Stuff Me Madly
sandy mcpadden
Im running away to Chicago-Land and Im going petless. I had to interview pet sitters and I am pretty sure half of this town now thinks I'm mad. Whatever.
As per the norm, when I go away for longer than usual the animals get little surprises. I picked up a couple of new toys because I feel extra guilty for leaving and knowing that I am going to have SO much fun. (Hello, Shedd Aquarium, I will be all up in you this week) Im a HUGE fan, like most trainers and behaviorists, of stuff able toys. I am NOT a huge fan, though, of the fillers spooning them on the shelf.
Kong is a leader in canine foraging toys. The new designs are way fun and offer plenty of variation for a variety of dogs. JW is another company that I find different foraging toys from. Their rubber is a lot softer than a majority of Kongs, so parents of aggressive chewers beware.
So, what do I stuff with?
Today it was:
- Bananas
- carrots
If you crack a banana open in my house, you will have 3 dog noses pointed your directing in 23 seconds. Ellie will draw blood for a bite of your banana. For sure. No need to get all fancy every time you stuff. I see recipes for some radical dog toy stuffings. Just grab a banana and a knife, cut a few slices and shmoosh it right on in.
Carrots are even easier. My dogs know the difference between a carrot on the cutting board... and anything else on the cutting board. Again, lots of dog in your face.
The goal for these toys is to encourage foraging behaviors. I will be super bummed if it takes my dogs 2 licks to be through a toy that could potentially be savored for 10 minutes. Easiest way to increase time spent on one of the bad boys? Freeze them.
