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Written by Laurie Albright
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Everyone knows puppies and dogs need toys to play with, chew on, keep themselves busy – otherwise YOUR stuff becomes a toy and we know how hard it is to fix that problem! So, super, we’re all making sure our dogs have lots of stuff to play with. Now, the challenge – what’s an appropriate dog toy?
Safety is my first concern when looking for a dog toy. I’ve heard of/experienced some things that make me pay attention. Recently a post came on the internet about a dog who ate some of the stuffing out of a toy that was intended for children. The stuffing was toxic and he died from it. Apparently, some children’s toys have a flame retardant and mite repellent sprayed onto the stuffing. Probably a great idea for keeping children safe, but not so good for a dog who likes to eviscerate his toys! I know all the “garage sale” toys my dogs used to have are no longer in my house!
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Written by Laurie Albright
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Success in establishing a new behaviour has as much to do with where you train as how you train. It’s fabulous if your dog can do a stay at home, but really, it’s far more use to you if they can do a stay while you are out on a walk and have to help a little kid that just fell off their bike! Hmmm, that sounds like a challenge doesn’t it? It’s not really that hard, it’s just a matter of working up to it.
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Written by Laurie Albright
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What you need, and what you mean when you say focus, depends on what your long-term goals are for your dog. There’s dog-park focus, rally focus, and intense formal obedience focus. They are not all the same thing and you work differently for each. Here’s some pointers for you – take what you can use based on your goals and store the rest for future use if your plans change.
Dog park focus is a dog that is responsible for keeping track of his human. He checks in regularly to make sure he knows where you are, and comes back willingly when you ask him to. This behaviour pattern is best started when your dog is a wee puppy. At that stage, they are still feeling dependant and want to stay close to you. Playing hide-and-seek is my favourite tool here. When your puppy is awake, but not watching you, hide around the corner. Wait a minute until he notices that you’re gone, then call him. Make a big silly fuss about how clever he is, give him tasty treats, play tug, do whatever your little fuzz ball thinks is really, really fun. Take it outside and do the same thing (generally in a fenced back yard so he doesn’t get scared when you’re not visible and take off in the wrong direction looking for you).
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