# Rotating Toys



## Minette (Apr 28, 2011)

Hi 

We got a puppy a few weeks ago and to deter her from chewing the carpet and couch, we bought 11 toys for her. She loves to play with all of them and it hasn't completely stopped the carpet and couch chewing, but has definitely deterred her from doing it often. I am wary that she may get bored of her toys quickly and would like to begin rotating what she plays with daily.

My question is:
1. How many toys should she have to play with at a time?
2. How often should I rotate her toys?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks you.


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## Rachel88 (May 3, 2011)

I realize im not helpful, im still new with the puppy thing myself..but i think thats a good idea, I think I will try that myself. Plus she always has a mess of toys all over (since MOMMY...errm..I cant stop buying her toys)..I think I will try having 3 toys out at one time. maybe rotating them up everyday would help, except maybe leaving her VERY favorite toy out all the time...well i think thats what i will start doing. thanks for the good idea.


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## DougGeneration (Apr 28, 2011)

Toy rotation is a good idea indeed, as far as your dog getting bored issue is concern.

It's definitely good that you have several toys(11 to be exact) for her to play with, but 1(to 3) at a time seems good. Your cue on rotation is when she starts to ignore a specific toy. That toy which she ignored first would then be the last toy in your rotation, I could assure you that she'd by hyped playing with it, it'll be just like it was the first time she ever saw that toy.


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## Minette (Apr 28, 2011)

Hi Rachel88,

I love to buy my puppy new toys too. Ramona my 3-month-old beagle loves her toys. Recently I've been interested in getting her kibble dispensing toys because it keeps her occupied when I have to leave her alone. I also love to buy her squeaky plush toys too since she love the sound of the squeaker. The next lesson we have to teach our puppies is to put their toys away!

Best,

Minette

Thanks DougGeneration!

I'll look out for the signs of boredom and leave out three toys at a time.


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## Rachel88 (May 3, 2011)

My Lola has 2 treat dispensing toys, she loves getting those treats out. lol I mostly get her squeakers too, though she is so tiny she has trouble "setting them off", so i've been looking at toys that have "easier" squeakers. i found one, its her new favorite. lol
yeah good luck with getting the pup to put her toys away! I put her toys away everyday and everyday she drags each one back out as if to say "Hey, I put this HERE for a reason" lol


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## Dakota Spirit (Jul 31, 2007)

Another thing you can try is having specific toys for specific activities, rooms, etc. I do both this and rotating. 

For example, save the really distracting toys (treat dispensing, chews) for areas where you need her to stay pretty focused on the toys and uninterested in other things like the carpet or furniture. Give her toys she gets really enthusiastic about in areas where she has room and free rein to be a little wild in her play. That kind of thing. It helps cut down on the boredom since your dog is constantly playing with different toys throughout the day and can aid a bit in keeping appropriate play behavior to the appropriate areas of the house, time of day, etc.


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## Minette (Apr 28, 2011)

That's a great idea Dakota Spirit. I will definitely try it. We live in an apartment so the only two rooms Ramona has access to is the lanai and the living room. When I have to go to work we leave her in the lanai with her kibble dispensing toys and plushies. Maybe I will keep the plushies in the living room and only have one plushy toy along with her kibble dispencers and non-plush chew toys.


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## adamaki (Apr 8, 2011)

We always rotate toys with Chewbacca and have inside and outside toys. It generally works really well for us as he's always excited to see a new toy he hasn't had in a few days. The only problem comes when he's in a bored mood and each new toy last about one minute before he's bored of it, so he'll go through all his toys in about 10 minutes, then the only thing left to do is chew something he shouldn't!


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

We have a toy box with a bunch of toys in it and we open it to let Brady pick a toy or two whenever. Lots of different chewies too. We give him 4-5 toys at a time and also have some interactive puzzles that we use.


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## Minette (Apr 28, 2011)

adamaki said:


> We always rotate toys with Chewbacca and have inside and outside toys. It generally works really well for us as he's always excited to see a new toy he hasn't had in a few days. The only problem comes when he's in a bored mood and each new toy last about one minute before he's bored of it, so he'll go through all his toys in about 10 minutes, then the only thing left to do is chew something he shouldn't!


That's what I'm beginning to see with Ramona. I've already taken away a few toys and will reintroduce them within a few day. Hope she gets excited to see them all over again.



lisak_87 said:


> We have a toy box with a bunch of toys in it and we open it to let Brady pick a toy or two whenever. Lots of different chewies too. We give him 4-5 toys at a time and also have some interactive puzzles that we use.


What type of puzzle toys do you have? I'm looking into purchasing one and would love a reccomendation.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

Minette said:


> What type of puzzle toys do you have? I'm looking into purchasing one and would love a reccomendation.


I have a "Spinny" by Nina Ottosson








I also have an everlasting treat ball









And another ball you put kibble inside.

aaand a kong

Also I sorta 'Made' a puzzle by filling a kiddie pool w/ balls like a ball pit and throwing treats in...he had to dig around and sniff for them








He popped the pool b/c my lovely boyfriend wasn't supervising his play one day. I plan to do it again w/ a plastic pool and a bunch of tennis balls lol


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## Minette (Apr 28, 2011)

I love the ball pit you created! I was thinking of doing the same thing, but thought maybe I was being to excessive. Now I'm definitely going to do it. I have noticed Ramona starting to dig and it's kind of funny and sad to see her trying to dig through a pillow. 

How does the Spinny work? I imagine it spins, not sure if it stay in place or goes all over the place.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

Minette said:


> I love the ball pit you created! I was thinking of doing the same thing, but thought maybe I was being to excessive. Now I'm definitely going to do it. I have noticed Ramona starting to dig and it's kind of funny and sad to see her trying to dig through a pillow.
> 
> How does the Spinny work? I imagine it spins, not sure if it stay in place or goes all over the place.


It has little places to put treats and the pup has to figure out how to spin the top part in order to uncover the treats


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## Bitca38 (Mar 29, 2011)

I've never had to rotate toys for my 9 month old Springer Spaniel... he's had a ton since day one (got him at 3 months) and they're just kept in a small toy box in our den that he checks out on a daily basis. 

He does has a handful of favorites (football, frisbee, tennis ball) that he plays with daily and then the rest he chooses from the toy box when he's in the mood for something different. 

Thankfully because of the toy selection (I can't stop buying him things) he never started chewing on anything he wasn't supposed to chew on.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

We have a toy box, too. Every once in awhile, I'll take a few out, and put a few new ones in, and then do some rotating of the toys in the toy box. And, if you do a toy box, just make sure you regularly go through the toy box and check for damage to toys that could be dangerous, and toss those toys.


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## Minette (Apr 28, 2011)

I have been looking through her toys for damages. Some of her squeaky toys have weak squeaks, but not damages on the outside. She has a small purple loofah dog that she loves, but has ripped a little of the seams. I'm thinking of either buying a new one or mending it. The damage seems minimal enough to fix. 

Has anyone ever mended a stuff toy or is it best to just throw it out?


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I always just throw the stuffed toys out. Actually, we rarely buy stuffed toys anymore, we get the "stuff-less" stuffed toys!  But, we have dachshunds and they are diggers. They dig the stuffing out of toys!


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## Minette (Apr 28, 2011)

doxiemommy said:


> I always just throw the stuffed toys out. Actually, we rarely buy stuffed toys anymore, we get the "stuff-less" stuffed toys!  But, we have dachshunds and they are diggers. They dig the stuffing out of toys!


I had a stuffless toy for Ramona too. She absolutely loved it. I was going to order another one on Amazon, but after reading a review about an owners dog having to go to surgery because it ate a stuffless toy, my boyfriend made me throw the one we had away. I had argued that she's too small to swallow it whole like the other dog, but he didn't want to rish Ramona ripping off a large bite and getting stuck in her.  It broke my heart to throw it away, and I compensated by buying more toys. Sometimes I think I'm a nut when it comes to my beagle.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I bet I'm a bigger nut! I'm always buying new toys. When my boyfriend sees a "new" toy I always tell him, "Oh, no, honey, that's not new, we've had that forever!"


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## Dakota Spirit (Jul 31, 2007)

doxiemommy said:


> When my boyfriend sees a "new" toy I always tell him, "Oh, no, honey, that's not new, we've had that forever!"


Lol! That made me laugh 

I always joke that the only reason I really have a job is so I can afford to pay for all Tristan's requirements. It's pretty close to true though since I can't seem to ever leave the stores without my hands full of new treats, toys, etc.


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## adamaki (Apr 8, 2011)

Minette said:


> Has anyone ever mended a stuff toy or is it best to just throw it out?


Chewbacca's favourite toy is a plush stuffed pheasant (that honks like a duck!) but he'll tear it to shreds in minutes so we're always stitching it up. I gave my fiancee some kevlar tying thread from my fly tying box to stitch it up and it works a treat. We always supervise him and only let him have it for a few minutes at a time until he starts to maul it.


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## ksand (May 5, 2011)

Because our house is rather small, instead of a toy box, we have one of those shoe bags that hangs on a door to hold dog toys. Each toy gets its own slot. It also helps with rotating as we just go in order from top to bottom!


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

lisak_87 said:


> I also have an everlasting treat ball


With the everlasting treat ball - how long does it last? Those refills are expensive - I'd hate to through it in half a day.


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## shedeivl (Apr 7, 2011)

Here's a toys vids so you can see how they work btw alot of pepole post there dogs playing with toys on www.youtube.com when i'm looking at a toy i type it into you tube search and see if there a vid i can watch to see how it works 

the following are my toys I have :
3 x Kongs i paly hide and seek with these http://www.youtube.com/user/KONGvideos?blend=23&ob=5#p/u/24/bz-IZbfzKvU
Nina Ottosson Dog Tornado http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFlY0WkY9CU
Nina Ottosson Plastic Dog Spinny http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-L1Fg-iIlU
Dog Twister http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yebAu6UNkCk&feature=related
Bob-a-Lot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFZzzHp7pj4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-2EbUm2_Vg&feature=related
Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Dog Toy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikhqTgyNr-I
jolly ball http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgBHo2wV_34
KONG Wobbler Dog Toy http://www.youtube.com/user/KONGvideos?blend=23&ob=5#p/u/4/9B3hlSmKJ5U

Toys I want to get :
Nylabone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir82SqW2q2c
chilly bone http://www.activedogtoys.com/chilly_bone.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW2faj5umdM
Tough Dog Toys Zogoflex http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R40mCHTDuc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBlFabfxPrA&feature=related
everlasting treat ball http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_GCeqpUI6w
Buster Cube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPVyX5ilj3g&feature=related
Tug-a-Jug http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fh9EfYze6o&feature=related
Busy Buddy Twist-n-Treat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk5jIv4-OlE&feature=related

I Rotate every two weeks 4 treat toys per day for two weeks the same ones eg Bob-a-Lot 2 stuffed kongs and Dog Twister both inside and out and hinden
I use 1-2 other inside toys eg pluchies ect per day for two weeks the same ones eg skeeky and plushy or one or the other 
and 1- 2 out side toys per day for two weeks the same ones eg jolly ball 

the treat toys get hinden in a hide and seek game inside and outside,i also hide treats out side 

hope this helps


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## Minette (Apr 28, 2011)

ksand said:


> Because our house is rather small, instead of a toy box, we have one of those shoe bags that hangs on a door to hold dog toys. Each toy gets its own slot. It also helps with rotating as we just go in order from top to bottom!


ksand, this is a great idea. We have a small place too and I like the idea that she can pick her own toys. I just have a shoe box that holds her toys and every now and then I'd hide a treat in it. Would you say that the shoe holder is easy to retrieve treats from?

Thanks for the links of how toys work. It's been invaluable. I saw a Tug-a-Jug the other day, but passed. My mom thought it might be too advanced for our puppy  Which do you prefer the Bob-a-lot or KONG Wobbler? I've ordered the Premiere Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble and hope Ramona likes it.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Charis said:


> With the everlasting treat ball - how long does it last? Those refills are expensive - I'd hate to through it in half a day.


About an hour or 2 with my lot.


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## shedeivl (Apr 7, 2011)

> Which do you prefer the Bob-a-lot or KONG Wobbler


 I perfer thebob a lot as my dog can carry it around when i take the yellew cap off also it has two holes i can oppen or close to make it easer of more chanlging


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

shedeivl said:


> Here's a toys vids so you can see how they work btw alot of pepole post there dogs playing with toys on www.youtube.com when i'm looking at a toy i type it into you tube search and see if there a vid i can watch to see how it works
> 
> the following are my toys I have :
> 3 x Kongs i paly hide and seek with these http://www.youtube.com/user/KONGvideos?blend=23&ob=5#p/u/24/bz-IZbfzKvU
> ...


Thanks! This is an awesome resource.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Jubel loves his busy buddy kibble nibble ball and his first lasted him close to 5 months before he had the chance to chew it up too badly with me paying attention to when the rolling stopped and the chewing started. His second ball didn't last very long but I think his sitters while I was on vacation let him chew on it too much before taking it away so I'll be ordering a third soon. 

I'm interested in trying the everlasting treat ball but I think he'd pop out the discs quickly based on his past with toys like this and the discs are pricey. I'll probably get him a bob-a-lot it looks pretty tough.

I will recommend the busy buddy bouncy bone dog toy http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Busy-...3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1305129496&sr=1-3
It only takes Jubel about 5-10 minutes tops to get all the gnawhide rings off but they aren't too expensive and he enjoys it then settles for a bit.


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