Toys?

[willowsmom]

We have an almost 8 week puppy (she was dumped on the side of the road with two littermates and rescued.) She's definitely interested in mouthing things, and I was wondering if y'all had any tips or ideas on chew toys, or something to occupy her mind and mouth.

We have a puppy kong, she's "meh" about it...I think she'd like it if I stuffed something into it, but I'm sleep-deprived and feeling a bit clueless as to what. She has an old cloth diaper with a knot in one end for her to tug on, but that lasts for about 2 minutes before she gets distracted. She'd chew on her leash all day long if I let her.

Anyway, I don't want to clutter things up with a bunch of toys that she doesn't want.

Plus, I'm an excited "new mom" and like to talk about her. lol

Thanks!

[Oubliette8]

You can stuff Kongs with peanut butter. You can freeze it in there to make them last longer. If you want to get creative, you can google "Kong recipes" and it'll pull up all sorts of ideas.

Basic toys I recommend to new puppy owners- a kong, a nylabone (the brown puppy ones seem to be especially tasty to pups), a rope bone, a toy that makes noise (hard rubber squeaky toys like those made by JW Pet hold up best, I recommend avoiding latex), a ball of some sort, a sterilized bone (these can be filled just like kongs)

Its also a nice idea to keep a stock of edible chews- I don't use rawhide, which can cause intestinal blockage and can be treated with chemicals. I like Sweet Potato Chips, Bully Sticks, Cow ears, Merrick's Texas Tails, Zukes Z Ridge Bones, and various other natural parts. A good edible chew tends to keep your dog focused for awhile longer than most toys. The down side is, once they're done, they're gone.

Stuffed Toys with squeakers are nice, but many dogs tend to destroy them quickly. Until you know your pup, its best to only offer those with supervision.

There are also a wide variety of treat-dispensing toys on the market that you can fill with part of the day's kibble ration to hold your pups interest for longer, although I got the impression you were looking for basics at the moment.

[willowsmom]

Great ideas! Thank you!

Yeah, I wouldn't use rawhide either. Blech. I may go pick up a nylabone today.. I totally fogot about them. lol

And peanut butter...

Cha-ching. lol

[Ola_]

For the Kong you can smear something tasty inside (peanut butter, cream cheese, liverwurst, etc). It doesn't have to be a lot, I basically put some on my finger and swipe it around. You don't want to fill the entire Kong because too much of these items can cause loose stools.

Another option is to take a harder treat like a biscuit that just barely fits inside the Kong. You can squish the opening to get larger items in there. And you can do both that and a smear of something soft, especially if it's for when you're leaving or puppy is going in the crate.

I'm another fan of nylabones but keep your pup's chewing strength in mind. Don't get the "edible" ones and watch your pup with the nylabone to see if they're getting any chunks off. If so they may need a harder one. You can make these more interesting by putting a tiny bit of PB on the chewed end. I like rope bones also, but you have to watch these a bit so the pup rip it up and eat the pieces.

[willowsmom]

Oh Fantastic!

Thanks a lot, y'all.

[Noelle C.]

I've never had luck with Kongs either, but anything plush with a squeaky inside my dogs LOVE.

[willowsmom]

The dog I had before Roscoe didn't really like his Kong either...to chew on. But if I threw it and it bounced all funkily, he'd chase after it. He never really took to toys much, come to think of it. lol

We went over and picked up a puppy nylabone just a bit ago. Roscoe took it and looked at me as if to say "Ohhh...this is niiiiiice." lol Now she's sleeping again after eating lunch.

Fun times at my place.