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Thread: Mr Destructo

  1. #1
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    Mr Destructo

    So all of you know Comet is Mr. Destructo. He just LOVES destroying and dismantling things. He'll peel the felt off of tennis balls, rip each stitch out of my socks, unwind rope toys rope by rope etc.

    Is there anything I can give him that'll help with his instincts? He has a million chew toys, we do tons of off leash adventuring and exercising and brain games so I don't think more exercise will help. I do give him raw marrow bones and that seems to keep him occupied.
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    Kimber was Ms. Destructo until she was about 8. The only toys she didn't destroy were her Buster Cube, Tug-a-jug, and Kong, and I think that's because she wasn't chewing on them directly and I picked them up as soon as they were empty. I tried every toy suggested here, and nothing could withstand her back teeth. Then I read a story about a lab who chewed part of the sheet metal off his owner's car and gave up. I bought tennis balls in bulk and at the re-use sports store (and as soon as she stopped fetching them and started picking at them, took them away), I bought 99 cent frisbees, and I bought the 3-for-a-quarter stuffies at goodwill (making sure they were stuffed and not filled with small beads).

    Maybe something's come out in the past few years that is more durable. (Oh wait, the jolly ball meant for horses lasted, but since she couldn't destroy it, she never played with it, lol.)
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  3. #3
    Senior Dog shellbell's Avatar
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    Yeah Tux is pretty much only interested in toys he can destroy, and therefore he doesn't get to play with them. He turns eight in a few months, maybe we'll try again then lol. Knock on wood, he does not destroy anything around the house and never was one to do that.

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    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shellbell View Post
    Yeah Tux is pretty much only interested in toys he can destroy, and therefore he doesn't get to play with them. He turns eight in a few months, maybe we'll try again then lol. Knock on wood, he does not destroy anything around the house and never was one to do that.
    He ate the siding off of my house
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    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Training games, shaping, even just once a day for 10 minutes is super helpful!

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    All I can say is that it's a good thing he's cute!!

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  10. #8
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
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    I think this comes down to creative training and shaping as mentioned above. Then sometimes you just have to take certain things away. So for example Hemi will pick the felt off tennis balls. Tennis balls are kept on top of the fridge. They come out only when I am there to supervise completely. The minute they felt starts coming off they get taken away. You have to be on the ready all the time. Hemi can go now for an hour with a tennis ball. Playing having fun, then just when he thinks i am distracted he will hide his head. Like around the couch, he can't see me therefore I can't see his butt sticking out from the side of the couch and tell he is back there with the tennis ball preparing to strip the fuzz off. He hears me get up to check and is instantly like nope nope wasn't doing nothing. Just sitting here playing with it. So I sit there staring at him, He sighs comes out of his hiding spot. It usually ends though I catch him and shout a hey, clap my hands and take the ball away back to the top of the fridge.

    Some things I have had great success with. Rope toys changed from being toys to tools. Like I started using rope toys I tied them to the laundry basket and we walk through the house, he picks up his toys and puts them in the basket and then drags the basket to his toy box. He also helps me do laundry I load the basket up he drags it to the laundry for me.

    Socks, I had to trap him in a room but I kept dropping socks, he would try to run off to destroy them but then he got a treat when he gave them to me. Pretty soon if there is a sock on the floor, he brings it to me and gets a treat. Every night before bed I drop my socks on the floor and he brings them to me for a treat.

    Not sure what to do about the siding for you though.

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    Realistically he's still young, and he very well could grow out of it. Sophie could have been a product tester for the so call "indistructible" toys. There was nothing she couldn't destroy. Now, at 4 1/2 she's pretty over it. I gave her a stuffy Bruce won at a trial last week, she plays with it, running around squeaking it, but has made no attempt to eviscerate it.

    Maybe Comet will out grow it too.

  12. #10
    Senior Dog arentspowell's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by barry581 View Post
    Realistically he's still young, and he very well could grow out of it. Sophie could have been a product tester for the so call "indistructible" toys. There was nothing she couldn't destroy. Now, at 4 1/2 she's pretty over it. I gave her a stuffy Bruce won at a trial last week, she plays with it, running around squeaking it, but has made no attempt to eviscerate it. Maybe Comet will out grow it too.
    This.

    We've noticed that now at 6, Daisy plays with her toys differently than I she did at 1. As a puppy she could not have any stuffed toys but now that's all she plays with and does not destroy them. Just last night we were going through the toy box and came across a bunch of toys Daisy loved as a puppy. They were all chew type toys that were well loved. She has no interest in any of those now.

 



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