Yes I know toys are really popular with dog owners. Pet shops are full of them, coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes. I am a big fan of toys for puppies, they need things to chew, to keep your furniture in tact and also help development and play drive, as well as providing mental stimulation and fun! Anyone with a Doberman will know that most of these toys do not last 5 seconds! The can cost a lot of money and they are gone within moments, torn into shreds. Kongs are a lot more durable and tend to stand the test of time a bit more.
Cheaper options are available, by getting creative and using stuff from around the house, like empty toilet tubes, cardboard boxes with scrap paper inside, empty plastic bottles, old rope or clothes and so on. Dogs don’t care! So long as they have something they can sink their teeth into, rag, and carry around.
All this is fine, but I want to talk about the downside to toys, when are are unhelpful, when they cause issues. Here are some examples:-
-Resource guarding. Many dogs guard their toys, in particular the ‘high value’ ones. We don’t want this.
-A replacement for your time and attention. I do not agree with buying dogs a million toys because you do not have the time or inclination to spend time with your dog doing meaningful training. I see this a lot. Particularly the ‘puzzle’ toys. The dogs usually get bored of these really quickly. They need more than this, it’s a cop out! Spend time 1-2-1 with your dog and bond, and train and by all means use toys together, but don’t neglect your dog’s needs, just because it has a mountain of toys.
-Overarousal. Oh yes, a huge corner of squeaky, bright, furry things!! What do you think this sounds like, and feels like to your dog? Prey!! If it sounds like a rat, feels like a rat, is the same shape as a rat, your dog will treat it like a rat and kill it. Is that what you want?
-Fighting and competition. When 2 dogs from the same house start scrapping and figthing over toys, particularly when people come home, the toys create arousal and competition and discourage the dogs from being calm. It’s like a big box of sweets to kids!
-Dangerous. Squeaks can be ingested, so can the stuffing, eyes, body parts. Balls can get stuck in the throat and cause suffocation, things can get blocked in the stomach or intestines if they get swallowed Dogs can hurt themselves flinging the toys around, bashing into things.
-Lack of calm. Toys are stimulating, a dog is less likely to chill if it’s got a plethora of toys keeping it stimulated. Sometimes just moving them out of sight can make all the difference.
I’m not saying I am completely against toys, not at all, but I would like you to think about the sort of toys you have, how they affect your dog’s behaviour, are they a benefit or do they cause issues, are you spending enough quality time with your dog or are these toys all guilt purchases, is your dog behaving nicely and playing nicely with them, is your dog safe? By all means have toys for your dogs but just consider these options, it may be beneficial to remove, limit, rotate or change some of the toys you are using.
