Doggy Boredom Busters

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FurstPlaceMiniatures

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I have an 11 month old coonhound X rottweiler mix named Rooster. He's smart, but 'inexperienced' and kind of a rescue. While I'm at work all day he hangs out in my garage for now until he matures a little and can be left in the house. Today, he destroyed a small rug I had hanging on the railing, probably just out of sheer boredom. I feed him by just tossing a scoop of dog food out there in the morning so he has to 'find' it. Can't take him all too long though.

SO.

My question is - what kind of dog toys do you guys use when you aren't home to keep your pups busy? He's not crazy about the peanut butter in the kong.

Roos in his 'pad'
 
my 11 month old CHEWER of a rottweiler X Bullmastiff cross loves his nylabones and black kong toys. they have been the ONLY indestructible toys so far. Your pup is a cutie!
 
Well first things first! Thanks for rescuing him! What wonderful thing you did for him! He looks pretty happy and what a great place for him to stay! His little room looks great and comfy!

Gosh they make so many things just for aggressive chewers. I really would recommend just going and taking a little walk through you local pet store and asking a lot of questions. If they are good and knowledgeable they should be able to give you a hand. Get him a slow feeder for his food and make him work for it. That should take up a little bit of his time. And i second laughingllama, I had both of those when my Newf was a young rescue. They also make a femur bone that's pretty tough and has lasted my guys for a long time. Hubby even hit it with the lawn mower and it made it another year. There is this tough bottle toy that you fill with little foods and they have to roll it around to get the munchies out, that may be good for him. Do you take him for long walks? Get him out and tired first thing before you leave( sounds like your gone all day) and as soon as you get home. Throw that ball or go for a jog! Get him pooped and alot of that boredom chewing should slow down. That has been my experience, but all critters are different! Lol!

Again I cant thank you enough for taking on a rescue! You have your work cut out for you, but I'm so thrilled you can see his intelligence! Now you just need to channel that pup energy!! LOL! I wish you the best!
 
I would get him a "real" bone...they have the marrow in them and dogs LOVE them, even after they manage to suck all the marrow out. I would go to a butcher to get a real/fresh one as it will still have a little meat on it. A nice leg bone is best. You could also try a "Nyla-Bone". They have scented ones and can withstand the heaviest of chewers!

One other thing...I see he has places to sleep, but I would turn that crate around and leave the door to it open and put a blanket or pad in there and allow him free entry to it as he pleases. If he likes squeakies, get him one of those ugly, LOUD, big chickens! Abby loved hers! She would squeak it, throw it in the air, catch it, and repeat over and over again! They get exercise chasing it all around each time they throw it.
 
Please read to bottom... I kept adding information as my brain was connecting to your dog and situation..

Hi, It is so hard to find something for a dog to play with when alone when they would rather play with you instead... however... I did find a pretty neat treat dispenser when I was desperate when training my rescue basset hound who should have been named "the destructor".

Its called the "manners minder". I love it.

sorry its pricy too. my disclaimer is this... read the reviews... decide for yourself.... Not a replacement for training human...just a tool. Might be more mass produced now, so hopefully product is still the same quality as the one I purchased years ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Treat-Remote-Reward-Trainer/dp/B0010B8CHG

Anyway.... My guy was so destructive (probably why he was dumped here) that I didn't put the manners minder on the floor for fear of it becoming a chew thing. This thing is very strong, but my basset was very determined.. so, I took off the tray, elevated the dispenser and it just dumps the treat out on the floor or into the crate when I leave.

It can be set up as timed, you can control the amount of treats dispensed at each interval. Dog can get his whole meal by dispenser when you are gone... It can have a beep or a silent dispense for dogs sensitive to sound. You can use a remote control to dispense and reward for when you are in the room for additional training. Smallish treats work best. I shouldn't say "treats". I fill with dog food kibble.

Fred doesn't need the manners minder now, he sleeps when I am gone and is relaxed and I only use it now for reward training.

Anyway ... I am not one for fancy gadgets, I always try bones and decent non destruct sort of toys. My dogs that chew bedding, don't get bedding. It is a safety hazard if they ingest bedding material, not a big deal to skip fluffy bedding and chewable toys.

Cheers... congratulations by the way. He sounds smart,,, best wishes.

ps...my dog fred really needed a crate so I put the manners minder on top of his crate to stop the barking and digging and crate resistance since he was an older rescue dog. . Your boy would probably rather be in a big crate in the house, than in a huge garage area separate from his pack family. Just my opinion.. Would love to see your boy in the house, in a crate, and getting a really nice long walk at least once, if not twice a day. More than 20 minute walk. Not just potty walk. Folks think more space is better and that the dog will get "exercise" in the larger space... what most dogs do when you are gone is lay in one spot.. wait for you to return, or if they are starting to stress about being alone all day, they pace, cry and destruct until you return..... Crates are not a bad thing, you are just telling the dog where they may lay rather than having them choose themselves. You might try to set up a video camera to see what he is doing when you leave. Might be educational.

My first recommendation is this.... that I would try crating in the house... no bedding... something destructive proof to chew on put in the crate, and two decent length walks per day over 20 minutes worth to start before purchasing any gadget. Dogs really are pack animals, closing a pup in a garage all day might not be good for his mind. If all else fails, you could try hiring a dog walker to come in mid day and give him a brain break from boredom and some exercise.

pss, my fred has enjoyed the elk antler "bones", they are pricy but he chewed much more than the nylabones or kongs I got him. My first hound. He has taught me a lot.
 
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For my mini aussie, in the summer, I freeze peanut butter or whatever tasty concoction I come up with inside a hollow bone. It takes a while to get all the good stuff out & he doesn't waste a speck of it! You could also try freezing treats in ice, I've tried a few treats in a cool whip bowl, then just toss that in his outdoor kennel, might be messy inside though, hmmm. He enjoys that thought, and it lasts quite a while. The kong toys are worth the investment also, you don't have to buy the special treats, but something that takes a little work to get out. He's adorable. I agree with Mona, allow him to go in and out of the kennel, it will give him a sense of security & it's his own space. Can't wait to hear how he grows, he sounds like a smarty pants!
 
Hi all! Thanks so much for the AWESOME advice.

My shift starts between 4 and 6 am. So sorry bub - a jog before work doesn't happen! I throw the ball for him on lunch, and usually again after work too. He's a fetch playing fool - we go until he just flops in the yard panting usually. He is crated at night no bedding, etc, but when crated during the day he was pulling up carpet out of boredom - no bueno, my house is brand spankin new! At night he is crated in the bedroom next to the bed and has never once destroyed something. He had seperation anxiety REALLY bad, until I got a bark collar for him. Snapped him out of 'insane-o mode' before it could get bad. Instead of barking and barking and barking he would just lay down and go to sleep - then be WOUND for sound when I got home. He's ready to start making the transition of being loose in the house all day when Im not home and at night, but theres so much to get into, and i don't want him in the bed with me. When he's reliably being good in the garage all day he'll be in the house all day.

His schedule is potty before work, breakfast in garage, out for lunch in house with me and ball time in yard around 11, then back out for ball time and potty at 4-5ish, then in the house for the night.

He has a few real bones - cannon bones actually off a cow lol. The benefits of dating a man that butchers! He also LOVES horns we chop off the odd heifer, and the odd hoof (whole, leg still attached). I prefer not to leave him alone with them as he can splinter them. And he is NOT bringing them in the house LOL Other then butcher 'byproducts' I have yet to find any food he's crazy over. He does not like hotdogs, american cheese, bread, or peanut butter. Will legit spit out a hot dog!

His main 'issue' is that he is SCARY smart. Give me 10 mintues and I can teach him anything and he WILL NOT forget it.
 
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good luck with your pup.. Sounds like you already have more creative chew items than I could possibly think of.

Hope he and you enjoy many years together.
 
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Right now I'm a single dog home and plan on keeping it that way.

As per chew items - yup, they're gross! But it's what people pay big money for in the supermarket (raw dog food!) and the fat in the marrow keeps him really shiny. He had to put on weight. The cannon bones I smother in BBQ sauce then put on the grill 2 or 3 hours. Those he will go NUTS over! Never had an issue with him throwing up. Moderation is key. A nasty ol hound dog he is! A lot safer out of a cow I know a full medical history on that I know is past withhold on all meds then the chemical laden crap from China bought in the store! With the amount we butcher I feel stupid paying for meat for me, much less the dog!

Right now we are focusing on 'being a functioning member of society.' When Roos has that mastered we will do some more advanced classes! My last dog I trained up through therapy cert, so once he gets a grip on basics at home we will go to some classes! I've only had him since mid march.
 
Our dogs get raw beef bones, but they find them themselves. We raise beef cattle, so they just find the treasures themselves; favorite in the spring is "lawn jerky" (if you can't figure it out, I'll tell you later).
 

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