A Few of Our Favourite Things

I don't have much to report on the house training process. Slow and steady I suppose. I thought instead of harping on training I would talk more about some of Beasley's favourite things.

Chewing is puppy-hood stage that will last a long time which we are prepared for. In order to keep her from chewing us (which happens on occasion) or our furniture, we have an assortment of toys to help keep her occupied. The good thing is she isn't quite big enough to actually destroy any of them.

Ring, Tug, Piggy, and Fox

 

Toys

Here are a few that I recommend. We didn't go nuts with the toys and we certainly did not spend a fortune because we know that she will be able to dissect them when she's big enough. She has a variety pictured above. The teething ring is a good one for her to chew and because of the shape and style we aren't worried about any pieces breaking off. That is a good one to keep in her crate while we are out. Tug of war with a rope from dollarama is good when she is being aggressive and no huge pieces come off, if swallowed it's pretty natural. Piggy is one of her favourites and makes a great sound and is a neat texture. The fox has two squeakers but no stuffing which is also a nice change. Not pictured here is her ducky which has a body of only squeakers and that is the only toy we "splurged" on and paid 8 bucks for or something. Its a good one for the crate as well.

A Word About Nylabones


Medium Density, Bumpy Teething, Flavoured Dense Bone

After sending a picture to the breeder of Beas she called to alert me about the dangers of nylabones. Totally freaked me out, but that's another story. I read a lot of stories on the web about dogs that had choked to death on Nyla's. BUT They seemed so effective for chewing. We inspected the nylabones we owned and made the decision that as long as we were supervising they would be fine for her.  We actually went to the store and got a more dense bone for her as she has already gone to biting harder plastics. They are a good tool for getting Beas to chill out and take a nap. She will typically sit with us and chew her bone and fall asleep shortly after. We make sure to never leave the bones in the crate alone with her and follow the directions when buying for the specific size and age of the dog.

Kong, Fully loaded in the freezer

The Kong!!
Her favourite and our favourite. It is an absolute essential for a pup! This hard rubber toy is good for chewing and keeping puppy occupied. The toy is like a puzzle for the dog. Each night we stuff it with peanut butter or cheese whiz and a few small milk bones as an added bonus. I got a tip from a co-worker to put it in the freezer the night before so it feels good on her gums and keeps her occupied longer. Its great, and she doesn't even notice when we leave for work.




I imagine as she begins to lose teeth that we will be out buying more. She's got a hard plastic one that she has just tried today and seems to enjoy. I hope to get her more of the puzzle type toys. Kong has a whole line of perplexing puzzles for puppies. We will try not to spoil her too much!