intact favorites, and store the rest somewhere your pet cannot raid. Keep essential comfort items available if your pet relies on them.

Offer a short shared play session with one of the selected toys. Later, bring back a different safe favorite and see whether it earns fresh attention. Let your pet's response guide the next swap.

Keep string toys and other supervised-only items stored between sessions. What is safe depends on the animal and the toy, not just whether it says pet on the package.

Tell us about one old toy that made a comeback. Bonus points for the washing or storage trick that kept it usable.