A New Toy.... Oh Boy!

Today I want to talk about something very important. Toys. You might think that toys are just for fun but toys are very important to a pet’s health and happiness. Toys keep us from getting bored and we all know that a bored pet can be can get into a lot of trouble. Boredom can also lead to behavioral problems and nobody wants a misbehaving pet.

Not all toys are the same and not all pets like the same kinds of toys. DixieLee likes all kinds of toys. She likes to carry plush and unstuffed toys around the house and she likes to play tug of war with our rope tugs. I like to shake plush toys until they are died but I like to play catch the ball the best.

The size of toys is also important. Big dogs should have bigger toys than little dog. Balls are great for playing catch but a ball that is too small for the dog’s size can bet caught in his/her throat and make them choke.

Some pets, if they don’t have real toys, will find things like human socks or children’s toys to play with. If they don’t have good toys to chew on they might chew on furniture or a part of your house that you don’t want chewed. Some human toys are okay but it is best to have toys that are made special for dogs. Some children’s toys have eyes or other pieces that can come off and cause choking. Some dogs like to tear apart plush toys but they should never be allowed to eat the stuffing!

Toys that are broken or have stuffing coming out of them should be fixed or thrown away.

Toys should also be washable.

Lots of people like rawhide but dogs should not be allowed to eat rawhide because it can make their bellies sick and dogs have been died because the rawhide gets in their bellies and can’t get out. We do not put rawhide toys in our gift baskets.

We like hard rubber toys like Kongs instead. Dogs like to chew and hard rubber is good for chewing without letting pieces get broken off and swallowed.

Even when we are playing with toys by ourselves, Mom and Dad make sure we are supervised. The only toys we are allowed to have in our crates when no humans are home are caribou horns.

So if you want a healthy dog with good behavior give them good toys to play with.

Your playful friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self promotion. Just a reminder all of our pet gift baskets have lots of toys in them. See them all at pawpalsboutique.com

The Topic Is Toys

Today I wanted to talk about something that is very, very important.  Toys.  Next to cuddles and treats, toys are the most important consideration in a dog's life.  We can never have enough of them.  I always had lots of toys. I had inside toys and outside toys and toys that stayed at the office.  I had toys to play catch with, toys to play tug with and plush toys to cuddle.  Life was good.
And then, along came my sister Dixie.  When it comes to toys, I call her Dixie the Destroyer.  My favorite rag tug toys got shredded in one day.  My plush teddy, disemboweled in a flash.  Plastic squeaky toys didn't stand a chance.  Even my tennis balls were ruined.  She even ate the basket we kept them in!
Mom went on a crusade to find indestructible dog toys.  She asked the people she talks to on LinkedIn (they are professional dog people) and a nice lady said we should try toys made out of fire hoses.

Dixie managed to destroy toys made out of car tires but we decided to see if fire hoses were stronger.  The nice lady told us about a company called Kyien that makes fire hose toys so we got two.  Now, I usually don’t do endorsements because I don’t want to ruin my chances of a major company coming along and signing me up.  But, I have to say, the Kyien toys are pretty much Dixie proof.  I say pretty much because we’ve only had them for about two months, which is a record, but still, that isn’t long enough for scientific proof.
Mom also found a toy called Big Brute which is also pretty good.  I like this one because it looks like a person.  It’s made out of something called nylon and seems to be pretty strong.  It’s made in China so Mom is not thrilled and Dixie has managed to fray it a little in one spot, but it is holding up pretty good.
Kongs, especially the King Kongs, are pretty good but unless they have peanut butter or treats inside, they’re kind of boring.  We like to play tug of war with our toys and Kongs don’t work so good.
I’d be really interested to know what your favorite toys are.  I am always looking for new products to use in our pet gift baskets and knowing what toys are the most favorite would be helpful.

You can write to me at this blog or on DogBook.com, PetPav.com or my email at info@laurelmtbasket.com.  Love to hear from you

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  Our Dogs In Toyland Gift Basket is Sooooo full of toys!

 

Give A Dog A Bone

Hi Everyone
Well, the Holidays are over with for another year.  Hope Santa Paws brought you everything you asked for.  I got some really tasty treats and some great toys.  I did lots of toy testing to see which ones shred the easiest. Toy testing is part of my new job as Designer for  the Pet Division of Laurel Mountain Basket Co and I take my job very seriously.  My new NylaBone and King Kong are the only toys that passed the Zeva destroy test.  My mom makes sure all of my toys are safe to play with and when they get shredded she takes them to their new home in the trash.
I did get a couple of raw hide bones but I'm not allowed to have them.  My mom has some concerns about where and how they are made.  She learned that some raw hide, especially from foreign countries, is treated with chemicals like arsenic. Also, I like to eat my toys, not just chew them and she is afraid some raw hide chunks will get in my tummy and cause indigestion or blockage which is really, really bad.
Instead of raw hide I get marrow bones to chew on.  Because I am a fast eater, I get all the good stuff off of the bone so it doesn't sit around collecting bacteria.  If I eat too much of the yummy stuff inside the bone, I can get diarrhea so mom makes sure I don't have too much.  I did get a huge knuckle bone that didn't have any middle stuff but it's great for chewing anyway.
I don't think I will be putting any marrow bones in our gift baskets but I'd be interested in knowing what types of chew toys you think I should include in my new designs.  Drop me note.  I'd love to hear from you.
Remember, no chewing shoes or furniture,
Your friend
Zeva