Dogs That Won't Play With Chew Toys

Topic: Chew Bones are they Safe

Filed under Dogs

Tags: Bones, Toys

 

Starting puppies off on chew toys is the best way to get the habit started. This means providing a selection of appropriately sized, safe and fun chew toys for the puppy at all times. Besides just having them in the puppy room, pen or crate it is also essential to make playing with the puppy with the toys part of your daily routine. During this play time reward the puppy and provide praise when the bring the chew toy to play with, encourage them to chew on it while they are in their crate or sleeping area and generally make the chew toy a very positive experience. Usually with this background puppies that play with chew toys will develop into dogs that enjoy chew toys. This will make your efforts to get a mature dog to actually use a chew toy much simpler and keep your dog healthier, happier and more entertained when you are away.

Dogs That Don't Or Won't Use A Chew Toy

Some breeds of dogs are just more likely to use a chew toy all through life. Breeds such as Retrievers, hunting Spaniels, Setters and other working and herding breeds are much more likely to naturally play with objects, even if they aren't specific chew toys. Many of the smaller breeds such as Pugs, most of the Terriers and Poodles tend to be very attracted to chew toys. Some breeds are just as likely to not be interested in chew toys, especially if they haven't been trained to use the toys from puppyhood. Breeds that are less likely to enjoy playing with chew toys may include Huskies, Samoyeds, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels some of the larger Collie breeds and many of the sight hounds such as Borzois and Afghans. Of course this is just a very general statement and all dogs will have their own personal likes and dislikes.

If your dog is not interested in the chew toys that you have, perhaps they just aren't the right type. Try some different toys including Nylabone toys and Kongs, but also try toys the roll, bounce or move in some fashion. Some dogs will only play with toys the squeak or some dogs only like stuffed types of toys, just make sure they are made for dogs. Many dogs will almost fixate on one type of chew toy, refusing to play with toys that are different in shape or size than the one that is their favorite. If this happens, don't fight the dog's behavior, simply use the type of chew toy that he or she enjoys, or find something as similar to that one as possible when buying a replacement.

Using Food To Get Dogs Interested

While some dogs aren't all that interested in boring old toys, there are very few dogs that aren't interested in treats and great tasting toys. Owners of finicky dogs that don't want to chew on toys can consider buying some of the flavored toys, or you can do some flavoring yourself at home. One easy way to add a slight flavor to a rubber dog toy, and this is the only kind where this will work, is to soak the toy in warm chicken or beef broth for up to an hour. Don't heat the toy, just let it soak in the slightly warm liquid. Remove the toy and allow to dry in the air. This will give the rubber toy an appetizing flavor and will attract the dog, even for a brief period of time. Make a big fuss over the dog playing with the toy while he or she is using it.

Another option is to use a hollow type of toy such as a Kong or other rubber or nylon toy. Use peanut butter spread in a thin coating on the inside of the toy. This will be like a puzzle for the dog, trying to figure out how they are going to get to that great smelling stuff in the middle. If your dog is not excited about peanut butter, and most are, you can also use a very small amount of canned dog food on the inside as well. Remember you just want to provide a tantalizing smell so just a very small amount is all that is needed. Again, praise the dog and provide lots of attention when they are playing with the toy. If you are using this technique be sure to wash the toy out every night or morning with hot, soapy water to prevent any problems with bacteria.

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