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09/07/10
Wow....FOUR years already! September 1 marks our 4th Anniversary. What a great year this fourth one has been! We've now served over 1000 pups from the Greater Portland community. Woo hoo!!!
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Great Toys for Puppies
08/21/08
Got a voracious chewer? A hunting breed? A dog who thrives on retrieving? Here are the Pack Leader's top recommendations....
For Teething Pups or Voracious Chewers: Choose rubber toys that are extremely hard rather than soft, as voracious chewers will make short work of anything else. Planet Dog makes the Orbee Tough line of toys - they are shaped like nuts and bolts and steel-plated balls. I have also found a few chew toys at The Kennel Shop recently that are incredibly durable. There is a bright yellow one shaped like an arrow on each end, and a purple one shaped like a dumbbell. A good, solid game of tug can also satisfy dogs who like to use their teeth and jaws during play. My braided fleece tug toys are sold at Planet Dog and Fetch locally. I have found the fleece to be much safer for puppies and adult dogs because it does not get stuck between their teeth like rope can. The toy is also machine washable and dryable. For a teething pup, you can saturate or soak the tug with chicken broth and freeze. Your pup will enjoy gnawing on this and it will soothe their sore gums.
Fun Games: When my Labs were tiny, they enjoyed playing games with me in the evening, either inside or outside. One toy that they really loved was the one that comes with 3 baby squirrels and a tree house. These are sold boxed as a unit, and there's also 3 bees and a hive, and 3 birdies and a bird house. You can purchase this toy at Planet Dog, Fetch and probably Petco and Pet Quarters. You start by hiding the babies in your dirty laundry bin overnight so they are "scented." Then, you teach your puppy how to "get the squirrel" out of his house. They usually run away with it and you can chase them down, while you've got another baby in your hand and are squeaking it madly! It's fun to play with 2 dogs as well. We run all over the house! And when I get the squirrel babies back, I stick them in the house and make them pull them out. They LOVE this game! In order for this toy to hold its special value for play, put it up when you're not playing the game. I always put mine in the same place - on top of a high bookcase. Your pup will begin to "know" when it's time to play the game when s/he sees you reaching up high to get the house!
Another fun game that requires no special toys is what I call "Puppy Peek-A-Boo." I have found this game to be a great way to get puppies toweled off after a swim or bath time. Just take a towel and cover the pup and then "peek" at him/her. You know the routine! Make sure it's an old towel, as you're pup will likely want to turn peek-a-boo into a game of tug!
Retriever Games: The Chuck-It now comes in 3 sizes! This is great news, as it offers puppy owners the opportunity to choose the right tool for the right job! The Chuck-It is sold everywhere dog toys are sold and it consists of a half-moon shaped tennis ball grabber on a long, medium or short handle. All you have to do is slam the grabber down on top of the drooly tennis ball and it's ready to throw....again and again and again! My Labs actually chewed up the tosser thingy so I no longer use the Chuck It with them. I am a big fan of the two ball way of teaching pups to return a ball to me. I toss one ball for them and they run to get it. I hold the other ball behind my back and offer a treat with my other hand when they bring the first ball back to me. They automatically drop the ball for the treat. I reach down and pick up the ball while they are eating their treat, hide it behind my back and then when they look up, I waive the other ball in front of them and then throw it. It also helps, when teaching them to come BACK with the ball, if you use a 20 foot cotton lead so you can "reel" them back in after they get the ball. I purchased my 20 foot leads at Wal-Mart for $6 or $7. Just remember not to throw the ball out of the dog's range or they'll closeline themselves when they reach the end of the lead!
Fun Games: When my Labs were tiny, they enjoyed playing games with me in the evening, either inside or outside. One toy that they really loved was the one that comes with 3 baby squirrels and a tree house. These are sold boxed as a unit, and there's also 3 bees and a hive, and 3 birdies and a bird house. You can purchase this toy at Planet Dog, Fetch and probably Petco and Pet Quarters. You start by hiding the babies in your dirty laundry bin overnight so they are "scented." Then, you teach your puppy how to "get the squirrel" out of his house. They usually run away with it and you can chase them down, while you've got another baby in your hand and are squeaking it madly! It's fun to play with 2 dogs as well. We run all over the house! And when I get the squirrel babies back, I stick them in the house and make them pull them out. They LOVE this game! In order for this toy to hold its special value for play, put it up when you're not playing the game. I always put mine in the same place - on top of a high bookcase. Your pup will begin to "know" when it's time to play the game when s/he sees you reaching up high to get the house!
Another fun game that requires no special toys is what I call "Puppy Peek-A-Boo." I have found this game to be a great way to get puppies toweled off after a swim or bath time. Just take a towel and cover the pup and then "peek" at him/her. You know the routine! Make sure it's an old towel, as you're pup will likely want to turn peek-a-boo into a game of tug!
Retriever Games: The Chuck-It now comes in 3 sizes! This is great news, as it offers puppy owners the opportunity to choose the right tool for the right job! The Chuck-It is sold everywhere dog toys are sold and it consists of a half-moon shaped tennis ball grabber on a long, medium or short handle. All you have to do is slam the grabber down on top of the drooly tennis ball and it's ready to throw....again and again and again! My Labs actually chewed up the tosser thingy so I no longer use the Chuck It with them. I am a big fan of the two ball way of teaching pups to return a ball to me. I toss one ball for them and they run to get it. I hold the other ball behind my back and offer a treat with my other hand when they bring the first ball back to me. They automatically drop the ball for the treat. I reach down and pick up the ball while they are eating their treat, hide it behind my back and then when they look up, I waive the other ball in front of them and then throw it. It also helps, when teaching them to come BACK with the ball, if you use a 20 foot cotton lead so you can "reel" them back in after they get the ball. I purchased my 20 foot leads at Wal-Mart for $6 or $7. Just remember not to throw the ball out of the dog's range or they'll closeline themselves when they reach the end of the lead!