toys that are ment to be destroyed...

fawkese1

Hi, my dog, Clover, is a rescue, about 1yo. I have had him for two months and he has made huge strides in his training and adjusting to my home, with everything except his issues with being left alone. Clover gets very regular exercise and training and I have been working on some "independence training" that is helping him, but it takes so long! In the mean time, I would like to give him something that he can just shred up when he is anxious. I give him all sorts of chewie type treats and he has plenty of toys that I rotate for him so he doesn't get bored, but he really seems to like to shred things and I would like to give him stuff that isn't necessarily part of his diet that he can really get into but that is relatively safe.I am working on a sand-box, he likes to dig and I have several toys that I put his dry kibble in and I hide some of it to keep him busy. Any suggestions? I am looking for homemade, inexpensive stuff that is safe for him.

pawzaddict

Personally I would not condone the behavior... If he will chew on a dog bone give him that...that is what it is meant for, but I would not give him stuff to shred up because it will only condone the shredding of anything...they do not think "this is ok to shred but this is not", so I would stick with a bone...is he being crated?

fawkese1

I have thought about his problem in that way, not condoning the behavior and all, but from all that I have read about seperation anxiety, it is a matter of time for him to learn that I will be coming back. He has been showing steady (slow) improvement, but he still has some issues. I was really hoping to re-direct his behavior in the mean time. I do give him bones to chew on. When I am at work, I keep him in the backyard. He has plenty of toys and things to keep him occupied. I hide part of his breakfast and I switch up his toys so that he doesn't get tired of them. I think he is less stressed outside when I am not home because I don't think he spent much of his life indoors before I adopted him. I am trying to get him adjusted to being in the house alone because it snows where I live. I go home on my lunch break everyday so I can let him out. two of the three times he was in the house (these were shorter periods of time then when I am at work) he shredded the doormats. I tried putting his favorite toys and chewies at the doors the second time, but it did not work. I think I will try putting some of my dirty clothes there next time. I left him in his crate for less than 1 hour before (he goes in and out of it all the time with the doors open, sleeps in it at night, and I tried rewarding him while he was in it, but....) and he very nearly hurt himself trying to get out of it. I don't think crating is the right choice for him. Now that he seems to be dealing with outside time well, I thought I could focus on inside.

Criosphynx

stuffies and socks stuffed with kibble are all great shredders...provided that the dog wont eat the fabric..

Mine LOVE to destroy stuffed animals. You can get them cheap at a thrift store, just make sure to remove the hard eyes first.

fawkese1

I think I'll try the sock thing. I have been looking at the thrift store, but all I have found are one with beans in them! Do you remove the stuffing too?

Criosphynx

I slit the butts or feet to take the beans out....god one had beans once and I hadn't checked...what.a.mess.

I leave the stuffing in...my dogs just de stuff them, then I put the fluff back in and we start all over... Mine don't eat the fluff....yours might tho..just watch him at first.

Anda

I agree. I would not give him clothes, shoes or anything like that. IMO, shoe- and food-shaped toys are the most hare-brained things in the pet shops. They can't be expected to know the difference between an ok-to-chew shirt and a brand-new or favorite shirt.

(For that same reason, we don't give table scraps. I want my babies to know the difference between puppy stuff and people stuff. Now if only I could get DH to comply without supervision.....)

GreatDaneMom

first, this thread is from june of 09.....

secondly, feeding them "table scraps" or not has nothing to do with learning what is puppy or people stuff. they dont get that. food is food no matter what. the problem is when you feed them while you are eating or from the table. thats when they begin begging.... other than that, if you put the food in the bowl or use it as treats for training, youre not changing anything.

Anda

Didn't know they expired.

I have to respectfully disagree. Pickman knows that bbq chicken, tacos and hot dogs are not puppy food. He can sit with me on the couch while I eat without incident because he knows he's not allowed to have people food. On the other hand, after DH gave him tea (for reasons I cannot comprehend), he figured that all tea can be his tea. The same thing happened with cooked chicken. Dogs know smells, but don't understand ownership. If I were to give Asenath a grilled hamburger, she would no doubt be at my knee every time she smelled a burger, thinking that it is ok for her to have one. The few times I have given people food (eggs, for example), I did so with the knowledge that I will now have to guard my eggs.

However, if your family always eats in the same place, I could see less of a problem along these lines. And I know that whole-foods and raw-foods families will have different training. That's just how our home is structured.

a7xfanally

I got my dog at six weeks old, and he is five months now. He still has issues with being alone, I can't even leave the room without him following me. I do provide plenty of safe chew toys, nothing resembling something he should not chew on. He is very attached to me, and will not stay with anyone but me. I don't really know why this happened, my boyfriend was with him just as much in the beginning. He'll only sleep by my feet at night, and only sit by me during the day. For a husky he gets very protective of me (meaning he won't leave my side and will cry if somebody is very close to me), but not in an aggressive way, he's very well behaved and friendly.

Over time he has gotten better tho, I can leave him alone for a couple hours without him destroying everything and crying nonstop. I believe that the two most important words when it comes to training a dog are patience and time.