jami74 Posted February 18, 2019 Report Share Posted February 18, 2019 Our boy is eleven months and doesn't seem as playful anymore. He used to spend ages playing on his own with a toy but now not so much. What he really wants is my undivided attention, but I can't give it all the time. So I am looking for inspiration for new toys that he might be able to play with by himself. Any real favourites? Or do grown-up dogs not play by themselves much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted February 18, 2019 Report Share Posted February 18, 2019 Some favorites my dogs have had: Jester: ball or frisbee or anything else that could be thrown. Kit: anything that was a tug toy. Boo: soft stuffed things he can carry around and lick. Digger: the only toy he wants is the kind you put an empty plastic water bottle inside and then close with velcro. He carries it around and likes to make it crackle. Just experiment with different toys. Get some on sale so you are not spending a lot of money on toys your dog may not want, until you discover his preference. Also remember you can find stuffed toys at thrift stores. Just get one that is safe (no plastic eyes or little beads in the filling, that kind of thing) and wash it. I have found brand new stuffed toys for, say, $1. I make my own tug toys by buying lengths of fleece material and cutting it into long strips and then braiding the strips tightly together. Tie off the ends tightly and you have a great, safe tug toy that is easy on teeth and hands and costs very little to make. Your dog may not be a playful adult, but I always encourage all dogs to play and have toys because most like it if they are given something they like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy1961 Posted February 18, 2019 Report Share Posted February 18, 2019 We don’t have many that have not been chewed, but Harry’s favourite at the moment is a squeaky plastic cracker that came in a Christmas selection pack. He does play ball inside but not too much now. He is now 9 months old and he definitely does not play as much. In fact he sleeps quite a lot in the day and I am now waking him up if he sleeps too long, as he has woken up in the night barking a couple of times last week. He is still into mischief when he can, getting my slippers or my husbands. I found him this morning happily chewing a pair of my gloves. His love is out walking, running and playing in the garden now the weather had improved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted February 19, 2019 Report Share Posted February 19, 2019 The roommate. T moved in last June. One of his qualifications was that he loves dogs. Gibbs is 11 and I"d not been simply playing with him much. Trick training, classes, daily walks ~ all good. Just hanging out and playing ~ not so much. I do a lot more now, I see how much Gibbs likes just horsing around. He'll go seek T out from time to time. It's pretty neat for everyone. Ruth & Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptJack Posted February 19, 2019 Report Share Posted February 19, 2019 My dogs don't really play with toys that aren't interactive with a human. Ie: Tug, ball, frisbees, and just plain personal play (chasing, grabbing, careful wrestling around). They'll play with a food dispensing toy/puzzle for a little while and occasionally chew on a chewy thing (benebones are popular here) , but toys aren't things they are entertained by in the absence of them being part of a game with a human. One of mine will play with literally ANYTHING - can opener, tape measure, spoons, whatever - but again: as part of a game with a person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyF Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 Merlin likes Tuffy toys. He is often running around with his tuffy fish But as others have said, at ten months he plays less and has no interest in chews. He does like filled kongs. For self amusement he will now sit on the ottoman by the window and quietly watch the world go by for aaaaages! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jami74 Posted February 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 Thank you everyone! So it seems him playing less is age related rather than my failing to provide the right toys. He does get lots of short bursts of interactive play throughout the day as he lives with four humans, and everyone plays with him in a slightly different way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrill Anne Jordan Posted February 28, 2019 Report Share Posted February 28, 2019 Quinn is all about the treat dispensing toys, like puzzle balls and the Kong wobbler. He also loves squeaky toys and things he can toss or throw. Like most of the others who’ve responded, he enjoys games with people or dogs more than anything. But he will play with his toys for a while if I’m taking a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerePupPup Posted February 28, 2019 Report Share Posted February 28, 2019 My girl is 5 months and MUCH prefers to have her humans involved in playtime. I think it might be the "dead" toy effect. She likes going after toys that move. Once they stop moving (ie: are "dead") she's not interested. Her favorite interactive-with-human toys are ANYTHING that she can tug or fetch. Playing by herself has been a challenge since she was a wee pup. I worked super hard to get her interested in her chew toys. She will sometimes chew on them but not often unless I hold onto them and keep them moving. More often, she will play with a ball that she can grab hold of and toss in the air. She likes the medium size JW Hol-ee roller: https://www.chewy.com/jw-pet-hol-ee-roller-dog-toy-color/dp/38459 but the rubbery spiny ball is her favorite because it bounces better: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/leaps-and-bounds-romp-and-run-bouncing-spiny-bone-dog-toy-in-assorted-colors Overall, I've found my little pup has a really tough time entertaining herself without becoming destructive (like tearing apart the sheet of linoleum I placed under her playpen or shredding her canvas & rope raccoon toy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teresaserrano Posted March 2, 2019 Report Share Posted March 2, 2019 My dogs favorite toy is the one I have in my hand. Every. Single. Time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrill Anne Jordan Posted March 5, 2019 Report Share Posted March 5, 2019 Update: today I found a Kong gyro and it is AWESOME. Treat-dispensing ofncourse but hours of fun. Highly recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuxedodog Posted March 8, 2019 Report Share Posted March 8, 2019 GoDog Purple dinosaurs - he is on his 4th in 5 years. The green one in the same shape is not nearly as much fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted March 9, 2019 Report Share Posted March 9, 2019 21 hours ago, Tuxedodog said: GoDog Purple dinosaurs I got one of those for my dogs some time ago. They destroyed it in a matter of minutes. Not cheap, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerePupPup Posted March 10, 2019 Report Share Posted March 10, 2019 My pup is 5 months old and has NEVER been good at playing by herself. Self-entertainment for my pup is chewing on inappropriate items. No matter how puppy-proof I thought my house was, she is able to find something that she shouldn't be chewing: pen, electrical outlet cover, dirty sock, shoe/shoestring, food dish, rug, anything wood that has a corner. Her absolute favorite toy was a TopPaw rope raccoon, which she virtually destroyed over a two week period. She tore off the arms, then chewed off the ears. When she made a hole in the body, I removed the stuffing and gave it back to her. Then she tore off the head. Finally, I cut the body away from the rope, which we now use as a tug rope. The rope is stiff. I tied it to a doorknob and, with a little verbal encouragement, she tug it. It's short-lived fun, though. She is easily bored if the other tug player is a doorknob and not a human. FYI: I am not buying another rope raccoon. I want her to play, not destroy. https://www.petsmart.com/featured-brands/top-paw/top-paw-tuff-roped-raccoon-dog-toy-46180.html?cgid=5000260 Her new favorite is a little TopPaw pink elephant. She shakes it. Plays tug with it. And she carries it around the house, biting the squeaker inside the head. But for some reason, she has not destroyed this toy. https://www.petsmart.com/dog/toys/plush-toys/top-paw-tuff-with-bite-shieldandtrade-protection-elephant-dog-toy---plush-squeaker-49589.html I think the reason the pink elephant is still intact is because it is made from the same material as her large GoDog Triceratops. That "toy" is her crate pal and sleep pillow. It was in her crate waiting for her the day we brought her home. https://www.chewy.com/godog-dinos-chew-guard-frills/dp/132444 Unlike so many other people, I've not had good luck with frozen Kongs. She's just not interested in trying to get the food out, even after it has thawed. I'm thinking about trying a Kong Wobbler but wonder if she'll get discouraged since the food doesn't come out as easily as her original Kong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy1961 Posted March 10, 2019 Report Share Posted March 10, 2019 Same here, my 9 month old will be desperate at get at my slippers, but once he has accomplished this, he gives up. Anything else does not last too long. My family have banned me from buying any new toys as he destroys them, but he looks so pleased when I buy h8m something new, that I can’t resist, so now only buy him something chep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuxedodog Posted March 10, 2019 Report Share Posted March 10, 2019 On 3/9/2019 at 11:00 AM, GentleLake said: I got one of those for my dogs some time ago. They destroyed it in a matter of minutes. Not cheap, either. Charley doesn't do anything but shake them and play catch with them. Our first Border Collie Buster, desqueakerd toys in under 5 minutes, then pulled out the stuffing so I would have never spent the money on nice toys either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morley's Dad Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Morley's favorite toy is a Grinch toy. I have to carry it around or my ankles are his next favorite choice. He is only 11 weeks old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooper2 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 My nearly 1 yr old pup's current favorite toy is an empty plastic jug. It was pretty expensive, but on the plus side the $22 toy came filled with free olive oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyF Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Hilarious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UziDaddy Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 My pup likes the plastic lid to a Jif peanut butter jar. He smacks it around like a hockey puck or smacks down on the edge and it will flip. Really durable too, one of the few plastic things that stays intact. Milk jugs and noisy thin plastic water bottles are really enjoyed too. Sinking his teeth into cardboard boxes and tearing them apart is apparently a lot of fun too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgirl Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 This may sound really weird, but one of the favourite non-dog-specific toys for my boys when they were young, along with the usual plastic bottles, cardboard rolls etc, was a hard plastic hose trigger gun. The sort of thing that goes on the end of a hose, that you can adjust to a thin stream, or a waterfall, that you use to water your garden. It lasted forever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Pugh Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 A stall ball in a big backyard. This is a 12- 15-inch (diameter) hard plastic ball. It gets flipped, bounced off a fence, knocks against your leg, and gives the BC plenty of exercise directing it around the yard (with sound effects from the dog). Designed for horses. Get the most indestructible kind possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n0mad Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 The only toys I leave my dogs alone with are nylabones and Kongs. Ceile likes the skinny tubular Kong that comes with the rope in it, but without the rope. I'm a little afraid to leave them with anything else after one of my dogs ate a piece out of something that was supposed to be safe and cost me a fortune in vet bills for surgery to save her life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Billadeau Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 For a cheap chew toy, cut off the leg of a worn out pair of jeans and tie in a knot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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