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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Toy recommendations for 4 month old GSD pups? (15 replies)
Toy recommendations for 4 month old GSD pups? by Dotty4 on 28 January 2012 - 21:05 |
| Any recommendations? Thanks! I feel like I am spamming this site, my 4th question. |
Dotty4 by mfh27 on 28 January 2012 - 21:10 |
| What are your plans for these puppies? Like are you going to be doing obedience, agility, schutzhund, etc with them? |
mfh27 by Dotty4 on 28 January 2012 - 21:13 |
| They are family dogs, companions. I plan on taking them to obedience and maybe agility. Whatever is fun for them. They will be working with me too, so I need things to keep them busy. I really don't know much about formal training and such. |
by amysavesjacks on 28 January 2012 - 21:26 |
| Dotty, Now I feel like I am "spamming" you back! I have a pup that is 5 months old.. so I am in the same boat as you (I just dont have TWO at the same TIME!!!  I dont recommend Rope Toys (and I mean knotted rope) that they can chew on and swallow unless you are supervising them while they play with them. If you are looking for something from your local Pet Smart... I have found that KONG has made some pretty nice toys that for me have been indestructible so far.. .I have an oblong one with a rope on the end that I can sling across the yard... its great for retrieving and for tug of war. They also make one with a ball on the end. I also got one I think its called a Firehose/Firehouse Tug... simulates a tug a puppy would use in Schutzhund training (but not as nice... the good ones are made of Jute or Leather). Also the old faithful Red Kong toy.. you can put peanut butter in it and put it in the freezer... then pass it out and it will keep them occupied for a good long while. I highly reccommend bones from your butcher (do not cook them, as cook bones splinter). Knuckle bones, soup bones.. ask the butcher... they can reccommend some. If I dont have these... my dogs go NUTS! I've seen alot of posters say they like "Bully Sticks"... though I am not familiar with these so I cannot tell you if they are good or not. Good luck! Amy |
amysavesjacks by Dotty4 on 28 January 2012 - 21:32 |
| Thanks Amy for the ideas. I forgot you are supposed to put treats in the Kongs. Okay, I will pick up Kong toys and tug toys. Husband is buying today so I need to load up |
by hunger4justice on 29 January 2012 - 00:19 |
| NOT tennis balls or basketballs or any rough surface..BAD for teeth. If you can get bully sticks they are not toys, but NEVER buy them at Petsmart they are too dried out there and the dog can choke. (They are dried bull penis) I give those and Tripe Sticks to my dogs. Kong is great. rubber ball too large to swallow (take it away when they get bigger and replace with larger one). Elite k-9 has those and tugs. (Don't leave them unattended with a tug) You can tie any toy to a whip they use in lunging horses and whip it around in the yard (DONT LEAVE them alone with it)..that will tire them out and build drive. Never dried pig ear or rawhide or greenies. Oh, and if you remove the plastic lid and the plastic ring, they love soda bottles and water bottles. Don't let them eat them, though. They even make some toys that put the water bottles inside, but it is the noise and the fact that the bottle moves they like. |
hunger4justice by yellowrose of Texas on 29 January 2012 - 01:31 |
| I " Ditto" Hunger4 NEver leave toys in a crate or kennel.. Dogs can chew up anything. Choke on the biggest and tiniest. Dogs do not need toys to sleep or entertain themselves.. A knucke bone is good for chewing check your toys daily for broken , rough edges etc. throw away.. do not leave toys all over the yard or your place of abode. Bugs, and unwanted creatures invade and your pup may decide to hide it and you find him chewing it in pieces one day tooooo late...... Kongs can be chewed off in pieces and swallowed and stick in intestine and loose a dog.. Toys are for play..PUT up where cannot be gotten while dog or pup is not being supervised. YR |
yellowrose of Texas by mfh27 on 29 January 2012 - 01:55 |
| I have heard that tennis balls are bad for teeth but haven't read any professional literature on the matter. Hunger, where did you find your source, out of curiosity? I leave treat toys (the ones where you stuff treats in them and the dog has to try and get them out) in crates for the puppies, especially the "energizer bunny" types that never want to sleep, cant be exercised enough, and will howl for hours. Putting frozen peanut butter in a kong can also entertain a puppy in his/her crate. All of my shepherd puppies have been very destructive with toys, so I just get the nearly indestructible types. Sometimes I get the fuzzy kind, knowing it will only last a few hours; but the dogs love playing fetch and tug with it. I second water bottles as a good temporary toy. I put rocks in milk jugs and it makes a nice loud, fun sound. |
by Dotty4 on 29 January 2012 - 15:50 |
| Water bottles that is interesting, my parrots like those too! Okay, no toys unless supervised. What about Nylon bones? |
by hunger4justice on 29 January 2012 - 17:08 |
| Ok, I admit I am really paranoid about teeth after 5000 (yes, five THOUSAND) dollars worth of dental work on a dog. Ball crazy, rough surface = rapid tooth wear. Perfect storm of trauma unknown (suspect object thrown over fence) = bleeding into tooth space = pulpitis = death of tooth and material for bacteria to feed on which entered via the worn enamel tip. Fast forward to dog dentist and attmepts to save/root canal teeth. Ended up being a six hour complex operation w two extractions and two root canals. The infection would have killed him. The dentist donated all of his time, but I still was out of pocket several thousand and have a very expensive (and loved) pet that cannot do bitework and would have made a wonderful competition dog. Not worth it. Our rough ball was a basketball deflated but dentist said NO rough surface as when it picks up saliva and dirt it is like sandpaper and the dog catching or biting the ball wears the enamel especially tennis balls. He also said a moving rough ball will act like an electric sander when the dog stops it with his teeth. They said never any toy for any dog that you cannot push in with your finger. And NYLA BONES are a big NO NO. I know lots of people use them, but after that ordeal, never for my dogs. I would watch rocks too, (in the bottle) if they get those out they will WILL chew them..also very bad for teeth. |
by Dotty4 on 29 January 2012 - 17:17 |
| Yikes!!! So what does your dog chew on? Dental care, never ever did it with my other dog (RIP). What is the ideal dental care plan for a GSD? |
by mfh27 on 29 January 2012 - 20:40 |
| Dotty, you will hear many oppinions about what to do with your pup. There isn't always a right and wrong. Many will use extreme cases for why you shouldn't do something with you pup. In the end, you just have to know your pup. If your pup doesnt chew on rocks, as most of my dogs havent, put rocks in the bottles for a toy. If she chews on rocks, you know not to put rocks in the bottle. I disagree about unsupervised toy play. I have put treat toys in the crates on the advise of many with much more puppy experience than I. I have left them in an outdoor kennel with a treat toy. Try these nearly indistructable treat toys: Everlast Fire Plug Everlast Fun Ball Also, just because a vet said tennis balls are bad for teeth doesnt mean that the vet is correct. Vets also say feed Science Diet, feeding raw will kill your dog, and vaccinate your dog every year... As for dental care, I have never brushed my dogs teeth or had them scaled, and even my 11 y/o are looking good. In addition to raw chicken quarters, I give my dogs raw beef bones to chew on. |
by hunger4justice on 29 January 2012 - 21:38 |
| Well actually, the dentist is a human endodontist who trains veterinary dentists and he does wild animals in zoos as well a Siegfried and Roys big Cats and he DONATED 6 + hours of his time and skill to save my dog's life. He does not sell Science Diet for profit nor did he get anything out of helping me and my dog other than our thanks and eternal gratitude. To liken him to vets who are profit driven is unfair. He had no reason other than to help me to tell me about his decades of experience with animals and their teeth and what damages them. I never thought about it until it happens to you. So many junkyard dogs with broken teeth, nothing happens, but this time, the infection set in and it was on its way to killing my dog. Problem teeth can kill. If it were not for the trauma, probably nothing would have happened, but it did. Better not to take chances. Until things happen then they seem remote...never thought about socks much (have kids, leave socks around) but my next door neighbor paid almost 10 thousand when her dog ATE her knee high and got peritonitis had to have ER surgery and then got an infection again. Not saying she has to listen to me, but be aware of what could happen. Why take chances? Everlast balls are great. One thing I will also say, is RAW diets really do help keep the teeth (and the whole dog) in optimal shape. Probably the RAW diet and the meaty (not cooked) bones is all you will need to keep teeth white and clean. |
by mfh27 on 29 January 2012 - 22:07 |
It is unfair of you to expect me to read your mind about your vet's experience  . Anecdotal evidence, though, is the least accepted in any medical field, that is why I am still looking into making changes to my tennis ball use. Now, if the vet whipped out an experiment or observation study, that's different.There is always risks in life. It is risky to drive your dog to training because you might crash. It is risky to play fetch with a dog because he/she might accidentally swallow or choke on the toy, or take a bad leap and break a bone. Sometimes you have to take good chances to give your dogs a quality life IMO. |
by windwalker18 on 29 January 2012 - 22:31 |
| My top thr4ee are already on the list Ikon is a "Toy grinder" destroying almost everything he can find. Everlasting balls Kong marrow bones The last can be recycled by filling with peanut butter and keeping in the freezer, |
windwalker18 by amysavesjacks on 29 January 2012 - 22:44 |
| I'm glad someone mentioned the water bottles... my dogs favorite! Unfortunately, he tries to take them off the coffee table while we are drinking them...lol |
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