WHAT TOYS & BONES ARE SAFE FOR DOGS?
All The Toys That Are Great For Your Dog
When you get a new dog or puppy, there are so many toys to choose from. Toys and bones are important to keep your dog occupied when you are not home or can not pay attention to them. Think of certain toys as a pacifier for them.
Stuffed animals are not good to give to plenty of dogs because if they tear the stuffing out of the toys and swallow it, it can get wrapped up in their intestines then they can get bored with that and tear up pillows. The pillows have the same stuffing in them as the stuffed animals. For teacups and toy dogs, the stuffed animals are probably ok because they can’t tear them apart.
Toys and bones that are safe and unsafe for dogs:
Any rubber toys are great. A kong toy is wonderful because you put peanut butter on the far top of the toy, so they can smell it but they have to work to get it out. For the big dogs you can get the black ones, so they do not tear it up so fast. It is supposed to be indestructible but some dogs can destroy them.
For young puppies, start out with a kong toy because the antlers and marrow bone is to hard for their baby teeth! Antlers from deer or larger are Fabulous because they can bite on them and they do not break.
Please do not get rawhides. Even though they are sold everywhere, they are unsafe. As the dog is chewing on the bone it gets soft and slimy and it doesn’t break off into pieces. The sliminess can get stuck in the dog’s throat and they can choke.
Flavored nylabones, bullysticks, pig ears, and pork rolls are great. Also, marrow bones are safe and they will keep your dog busy for a long time. They are found in your local supermarket in the refrigerator or freezer section. Just ask the butcher and they will direct you.
For large dogs, do not give them small bones because they can get stuck on the top of the mouth or they can swallow them whole and choke. You can give it to the dogs raw in their crate or outside, so they get all the meat and marrow out, then they can bring it inside and it doesn’t make a mess.
Dogs have digestive acids in their stomach that break the raw meat and bones with no problem.
Use the kong toy or marrow bones as special treats. Only give it to your dog when you put them in the crate or certain confinement, so they know they are getting special treats when in the confinement. Also, it keeps them occupied when you are leaving the house, it does not stress them out, and it helps with separation anxiety.
If your dog is spoiled and has so many toys to choose from, another good idea is to switch the toys around every other day, so if they have a favorite then they are not getting it everyday. They will be more excited when they do get to play with the toy.
SEPARATION ANXIETY IN DOGS
When you get a new puppy or dog, it is understandable that you want to spend as much time with the dog as possible but that can cause more harm than good.
When families take time off of work or have the ability to be with the dog at all times in the beginning, then their schedule changes and they have to leave the dog home, it can cause plenty of anxiety for the dog.
Dogs are creatures of habit. Before you start getting ready to leave the house, put the dog in the crate, so they can not see you getting ready. When you allow a dog to watch your every move that causes anxiety because the dog associates your habits the minute you start getting ready that you are going to leave.
Confining your dog is a good thing:
Separation anxiety can lead to mass destruction and will only worsen with time. The most important thing to start with is to choose a confinement for your dog. It could be a crate, playpen (short or tall), or a certain small room in the house. Do not see the confinement as a negative thing. Dogs are like wolves and they see their den or confinement as their safe place.
You, as the owner, will eliminate many messes from the dog urinating or defecating all over the house by confining your dog. You will save plenty of money due to the fact that your dog will not have the opportunity to bite and destroy furniture. I have seen some horrible destruction of the home caused by one dog.
Even if you are a stay at home mom or you work from home, DO NOT have the dog with you at all times. Put the dog in his confinement in another room, so he or she has time alone to sleep and play with their toys. If you have the chance to leave the house for a little bit, even if it is for 10 – 15 minutes, please do so your dog will get used to you leaving and coming home.
When you do leave and come home, do not make a big deal. Just walk out or in. When you make a big deal about leaving or coming home and you make baby talk, it raises the dog’s anxiety.
A rescued dog with separation anxiety:
If you rescued a dog with separation anxiety, it will take some time and patience but the problem can be solved. Please be patient and DO NOT GIVE UP!!! First, put the crate in an area of the house where the dog can not see you leaving the house. You might also want to get a plastic covered crate, so the dog does not hurt themselves trying to get out.
If the dog has crate anxiety and gets extremely stressed out, use the crate as a place for the dog to get his toy that he is playing with or put some treats in for them to get them out without closing the door. A playpen, even for big dogs, can be used so the dog does not destroy the furniture, walls, or door to the room.
You can also set the dog up by putting the dog in the crate, go outside for 3 – 5 minutes then come back in and let him or her out of the crate. DON’T say anything, just let the dog out, so they realize that they can be comfortable being in the crate.
Certain toys and bones are very important to leave with the dog. Deer antlers, a kong toy with just a little bit of peanut butter on the top of the toy, bullysticks, pig ears, and pork rolls are great. Also, marrow bones are safe and they will keep your dog busy for a long time. They are found in your local supermarket in the refrigerator or freezer section. Just ask the butcher and they will direct you.
For large dogs, do not give them small bones because they can get stuck on the top of the mouth or they can swallow them whole and choke. You can give it to the dogs raw in their crate or outside, so they get all the meat and marrow out, then they can bring it inside and it doesn’t make a mess.
Dogs have digestive acids in their stomach that break the raw meat and bones with no problem.
Use the kong toy or marrow bones as special treats. Only give it to your dog when you put them in the crate or certain confinement, so they know they are getting special treats when in the confinement. Also, it keeps them occupied when you are leaving the house, it does not stress them out.
Training will definitely help with separation anxiety:
The bootcamp program, where the dog stays at the facility for training for 2 weeks is the only thing that will reset the dog’s brain because the dog is taken out of the house and learns to be a dog. The follow up classes in home are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
The dog will be socializing with other dogs and people, get desensitized from so many noises, and gets plenty of mental stimulation from training!
Obedience training with different commands are so important for the peace in your household. You gain the dominance of the dog and the dog gets more tired than just running around playing with toys because dog training takes mental stimulation. The best part is that it does not take long on a daily basis. Even if you work with the dog for 10 – 15 minutes before you leave, that will be perfect.
Remember after you work the dog, give them the bone in the crate and walk out without saying anything.
A tired dog is a happy dog!!!!!!
How Dogs Learn
How Dogs Learn:
Dogs are creatures of habit. They learn through repetition and consistency, (doing it the same way every time). Dogs are social animals and they see you as their pack or family. They do not want to be excluded from everything that is going on with the family. A properly trained dog can be communicated with just as a human family member. It takes practice and repetition.
When training your dog always remember that dogs don’t learn sentences. They learn one word commands by tone inflections. We speak to them like they understand and they are attentive and giving you a lending ear at anytime but they do not understand every word. They are fully capable of learning thousands of one or two word commands.
Gaining The Dominance Of Your Puppy/Adult Dog:
Training your dog is very important due to the fact that you are gaining dominance of your dog right from the start and you are able to stop any problems before they get worse. Training takes mental stimulation, which gets the dog more tired than running around and playing with certain toys. The best part is that training does not take long on a daily basis. Just 30 minutes everyday, split up into 2- 15 minutes or 3-10 minutes is perfect. After each session play with your dog, so they see it as something fun instead of a chore.
A dog is part of Mother Nature, which means he or she is naturally wired to expect order in his life, to expect that he must work for food and water and have structure in their life. If you as the owner do not show the dog that you are the pack leader than they will try their best to show you that they are more dominant, which means that everyone in the household needs to work with the dog. If not, you will notice that the dog will only respect the person that spends the most quality time with him/her or the most training time.
Dog Have a Sixth Sense:
Dogs learn from tone inflections and they all have a sixth sense, which means they are able to pick up on negative energy much quicker than we can. If a bad person walks in your door, your dog will sense that and different behavior will arise right away. Automatically, they will protect you, no matter what. Even if you think that your dog is the biggest lover, they are very loyal and will do whatever it takes to protect their owners.
When training your dog you must remember to always be confident: whatever you are thinking or feeling, goes from you through the leash and to the dog, so if you do not think your dog will do a command then the dog will fight you and not do it until you make them do it. BE PATIENT AND DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!! If you give up just one time, the dog does not know minutes but they know a time frame, so they will just wait a little bit longer until you give up and then they do not have to complete the command. Don’t let your dog win. If you give up, it’ll be the story of the dog training the human, it happens!
How To Get Your Dogs Used To The Noises They Are Afraid Of
HOW TO GET YOUR DOGS USED TO THE NOISES THEY ARE AFRAID OF
There are so many sounds that we are used to hearing but dogs are petrified of. Some common noises are fireworks, sirens, infants crying, children playing and screaming, tools, grooming tools, and thunderstorms. It is hard for us to figure out exactly what made the dog become so afraid of certain noises but anything that happens to a dog in between 4 – 9 weeks of their lives are engrained into their heads and they remember everything.
If a dog was left outside in a big thunderstorm then of course they are going to be afraid of thunder. If a groomer was rushing through the job the first time the dog got cut and the clippers were turned on and they started cutting near the face, I know I would be afraid of the clippers. There is a technique called sound desensitization that works wonders with dogs who are afraid of loud, startling, or uncommon noises.
What I found that works is a desensitization CD from dogwise.com called Sound Socialization by O’Neal Hendrix, which has plenty of the sounds that I mentioned. It takes plenty of consistency to play the cd on a daily basis, so please be patient.
HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FROM DAY ONE:
You begin by playing the CD on a low volume and gradually increase the volume each day until it is at a normal level.
Make sure you do not put the volume up to quickly because the dog will relapse and you will need to start all over.
If there is only one sound on the CD that your dog is afraid of, you can repeat that sound continuously.
It should take about a month to get your dog accustomed to the sounds but don’t rush it.
OF COURSE THERE IS YOUTUBE AND JUST PUT IT ON REPEAT, LOL!
If you know that your dog has an insane amount of anxiety during thunderstorms and you know that there is going to be bad storms before the month is over, train your dog for a longer period of time before you leave the house, so you know that the dog will be tired.
Cbd oil has been very helpful, or you can ask your vet for some suggestions for severe cases on puppy zanex or a natural sedative to help your dog stay calm.
Good luck!!!