Puppy treats needed to occupy bad, bad puppy

[Alexandra]

So my little 15 week Catahoula can really chew! He does not like the regular stuff they sell for chewing like Kongs and nylabone. He wants stuff that he can consume. I bought him a Busy Bone which did give me about 25 minutes of peace but they are not for pupppies I found out later.

It was quiet for about 10 minutes earlier this morning...you know the kind of quiet I am talking about? Well I tracked him down just as he galloped out of my bedroom with half a bra in his mouth!!

I need to take him for his morning walk - I know that will help. In the meantime, could use some advice on how to keep this little Captain Destructo from wreaking havoc!

Here is his utube premier if you want to see a naughty catahoula - I have posted it before and no I don't allow him to eat the grape.

 

[Perry]

So my little 15 week Catahoula can really chew! He does not like the regular stuff they sell for chewing like Kongs and nylabone.

 

Are you sticking goodies into the Kong? I used peanut butter and meat and that kept my dog busy for ages.

[In The Great White North]

My dog wasn't into Kongs, with or without treats, peanut butter, etc., but he does like real bones. You can get them in the meat department.

 

He loved rawhide but they made him aggressively possessive, so we never tried that again.

 

When he was a puppy though, nothing really entertained him until after his (long) walk.

[mooooom]

I used to put leftovers in the kong and freeze it.

 

nylabone makes some varieties that are consumed faster than the original one which looks like plastic but is actually cornstarch - the cornstarch one is consumable, but needs to be worked at for a really long time.

[hornblower]

Is he at the age where he's shedding teeth?

 

Some suggestions & games:

 

long walks

 

raw lamb shank

 

consider tethering him to you

 

work lots on trading games so that if he does get into stuff he shouldn't, you can get it back without it turning into a 'chase me' game.

 

also consider making him work for his meals - stuff the meal into the kong. If you're feeding kibble, mix in some canned food or peanut butter. He'll need to work to get his meal out. For added challenge, freeze the whole thing.

 

go with his chewing style - some pups really like to chew stuffy fabric things. Try rope toys or see whether he'd like to degut stuffies. Always supervise when they do this to make sure they're not consuming it but it's a great game for dogs. I used old stuffies that the kids didn't like anymore or buy some from the thrift store. I didn't find much difference in durability compared to the pet shop ones. After it's all 'dead' you can gather up the pieces and sew it back together - just use the zig zag on the machine & cram the seams in; doesn't matter what it looks like, dog won't care that it's a FrankenStuffy - or throw it all out.

 

When supervising games like this, always have treats ready by your hand so that if it looks like puppy is starting to swallow something, you can offer a treat & take away the piece of toy which was going down the throat.

 

other options are to put something smelly & yummy in a small cardboard box, close it up and then let him figure out how to get it out. Let him work his brain. Advanced dogs can have a box inside a box inside a box & you can tape the boxes shut.

 

Brain work tires them out a lot. A few clicker training sessions will tire them out fast when they're young.

 

Nose exercises are also good & fun & engage their natural skills while teaching them the beginnings of tracking. Set up treats in a long line down the hall, take your dog to the first and let him find the 2nd and the rest. Gradually increase distance between treats or hide them under something like a piece of paper. This game can be played outside too - in that case, go out & start walking a slow, regular walk. As you're lifting your foot, when the heel is up but the toe is still in the groud, reach down & place a bit of kibble or a treat in the place where your heel was on the ground. Do the same on the other footrprint. When you get to the end of your 'track' (for a youngster 5-10 is enough) jump off the track, walk back in a loop so you don't cross your track & go get the dog. Bring him to the beginning of the track, put your finger right next to the first treat, say "TRACK!" and wiggle your hand to the next treat. Odds are overwhelming the dog will follow the wiggling hand to the next treat. Gradually lift your hand & see if the dog will keep the nose down & follow the scent. Help them as much as they need & give lots of praise when they get to the 'end'.

 

puppy relay is a great game to play at home if you have two or more people in the house. Everyone has some small treats. Everyone sits apart or in different rooms or even on different floors. Each person calls the puppy to them* rewards puppy, and then another person calls them.

 

(*if puppy is not yet consistently arriving when he hears his name or the command (ie come or here or whatever you're using) then DO NOT use the command or the name. Sit in the same room so puppy can see all of you. Use a high pitched voice and say something like Puppy, puppy! sweet little puppy! Guess what I have? Puppy puppy! You can also pat your leg. As the puppy starts running towards you, THEN say "Dog's Name + COME!" You attach the command to the behaviour when they're doing the behaviour - not when they're ignoring you or confused or playing with their tail or chewing the carpet........ )

 

for level 2 of this game, the people are not only out of sight of each other but can move around. So one person is in an upstairs bedroom, the other person is in the kitchen. Then, while the dog is racing to the kitchen, the bedroom person goes to another bedroom. Now the dog has to run upstairs and find you.

 

 

have fun!

[Happy]

Is he at the age where he's shedding teeth?

 

Some suggestions & games:

 

long walks

 

raw lamb shank

 

consider tethering him to you

 

work lots on trading games so that if he does get into stuff he shouldn't, you can get it back without it turning into a 'chase me' game.

 

also consider making him work for his meals - stuff the meal into the kong. If you're feeding kibble, mix in some canned food or peanut butter. He'll need to work to get his meal out. For added challenge, freeze the whole thing.

 

go with his chewing style - some pups really like to chew stuffy fabric things. Try rope toys or see whether he'd like to degut stuffies. Always supervise when they do this to make sure they're not consuming it but it's a great game for dogs. I used old stuffies that the kids didn't like anymore or buy some from the thrift store. I didn't find much difference in durability compared to the pet shop ones. After it's all 'dead' you can gather up the pieces and sew it back together - just use the zig zag on the machine & cram the seams in; doesn't matter what it looks like, dog won't care that it's a FrankenStuffy - or throw it all out.

 

When supervising games like this, always have treats ready by your hand so that if it looks like puppy is starting to swallow something, you can offer a treat & take away the piece of toy which was going down the throat.

 

other options are to put something smelly & yummy in a small cardboard box, close it up and then let him figure out how to get it out. Let him work his brain. Advanced dogs can have a box inside a box inside a box & you can tape the boxes shut.

 

Brain work tires them out a lot. A few clicker training sessions will tire them out fast when they're young.

 

Nose exercises are also good & fun & engage their natural skills while teaching them the beginnings of tracking. Set up treats in a long line down the hall, take your dog to the first and let him find the 2nd and the rest. Gradually increase distance between treats or hide them under something like a piece of paper. This game can be played outside too - in that case, go out & start walking a slow, regular walk. As you're lifting your foot, when the heel is up but the toe is still in the groud, reach down & place a bit of kibble or a treat in the place where your heel was on the ground. Do the same on the other footrprint. When you get to the end of your 'track' (for a youngster 5-10 is enough) jump off the track, walk back in a loop so you don't cross your track & go get the dog. Bring him to the beginning of the track, put your finger right next to the first treat, say "TRACK!" and wiggle your hand to the next treat. Odds are overwhelming the dog will follow the wiggling hand to the next treat. Gradually lift your hand & see if the dog will keep the nose down & follow the scent. Help them as much as they need & give lots of praise when they get to the 'end'.

 

puppy relay is a great game to play at home if you have two or more people in the house. Everyone has some small treats. Everyone sits apart or in different rooms or even on different floors. Each person calls the puppy to them* rewards puppy, and then another person calls them.

 

(*if puppy is not yet consistently arriving when he hears his name or the command (ie come or here or whatever you're using) then DO NOT use the command or the name. Sit in the same room so puppy can see all of you. Use a high pitched voice and say something like Puppy, puppy! sweet little puppy! Guess what I have? Puppy puppy! You can also pat your leg. As the puppy starts running towards you, THEN say "Dog's Name + COME!" You attach the command to the behaviour when they're doing the behaviour - not when they're ignoring you or confused or playing with their tail or chewing the carpet........ )

 

for level 2 of this game, the people are not only out of sight of each other but can move around. So one person is in an upstairs bedroom, the other person is in the kitchen. Then, while the dog is racing to the kitchen, the bedroom person goes to another bedroom. Now the dog has to run upstairs and find you.

 

 

have fun!

 

Excellent post!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alexandra]

Is he at the age where he's shedding teeth?

 

Some suggestions & games:

 

long walks

 

raw lamb shank

 

consider tethering him to you

 

work lots on trading games so that if he does get into stuff he shouldn't, you can get it back without it turning into a 'chase me' game.

 

also consider making him work for his meals - stuff the meal into the kong. If you're feeding kibble, mix in some canned food or peanut butter. He'll need to work to get his meal out. For added challenge, freeze the whole thing.

 

go with his chewing style - some pups really like to chew stuffy fabric things. Try rope toys or see whether he'd like to degut stuffies. Always supervise when they do this to make sure they're not consuming it but it's a great game for dogs. I used old stuffies that the kids didn't like anymore or buy some from the thrift store. I didn't find much difference in durability compared to the pet shop ones. After it's all 'dead' you can gather up the pieces and sew it back together - just use the zig zag on the machine & cram the seams in; doesn't matter what it looks like, dog won't care that it's a FrankenStuffy - or throw it all out.

 

When supervising games like this, always have treats ready by your hand so that if it looks like puppy is starting to swallow something, you can offer a treat & take away the piece of toy which was going down the throat.

 

other options are to put something smelly & yummy in a small cardboard box, close it up and then let him figure out how to get it out. Let him work his brain. Advanced dogs can have a box inside a box inside a box & you can tape the boxes shut.

 

Brain work tires them out a lot. A few clicker training sessions will tire them out fast when they're young.

 

Nose exercises are also good & fun & engage their natural skills while teaching them the beginnings of tracking. Set up treats in a long line down the hall, take your dog to the first and let him find the 2nd and the rest. Gradually increase distance between treats or hide them under something like a piece of paper. This game can be played outside too - in that case, go out & start walking a slow, regular walk. As you're lifting your foot, when the heel is up but the toe is still in the groud, reach down & place a bit of kibble or a treat in the place where your heel was on the ground. Do the same on the other footrprint. When you get to the end of your 'track' (for a youngster 5-10 is enough) jump off the track, walk back in a loop so you don't cross your track & go get the dog. Bring him to the beginning of the track, put your finger right next to the first treat, say "TRACK!" and wiggle your hand to the next treat. Odds are overwhelming the dog will follow the wiggling hand to the next treat. Gradually lift your hand & see if the dog will keep the nose down & follow the scent. Help them as much as they need & give lots of praise when they get to the 'end'.

 

puppy relay is a great game to play at home if you have two or more people in the house. Everyone has some small treats. Everyone sits apart or in different rooms or even on different floors. Each person calls the puppy to them* rewards puppy, and then another person calls them.

 

(*if puppy is not yet consistently arriving when he hears his name or the command (ie come or here or whatever you're using) then DO NOT use the command or the name. Sit in the same room so puppy can see all of you. Use a high pitched voice and say something like Puppy, puppy! sweet little puppy! Guess what I have? Puppy puppy! You can also pat your leg. As the puppy starts running towards you, THEN say "Dog's Name + COME!" You attach the command to the behaviour when they're doing the behaviour - not when they're ignoring you or confused or playing with their tail or chewing the carpet........ )

 

for level 2 of this game, the people are not only out of sight of each other but can move around. So one person is in an upstairs bedroom, the other person is in the kitchen. Then, while the dog is racing to the kitchen, the bedroom person goes to another bedroom. Now the dog has to run upstairs and find you.

 

 

have fun!

 

thanks for taking the time to post all these great ideas!

[Chris in VA]

You've gotten such great ideas already--just wanted to second the real bones idea--

Buy a package of beef, "soup" marrow bones. I just got some for dd (dear Dog, this time! lol)Riley, our Golden. Freeze them uncooked. The dog will work hard to get the marrow out, then you have a nice, hollow bone to stuff treats into. Leave them out around the house, filled with treats and a little peanut butter (to make the treats/kibble stick). I got a 9 in bone and had the butcher cut it into 3--all for $1.22, versus $4.99 for one that was exactly the same only packaged as a dog bone.

Also, try two 45 minute walks, with limited "sniffing" and stopping. Work that doggie hard and he will behave much better. He's so cute!