Toys

Many of my clients with new puppies ask me what toys they should get for their pup. I tell them not to spend a lot of money on fancy things from the pet store. What usually happens is that the dog is interested for a day or two, then never picks it up again. I've found that the best things to entertain your dog can be found right around the house.

The big box pet stores have racks of stuffed toys for dogs. If they last an hour with the stuffing intact, it's a miracle and the $10 toy is now in shreds. I go to the Goodwill store and go through the soft toy shelf. I look for toys that are filled with stuffing (and not little beans), toys without hard plastic, toys that will stay together at the seams if I try to pull it apart and those that are appropriately sized for the dog. Sometimes I just take it home and let the dog tear it apart, pick up the stuffing and then let her have the outer body back. I truly believe the dog gets most of her pleasure by shaking it and watching the guts scatter. As long as your dog doesn't ingest the stuffing, you'll just have some mess to clean up - and you have a twice-recycled toy. If your dog does tend to want to eat the stuffing, just unstuff the toy yourself and toss the innards away before giving it to the dog.



Pip and half-stuffed Snoopy with a serious head injury.

I don't recommend tugging for young puppies, but once they have all their adult teeth in, the best tug toys are homemade.  Tear the bottom off an old T-shirt, put some knots in for gripping and you're ready to go.  Much better than those rope toys that fray.

Pups also love chomping on plastic water bottles.   Just be sure to take it away when you start to see it come apart, then recycle!

I love this semi-homemade toy.  It's a lunge whip from the feed store (around $9) with anything the dog will be tempted to chase attached.  I've got an old sock tied on right now, but I've used unstuffed toys and rags in the past.  This is an interactive game that requires minimum effort on the owner's part, but maximum exertion for the dog.    Stand in the yard and tease the dog by dragging the toy or rag attached to the end of the whip along the ground.  Once the chase is on, change direction frequently, go in circles, make it go airborne, and occasionally let the dog catch the prize.  Have a short tug session, work on "drop it" and reward by going back to play. You can tire out even the most active pup in 15 minutes.

Chase sticks can cost between $25-30 online.  Make your own for under $10.

Never leave your dog unattended with a new toy until you know how they will interact with it.  Anything that could possibly be ingested should be closely monitored.  The only chewies that I am comfortable leaving alone with a dog are deer antlers.  I get them here:  www.petexpertise.com/barbgadola.  Of course, if you know a hunter, get them directly from the source!