DR. ROHITRAJ,CANINE SPECIALIST,KOLKATA

SELLECTION OF TRAINING TOYS FOR DOGS

Dogs need toys to provide mental stimulation, allow for appropriate chewing, and serve as important tools in behavior modification.

Toys are mentally and physically stimulating and assist in fulfilling a dog’s emotional and physical needs. Even though dogs today are primarily bred as companion pets, they still need something to do. In the absence of a “job”, they will look for things to do to occupy their time and fulfill their chewing needs. If you don’t want them to choose their own chew toys, such as your sofa, pillows, or toilet paper rolls, provide them with appropriate outlets.

There are hundreds of dog toys on the market and many people fill toy boxes for their pets.

Toys are excellent mental stimulators that encourage active play and minimize periods of boredom. This reduces the risk of destructive or attention seeking behaviors manifesting in your pet. However, dogs are a lot like children, and they get bored with their toys quickly. When this happens, the value of the toy as a mental and physical outlet is lost. Our dog trainers recommend that customers select six to eight toys for each pet ensuring that each is different in texture, size and shape. The toys should be given out a few at a time, then rotated every few days so that the pet always has something different with which to play. Rotating toys is the best way to keep them effective.

Dogs and humans have been together from the beginning of time. Dogs have evolved themselves to fill various roles, watchdogs, guard dogs, now police dogs and sniffers. However, they need to be trained to do anything. The earlier you start the training, the better trained they become.

There are many benefits to training your dog; some of them will honestly save your life.

1. It makes your dog’s life significantly safer.

As a pet parent, you are always worried about your dog’s safety. And, as a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure they are safe at all times. But, dogs being dogs, they are always getting into trouble. But, a well-trained dog obeys your commands and stays out of trouble. You do not have to be worried about your running into the streets and getting in front of a car or getting into hazardous situations.

2. Your house is safe:

We have heard about dogs that destroy the entire house when you leave them alone, even for a while. This is not safe for your dog as well as those in the house. Training your dog will ensure that your living areas are secure and treated with respect. You will have to train your dog from the very start and instil manners and teach them what is acceptable in the house and what is not.

3. It makes your dog a lot more social and friendly:

Training your dog to respect personal boundaries and behave in social situations can make your dog many friends along their walks, playdate, and parks. Everyone appreciates a good boy on a walk.

4. Helps strengthen the relationship between you and your dog:

A training plan will establish a good relationship between you and your pet. The time you spent together training, shared experiences and setting boundaries will mean a long and healthy relationship between you and your dog.

During training, your dog will learn to trust you and obey your commands, thus building towards your relationship.

 

How to Effectively Reward Your Dog with Toys

• Be consistent with your “Drop It” cue. Playing tug gives you the perfect opportunity to practice this behavior and to practice using toys as a reward. Consistency in telling your dog that it’s time to let go will build great self-control and make training with toys faster and more effective.
• Maintain the toy’s value. Have a few toys specifically for training that aren’t out for your dog to grab anytime they want. When not using them for play rewards, keep them put away. This way, your dog will find the toys new and exciting when they do show up, maintaining a higher value than their day-to-day toy options.
• Reward in short bursts of play. Using toys or play during training sessions often means you can’t do as many repetitions as you could if you were using treats. First off, that’s okay. Secondly, to keep your session on track and maintain a high rate of reinforcement, keep the playtime short — only 3-4 seconds of tug, or one toss of the ball or frisbee. Then the toy goes behind your back, in your pocket, or under your arm while you ask your dog for the behavior again.
• Mark with a “yes!” (or click) before rewarding with a toy. Be very clear about what behavior is getting the toy reward. If you’re clicker training, it’s up to you whether you want to click and then reward with a toy.

How to Reward Your Dog with a Tug Toy:

1. Have the tug toy under your arm or behind your back.
2. Ask your dog for a “sit.”
3. Your dog sits, you immediately say “yes!” and present the toy for tug.
4. Tug for 3 to 4 seconds.
5. You say “drop it,” and your dog lets go of the toy.
6. Toy again goes away (either behind your back or under your arm).
7. Ask your dog for another repetition of “sit.”
8. Repeat these steps until you’re done with your training session.
9. When you’re all done with asking your dog for a particular behavior, have a longer play session with the tug toy to finish off on a great note.

How to Reward Your Dog with a Fetch Toy:

1. Keep the ball, frisbee, or another fetch toy behind your back or under your arm.
2. Ask your dog for a “down.”
3. Your dog lays down, immediately say “yes” and throw the toy.
4. Praise your dog as they bring the fetch toy back to you.
5. You say “drop it,” and your dog drops the toy.
6. Toy again goes away (either behind your back or under your arm).
7. Ask your dog for another repetition of “down.”
8. Repeat these steps until you’re done with your training session.
9. Finish your session with a longer game of fetch for your dog.

Training your dog requires time and consistency.

Dog training toys can help make training easier and also assist in teaching a few tricks.

PawsIndia has worked on curating training toys to help your dog become the BEST BOY at every park! These tried and tested training toys can be the solution to your dog training problems.

Training

1. Chewing Training:

Trust us, you do not want a puppy who chews on your furniture and rugs for a year until they are teething. It is important to train your puppy right from the first time they start chewing.

You can very easily train your puppy using dental toys. Dental toys are designed to satisfy your dogs chewing and teething needs. They are safe, and good for your dog’s jaw.

Training Tip: Every time your puppy or dog chews on something they aren’t supposed to, give them the chew toy and indicate that instead of chewing on that, chew on this. If your puppy finds it difficult to understand, just add a treat or some peanut butter over the toy to attract them. This way, your puppy will be rewarded every time they chew on the toy and thus develop a habit to chew on it.

 

2. Fetch Training:

Playing fetch is a great way for your furry friend to get some exercise and playtime. In fact, it is also a great way for you and your dog to strengthen your bond.

Fetch training can be made a huge success in multiple ways. The idea is to get your dog excited about the object you are throwing just enough to chase after it and enjoy the thrill of chasing it. When they enjoy it, they will bring back the toy to you for you to throw it again.

Training Tip: During the training, if your dog gets disinterested and forgets to bring the toy back, do not bring it back yourself. Get your dog excited about the toy and let them take it back, this way they understand that they always have to get it back, no matter what.

Fetch toys can make this training easier by enticing the dog and reducing your effort in doing so. These fetch toys are interactive, which means they respond to your dog’s energy. This means if your dog is super excited, it will respond in the same way. If your dog is disinterested, they will make fun squeaky sounds or jump to entice your dog to play. These toys work very well during training and your dog also loves the excitement and energy release.

3. Make your pet independent:

Let’s be honest, urban pet parents cannot spend all day with their dogs. They constantly have to juggle between things which leaves your pet alone for long hours. The only way for you to be able to keep your dog alone at home unsupervised would be by training them to keep themselves entertained and not indulge in destructive behaviour.

Self play toys and interactive toys are a boon to all pet parents here. Interactive toys and self-play toys are designed to keep your pet busy and engaged for hours. They also help tackle obesity, anxiety and depression in dogs. Interactive toys have various features in them that make entertaining your dog easy.

1. What’s that funny sound?

These toys make fun squeaky sounds that entice your dog to play.

It’s all about the motion!

These toys run, jump and vibrate which make your dog’s hunting tendencies go bonkers, which means they will chase the toy, play with it, and get the satisfaction of hunting prey.

3. Every dog loves treats.

Leveraging the fact that your dog loves treats, you can always stick a treat or two in these toys and watch your dog play with them to get rewarded after a good playtime. These toys help greatly with weight management.

Anxiety relief training:

You do know what your puppy has been through before they got adopted. A lot of adopted dogs go through traumatic experiences before they find a loving and safe home.

Anxiety is, although common, goes undetected. This toy helps dogs with abandonment issues by keeping them company and engaged while you are away. Because, let’s be honest, you cannot stay with your dog 24 hours a day!

Tips on how to train a puppy and effective ways to make training fun, and best ways to house train a dog

There is nothing wrong with wondering whether your puppy enjoys their training. Here are a few ways to ensure some training time fun for your dog:

1. Reward your dog: Dogs do not understand what you say, but they try to understand your actions and emotions. When your dog does something right, rewarding them with a treat tells them that their behaviour is rewarded. Every dog loves some treats; this makes training fun for them.
2. Hold the training at different places: A change of scene can help make the exercise more effective. This means that no matter what situation, your dog will obey your commands. This can be fun for your dog as they get to explore different places, which work out great considering their inquisitive nature.
3. Switch up the training frequently: Repetitive training routine can get dull and predictive. Find ways to make the same training exciting every time.

Training can be made fun and interesting for you and your furry friend with the help of training toys. It is never too late to teach your old dog tricks, and the earlier your start, the better.

 

Before you can begin this exercise, your dog must know the “take it” and “drop it” training cues. Luckily, your dog can quickly master these cues.

How to Train Your Dog

“Take It” Command

For “take it,” hold your dog’s favorite toy in your hand and move it around to excite him. Just before your dog grabs the toy out of your hand say “take it.” When he does, mark that behavior with a “good,” “yes” or click. Make sure to lavishly praise and pet your dog.

“Drop It” Command

To teach your dog “drop it,” he must be holding onto a toy. Have a treat your dog really likes in your hand and present it to the dog. Say “drop it” and, when he does, mark it and give him the treat. Your dog may be hesitant to drop his favorite toy, but if your treat is more enticing, such as a piece of chicken, he will gladly let go of the toy in exchange for the tasty treat.

Once your dog successfully takes the toy and drops it nine out of 10 times during practice, you can begin the next exercise.

Put it in the Basket Lesson

Get a basket that you’ll want your dog to put his toys in and select a few of your dog’s favorite toys. For consistency, keep the basket in the same spot of the house—this will make it easier for your dog. Place the toys right next to the basket and sit beside the basket. Touch a toy and say “take it.” Then, hold a treat in your hand and lure the dog over to the basket. When the toy is over the basket, give the “drop it” command. Remember to generously reward your dog when he drops the toy in the basket. Practice this consistently and then proceed to the next step by moving the toys away from the basket by a foot or two.

After your dog succeeds with this at least nine out of 10 times, you can begin to only reward him with a treat after he has put two or three toys in the basket. Start by saying “clean up” or “toys away” to sequence the behaviors. Eventually you will no longer have to give verbal commands.

The type of toys that suit your dog best will depend greatly on their breed, temperament and habits. What’s fun for one dog may not interest another; and most importantly, certain types of toys may not be safe for some dogs (such as “aggressive chewers” who tend to rip apart and chew their toys to pieces).

While some may consider toys a luxury, they actually play an important role in maintaining your dog’s well being, providing much needed mental stimulation and helping to regulate behavior. There are hundreds of different types of dog toys on the market and it can be difficult to know which toys are best for your dog.

Just as dogs need physical exercise from walks, they also need mental stimulation to stay fit, healthy and happy. Whether it’s chasing a ball, catching a frisbee, or attempting to get kibble out of a puzzle toy – mental concentration results in a tired, happy dog.

A dog who lacks stimulation (of either the physical or mental type) often ends up letting out their pent-up energy in an undesirable manner, such as chewing their owner’s socks or destroying a piece of furniture. This is why it’s so important to ensure your dog gets plenty of stimulation.

 Toys we recommend

Interactive Toys: These are toys that require your participation:

• Fetch toys–
• Rope toys,
• Distraction Toys: These are toys that keep your dog busy when you don’t have the time to play:
• Food Delivery Toys: Designed to be used with kibble or small treats, the dog must manipulate the toy with his mouth and/or paws to get the food to fall out. Chew Toys:
  • Hard rubber toys that are hollow with holes at both ends, such as Kongs, are good chew toys. To make these toys more attractive, they can be filled with kibble or treats. You can also encourage chewing by putting a small amount of peanut butter or cream cheese inside the toy.
  • Dental chew toys are hard toys that the dog can gnaw on and safely ingest small particles.
  • dental chews. You should watch your dog to make sure he does not break off and ingest large pieces of these toys.
  • Chew challenge toys are toys that make an edible chewy more challenging for the dog to consume.
• Puzzle Toys:
  • Food puzzle toys require the dog to solve a puzzle in order to get treats.
  • Toy puzzle toys require the dog to solve a puzzle to get to a toy
  • Comfort Toys:
• Soft stuffed toys are good for several purposes but are not appropriate for all dogs. For some dogs, the stuffed toy should be small enough to carry around. For dogs that want to shake or “kill” the toy, it should be the size that “prey” would be for that size dog (mouse-size, rabbit-size or duck-size).
• Dirty laundry, like an old T-shirt, pillowcase, towel or blanket, can be very comforting to a dog, especially if it smells like you! Be forewarned that the item could be destroyed by industrious fluffing, carrying and nosing.

 A few important warnings about dog toys.

A toy’s safety in contingent on how your dog interacts with the toy and this interaction can change with time.  A plush toy that was safe from your 10-week old puppy might not be a good choice when the dog is 5 months old and destuffing the toys and swallowing the squeakers!  Supervise your dog when he is playing with a new toy and monitor the dog’s interaction with the toy regularly to ensure that the toy continues to be a safe choice.

Interactive toys are meant to be used as a team…dog and owner, which provides built-in supervision.  These toys include fetch balls, and tug-o-war ropes.  Interactive toys should only be available to the dog when you and he are playing together.  After the play session, put those toys away so the dog always looks forward to playing with them…and you.

Be mindful of what you give your dog as a toy. If you give your pet socks, old slippers or articles of clothing to play with, they will see all socks, shoes and clothing as their playthings. Dogs cannot distinguish which of your socks and shoes are okay to play with and which are not. It’s best to keep your things separate from their toys to eliminate any possible confusion.

Source-PawsIndia

https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/how-to-train-your-dog-for-dog-show/

https://www.amazon.in/PetVogue-Training-Ropes-Squeaky-Doggie/dp/B07VS7F73M