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  1. #1
    Puppy Kelly's Avatar
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    Best Toys for a Busy (Crazy Busy) Puppy

    Can anyone recommend some good toys for a very busy, easily bored puppy? He's almost 14 weeks now and he's exhausting. I walk him twice a day, he has a doggy door to go out back when he needs to (fully fenced,) we go to dog parks to play and play with him often throughout the day but he still seems ADHD and gets bored quickly. I've had other lab puppies before but this one is by far my most challenging. HELP!!

  2. #2
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Kong wobbler! My dog lovessss it. We feed him all his food either by hand or in his wobbler. I would recommend feeding him some of his food by hand via mentally stimulating training & games. For example when we first started teaching "go to bed" we would just sit in front of his bed and he wouldn't get the praise & food until he laid down in his bed. This is really mentally challenging for a puppy to figure out what they need to do. I'm sure others can point you towards other mentally stimulating games.

    Other kong products in general are great too.

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    Kelly (07-29-2015)

  4. #3
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    Food dispensing toys seemed to work best with Kimber. In addition to the Kong Wobbler, we had success with the Tug-a-jug and Buster Cube.
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    Kelly (07-29-2015)

  6. #4
    Puppy Kelly's Avatar
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    Thanks zd262 and kimbersmom. He has a treat dispensing ball that tends to roll under the sofa, chair, hide in corners etc. I end up doing most of the mental challenges in trying to find the dang thing! LOL So, I'll check these and see if they're too big to roll under the sofa.

  7. #5
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    if he is really getting TAHT much exercise then he may need to work on leanign to relax. otherwise they just learn to go go go. Many dogs need to learn to relax with your help. otherwise things will just get worse as he ages.

    I would maybe swap some of the physical exercise time for something that works his brain more too. If you play fetch, make him work for his tosses. On walks do commands. practice your basics in a new place (but low distraction at first). Add very short training sessions here and there.

    And then yes feed via food toys like kongs, kong wobbler, tug-a-jug, interactive games, etc.

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  9. #6
    Puppy Kelly's Avatar
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    He does seem to get wired up when he's tired. We do try to get him to relax but that's truly easier said then done. I also do at least 3 short training sessions a day and try to give him toys that make him think. He just seems like a pretty high strung pup. I really should have paid more attention to how he interacted with the litter, I let my daughter pick him and I think she picked the rowdiest one. I will for sure be purchasing some other "thinking" toys.

  10. #7
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    If he seems tired & riled up, I would put him in his crate, turn the lights off, leave the room. A lot of puppies don't know when they need to take a nap so it's our job to make them. If Bubba was out and about all day, he would be getting into trouble all day. But when I put him in his crate or pen, he immediately goes to sleep.

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    Charlotte K. (08-02-2015), Kelly (07-30-2015), Tanya (07-29-2015), ZouZou (07-29-2015)

  12. #8
    Senior Dog ZoeysMommy's Avatar
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    If his needs have been met such as food, water, play and training, put him in his crate for a forced nap when he is over stimulated. Constantly entertaining him and giving in to those demands for attention will back fire on you later on. Just like a toddler, he doesn't know when to quit

    At this age you have to interact with him all the time, he isn't going to entertain himself with toys, etc. I would also do more short training sessions as well. 14 week old puppies can be quite a handful, it doesn't mean hes rowdy at all, its quite normal.

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  14. #9
    House Broken ZouZou's Avatar
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    Later on though, there is the question of what toys can stand the Labrador TTT (toy torture test) -- Zou Zou has destroyed most things, but a number of items in here toy chest have stood the test of time.

    The Strong fabric wrapped octopus-type kong was great for a while as a puppy ... until she got strong and devious enough to destroy the fabric in short order. After that the regular kong lineup. She shredded all the knotted ropes, so those were a disappointment. Forget about wimpy rope tied tennis balls, shredded and split in no time. Ducks are a disposable close-supervision toy. Best for retrieving training only. The stuffing will be out in a few minutes.

    Tennis balls for the older puppy have gotten the most mileage
    a hard rubber lacrosse ball,

    There's a bunch of others that she picks and chooses from as the whim takes her.

    I'll see if I can snap a pic this weekend.

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    Kelly (07-30-2015)

  16. #10
    Puppy Kelly's Avatar
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    He's my 18 year old daughter's dog and she has him sleep with her at night so his crate is only used for riding in the car (which he hates) and when we leave the house. I will try that but many times, if I put him in his crate, he raises holy hell with high pitched barking and whining. We do feed him in there and give him treats in there so he thinks of it as a "safe, happy place." I've raised many puppies throughout my years including labs and have NEVER had such a challenging puppy. He's the most active and hyped up puppy I've ever had. I've honestly been close to finding a new home for him but we love him so that's just not an option. I'll try putting him in his crate to nap more. He does take two major naps during the day. Other times he is constantly active and getting into trouble. We have two older dogs he harasses constantly. He doesn't have full run of the house as we gate off the upstairs and the downstairs floor is puppy proofed as much as possible. We have tons of puppy toys that I rotate out and I give him pressed, rolled rawhide chews and himalayan dog chews. He still manages to find the things he's not supposed to do and eat and chew (which I know is expected.) I interact with him constantly throughout the day, have several short training sessions etc. He's still, high strung. I think there are some dogs that are just wired that way and we happened to choose one. (I blame my daughter, I let her choose LOL.) He also HATES riding in the car and barks incessantly during the entire drive...high pitched, constant barking. I'm telling you, this guy is a holy terror hell hound.

    Since I've read that interactive, brain teasing toys are the best for helping to tire a puppy out, that's mostly what I'm looking for.
    Last edited by Kelly; 07-30-2015 at 09:10 AM.

 



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