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Introducing A Kong Toy To Your Dog: Part 3

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Making Kong Toys More Challenging For Your Dog

Make Kongs More Challenging
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Food stuffed toys make for fantastic mentally enriching puzzles, and all dogs should be able to enjoy them every day. If your dog will approach and dig out loose treats stuffed into a Kong (part 2), then it’s time to make Kong toys more challenging for your dog.

Tightly Pack Kongs With Food

Packing food tightly inside a Kong toy makes the puzzle more difficult to solve. Start slowly by placing a Greenie inside a Kong, then press bananas or cooked sweet potato around the Greenie to keep it in place. Place the food filled toy on a soft mat and walk away. If your dog empties her Kong, it’s time to experiment with different food stuffers and also try feeding your dog her meals out of the Kong.

A few stuffers you can fill your Kong with include:

  • Stuff the toy with kibble and add layers of canned food to keep them in place.
  • Press and fill a Kong toy with sweet potatoes and molasses.
  • Press bananas and blueberries inside a Kong.
  • Firmly pack cooked oatmeal with honey inside a Kong.
  • Stuff hard treats inside, such as fish skins, inside the toy.

Advanced Kong Filling

This Kong stuffing idea is difficult. Stuff a slice of bread deep within a Kong toy. When bread mixes with your dog’s saliva, it sticks inside the Kong and your dog must really work hard to remove all bits of bread. 🙂

Freeze Overnight

Once your dog is able to empty different types of food from Kongs, it’s time to make the game even more challenging. Now, some dogs dislike licking frozen food stuffed Kongs. If that’s the case with your dog, stick with tightly packed Kongs.

However, if your dog becomes a master puzzle solver, stuff Kong toys with a few fillings listed above and freeze overnight. Licking a frozen Kong toy takes a bit longer to solve, and it’s a wonderful crate game when dogs are left alone.

Now, toss out your dog’s food bowl and feed all meals out of Kong toys!

WATCH: Making Kong Toys More Challenging

Tug Toy Safety Tips For Your Dogs 

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Playing With Dog Tug Toys Safely

Dog Tug Toy
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Dogs loves to play tug. It’s a fast moving game that’s extremely stimulating. This dog game is physically exhausting for dogs and pet owners, so it’s best to follow a few tug toy safety tips to keep everyone safe. Grab your dog’s favorite tug toy and start tugging!

Never Pick Up Your Dog During Tug

When a dog is tugging on a toy, never pick her up off the ground. This tug maneuver wreaks havoc on a dog’s neck, shoulders and teeth, and it can cause permanent damage. Make sure every family member and your friends understand that dogs must keep all four feet on the ground to continue playing tug.

Placement of Dog Tug Toy Matters

Placement of your dog’s tug toy, during a game of tug, matters. While attending a dog training conference, Dr. Christine Zink DVM recommended holding tug toys to work different muscle groups.

For example, she recommends holding a tug toy level with your dog’s shoulders to work her rear end. When dogs are using their rear muscles to pull, you can see their behind and back doing most of the pulling work.

To work your dog’s shoulders and neck, hold a tug toy above her head. When dogs pull downward, their neck and shoulders are getting a workout. If your dog has previous neck or back injuries, use this information to adjust tug playing placement. Of course, if your dog has an injury, ask your veterinarian if your dog is able to play tug first because this game is a workout.

Dog Tug Toy Rules

As with everything, there’s a set of rules pet owners and dogs must follow to keep everyone safe. If, and when, your dog chokes up on the tug toy (i.e. grabs the toy closer to your hand), let go of the toy and end the session.

Playing tug with your dog has nothing to do with dominance; it’s just a game. Dogs learn quickly that tug is only fun when pet owners are pulling on the opposite end. If your dog refuses to let go of the tug toy, just drop your end and walk away. Also, it’s normal for dogs to growl while playing tug. It’s fun! If, at anytime, you become uncomfortable, just drop the toy to end the session.

WATCH: Teach Your Dog The Tug Game

DIY Cavaletti Course For Dogs

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Building a Dog Cavaletti Course at Home

Build Dog Cavaletti
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Cavaletti is a fun exercise that teaches dogs to walk over poles at various heights or across different surfaces. Most pet owners have watched horses complete cavaletti courses with some obstacles featuring fallen logs or low jumps.

Cavaletti is an excellent way to improve your dog’s balance, help him rebuild muscle after surgery, lengthen his stride for the show ring and regain range of motion after an injury. Plus, cavaletti courses are a great form of exercise that also builds confidence in dogs.

With your veterinarian’s permission, have your dog practice cavaletti for 10 minutes a day. Below are tips for building a dog cavaletti course at home.

DIY Cavaletti Equipment Ideas

With a bit of imagination and a non-skid surface, you could create a DIY cavaletti set from things lying around your home.

  • Use broomsticks or mop handles as cavaletti poles, and place horizontally on the ground.
  • Place 2×4 boards about 2-3 feet apart with the flat part (widest part) on the ground.
  • For small dogs, place a ladder horizontally flat on the ground.
  • If you have a large dog, create a ladder out of 1-inch PVC pipes.
  • Use large fallen branches as poles. Place 2-3 feet apart in your backyard.
  • To increase the height, place broomstick ends inside holes of a laundry basket.

Purchasing Cavaletti Sets Online

If you’re not crafty, and would rather purchase a cavaletti set, there are several options online. By far, the most popular cavaletti set is made by FitPaws and costs $60. FitPaws offers a set of 3 poles and 6 cones with several height adjustment levels. There are other brands available, but they don’t offer the adjustability that FitPaws offers with their cavaletti set. Plus, FitPaws’ equipment is yellow, blue and green, which are colors easily seen by dogs. With moderate use, this cavaletti set will last years.

A Few Cavaletti Tips

Slow controlled movements are best. Set up your cavaletti set on a non-skid surface, such as grass, rug or rubber. If it’s too warm outside, practice indoors on a thick rug. Remember to lure your dog over each pole slowly. If your dog jumps or hops over any pole, you’re moving the lure too quickly. For dogs that leap in the air around treats, practice loose leash walking across the bars.

Show us pictures of your DIY cavaletti course! Post below. 🙂

WATCH: DIY Cavaletti Equipment Ideas For Dogs

Tips To Prevent Overly Excited Dog Greetings

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Calming an Overly Excited Dog

Dog Gets Too Excited
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Ding, dong! Every pet owner’s heart drops as her dogs charge toward the front door. Ringing doorbells and door knocks can literally cause chaos, which translates to overly excited dogs greeting guests. Next time you’re planning a summer get-together, try these polite greetings tips. It’s important to practice this with your dog every day and reward good behavior generously before your party.

Control the Chaos First

Containing your dogs’ excitement is key before guests ring the doorbell or walk into your backyard. Calm dogs generally greet guests with polite manners, so crate your dogs in a back room with soft music playing in the background (this drowns out doorbell sounds).

Once guests are gathered, allow one of your dogs to visit guests. This prevents your dog from riling your other dogs up with barking and fast movement. When the first dog has calmed down, add another dog to the mix and so forth.

Ask Guests to Ignore Dogs

Before the day of your party, ask each guest to simply ignore your dogs when they first arrive. Overly excited guest greetings will send excited dogs into a frenzy of jumping up and knocking people over. If guests have a hard time ignoring your darling dogs, ask them to stand around your kitchen island, picnic table or BBQ pit.

Giving guests something to do, other than greet dogs, works wonderfully. Don’t worry, your dogs won’t be upset they missed a super friendly greeting. Instead, your dogs are learning polite manners around guests.

Ignoring dogs means:

  • No petting.
  • No eye contact.
  • Turing sideways from an approaching dog.
  • Refraining from any high-pitched, rapidly repeating sounds.
  • Acting like they don’t see your dogs.

What guests should do when ignoring dogs:

  • Eat.
  • Drink.
  • Pass food around.
  • Talk to each other.
  • Freely move around without making eye contact with your dogs.

Keep Greetings Short

Once you’ve welcomed your guests and they have successfully ignored your dogs, it’s time for a break. It’s important to keep dog greetings short. After 10 minutes of your dogs greeting everyone, put them back in their crates with a food stuffed Kong.

It’s now time to enjoy your guests without worrying about jumping dogs or guests having their eyeballs licked while sitting on the sofa. Of course, your dogs can certainly tell guests goodbye, but they should do so politely. 🙂

Treat & Retreat

If guests ignoring your super excited dogs doesn’t work, then ask guests to play the “treat and retreat” game. For this dog game, guests sit still and toss food behind your dog’s behind, so your dog has to turn away to get the treat. Not only does this teach your dog that guests make food happen, but your dog also learns to keep all four feet on the floor during greetings. If your guests are unsure about the game, toss the treats for them to create the positive association for your dog.

Gatherings are perfect opportunities to practice polite dog greetings.

Helping Dogs That Become Stressed When Guests Visit

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Greetings for Stressed Dogs

Dog Afraid of Guests
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It’s uncomfortable and awkward meeting new people. Both parties are unsure how to greet the other person respectively.  One person may try shaking a hand while another opens his arms for a hug. This awkward greeting results in everyone standing stiffly and trying to think of common topics to ensure no one feels awkward. If a person is easily stressed, then meeting new people can be downright frightening.

Well, this applies to dogs too! Some dogs are afraid of guests and will start barking or become aggressive. Instead of asking guests to pet your dog, try this dog-friendly greeting instead.

Treat & Retreat

When guests enter your home, it’s best if they completely ignore your dog. Ignoring means no making eye contact with, walking toward, touching or petting your dog. Dogs should be allowed to approach a person in their own time if they even decide to approach. Allow a dog to make her own choices.

If your dog gets stressed when guests come over, and the ignoring tactic is causing a barking frenzy, try playing “treat and retreat.” Ask a guest to stand still; I find asking him to stand against a kitchen island works best because it prevents him from wandering around.

With your guest standing sideways toward your dog, ask him to toss treats behind your dog. It doesn’t matter where the treats land as long as your dog is able to turn away from the guest and eat the treat. Then, your dog can decide whether or not she’ll get closer to or look at your guest for more treats.

Rules of the Game

Now, there are strict rules for this dog game. This game is all about choices, and it’s your dog’s choice to walk closer to or look at the person. A guest should not advance toward the dog—ever. Guests can reward your dog for taking steps closer to him, but continue having them toss treats behind your dog.

Never drop treats close to a person and expect your dog to creep up for treats. This never works. If a guest has a difficult time following these guidelines, even with your helpful reminders, then it’s best to choose another guest to play this game.

Start playing this game in a controlled environment with one person for a few minutes, then put your dog in a safe room with a food stuffed Kong. This is hard work for your dog, so she must have breaks. Once your dog is safely relaxing in another room with soft music playing, you can sit back, relax and enjoy your guest’s company.

Add another person only when your dog is comfortable approaching a new single person. Start slow with one person sitting down while the other person tosses treats. Then, they can switch. After a few minutes, put your dog in her safe room with a food stuffed toy.

What Your Dog is Learning

Pairing good things with something works. The perfect example of this is our patience in long lines for a Starbucks drink. 🙂 This game teaches dogs that good things happen around people and provides them choices.

Choices are powerful and are just as rewarding as food treats for dogs. Dogs learn how to greet people politely without charging toward and barking at them. Plus, they learn to disengage and turn around during stressful situations instead of lunging and biting. When a dog chooses to disengage, reward her profusely!

Getting Help

Sometimes dogs need help, so please contact a positive reinforcement dog trainer who is experienced with fearful and anxious dogs. If needed, contact a veterinary behaviorist too, as he will have a wealth of information.

WATCH: Greetings for Stressed Dogs

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