Adult dogs and toys......

[{97702}]

I generally have two rules in life - neither my dogs nor my horse are fed treats (just encourages them to be nippy in my experience?) and I don't give my dogs toys in case they cause arguments.

Today I took all 4 hounds over to my mum's house for Mothers Day (aren't I kind?!!!) and two of them had a great time playing with dog toys - Amy loved the tennis ball, and Hoover (aged 11 going on 11 weeks....) loved the squeaky furry octopus toy

I now feel quite mean not letting them have toys - those of you with multiple dogs, do you allow toys? How do you manage it? Lurchers and greyhounds aren't mega aggressive dogs obviously, but they don't half cause some damage if they disagree with each other....

And some gratuitous photos of tired hounds

 

[tda]

No toys here either, we have four terrier and they don't need another excuse to fall out with each other ��

Sometimes we let them have a little play on their own.�� with a stick 😁

 

[{97702}]

No toys here either, we have four terrier and they don't need another excuse to fall out with each other ��

Sometimes we let them have a little play on their own.�� with a stick ��

Oooo I'm glad I'm not the only one Amy greyhound loves sticks.... I think no-one has told her that greyhounds aren't really meant to chew them?

 

[CrazyMare]

Two greyhounds. Assorted toys scattered all over the floor. Maggie can open the toy box herself!!

One prefers soft toys with a squeaker, the other likes balls as well as soft toys.

Try to have more than a couple out at a time, so there's always "spares".

 

[C1airey]

Two terriers here and eleventy billion toys. They don’t squabble and often play together with things like rope toys, balls on string, etc.

 

[TheresaW]

We have toys, mainly as sometimes they are on their own when we are at work if Mum can’t have them. Luna does like to hoard, and usually doesn’t want them unless Aled wants one. We have at least 2 of everything so there are always spares.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I don't give open access to toys for a variety of reasons but I do cop out and use a ball as a gobstobber/dummy tit when we're in company or in a super-stimulating environment.
He's only really happy when there's something in his mouth

 

[Sandstone1]

A gsd and a labx golden retriver. big box of toys that they help themselves to. neither of them are possessive of toys though.
Bit sad that yours are not allowed them. cant they have them just when you are around.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

yes, my two have toys. I am vigilant when I introduce a new toy as Fitz did show a little resource guarding with Quarrie with toys (nothing else-bed/food etc) initially but they've been fine ever since. Quarrie loves a ball and plays with one every evening for about 90mins-sometimes Fitz joins in but mostly he doesn't (Fitz will play fetch all day long outside though). They also have pullers, balls, squeaky balls and tug toys outside with no issues. I let mine chew sticks too.

favourite are the glow in the dark XL chuck it ball, the squeaky XL chuck it ball, the Nerf Squeaker (too loud for the house) and the Pullers, which they both love. soft toys only last about 30s so tend not to buy them anymore.

 

[blackcob]

Love the snoozy couch hounds.

The big dogs have free access to toys these days, they live on top of the crate and they can help themselves, in practice only Dax is really bothered and she fetches something down most days.

Little dogs also have free access to toys but occasionally have a nasty squabble, so when they come here I put the toys away just in case. Big dogs might not be bothered about the actual toy but if a cocker started a squabble over something a big dog would come over and finish it.

 

[DabDab]

Yes my two terriers have toys. The only one who really plays with them is Dee - she likes shaky stuffed toys with a squeak so she can 'kill' them over and over before destuffing them. Eira doesn't play with toys, but will occasionally steal D's and then run off, squeaking them furiously to wind D up :rolleyes3:

 

[Schollym]

Having had greyhounds for a number of years they are not big toy users, furry slippers, a kitchen roll, a box of tissues however!
I did have one who had a toy he played with just before dinner which was a metal gate catch. He was always keen if any DIY jobs were on the go and would run off with things. The open Stanley knife was areal worry fortunately he did manage to do damage with it. I know the issue with injuries as a result of ‘dust ups’ they hav3 paper thin skin!

 

[splashgirl45]

mine have always had toys, previously had lurcher and collie cross and they loved playing tug o war with soft toys. collie cross loves tennis balls but lurcher wasnt bothered. now have same collie cross and a terrier, they play the same and love tugging games,terrier destroys tennis balls so i have to monitor when they are playing with them otherwise the ball is eaten!!! i am in charge so it never gets out of hand, mine have all been very good natured and non aggressive so i rarely had to intervene....

 

[{97702}]

Oh OK I submit They can have toys when I am around

I must admit that I can't really see 'tug of war' being anything but a disaster The two likely to participate are Amy (aged 10) and Millie (aged 18 months) and they are very very likely to come to blows.....

 

[Clodagh]

The labs have toys, and love them. No squeaks allowed though.
My lurcher loved toys, she used to stalk them and pounce, then kill them. But she never chewed them.

 

[maisie06]

Need glasses and to clean my mind ...I thought the post said "Adult toys" !!!

 

[Peter7917]

Seven dogs of varying breeds. Toys all over the place and chewy treats also. Don't have any arguments. Occasionally the shih Tzu will bark in protest when one of the others has something she wants but that's about it

 

[blackcob]

Need glasses and to clean my mind ...I thought the post said "Adult toys" !!!

Pro tip - don't buy a milk liner as a chewy toy and leave it lying around.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

The Rottweilers have more toys than any other dogs we have ever had. They love to play tug of war with rope toys and to chew things. Finding indestructible toys is a challenge, they have *very* strong jaws! The Range seem to have the best ones. They don't think much of balls but will chase them occasionally if we throw them, although they really enjoy chasing bubbles. One of them does enjoy playing with the Jolly Ball, while the other loves different textures. They are only allowed toys under supervision.

We don't allow them to sit on the furniture though!

 

[Cinnamontoast]

My gundog trainer says never leave toys around, but as they don’t work, I’ve ignored this! Zak loves to play tug :redface3: Brig has to bring a toy. Bear’s not too bothered. I’m not going to deprive them. Ultimately, Zak steals and hoards all the toys!

There is an occasional dispute over a toy which Zak believes belongs to him, but he’ll just hold it until the others give up. :biggrin3:

 

[Karran]

Mrs Spaniel ADORES her toys! She does tend to chew and rip soft toys but will then spend ages lying on her back holding them in her paws and mouthing them.
Tennis balls are a favourite obviously and often after dinner she will bring me a tuggy to have a game with.
She rarely plays with them when alone I've noticed although she has access to them all day she only gets them out to play with when people are home, even if she doesn't need you to join in her game.

 

[{97702}]

Pro tip - don't buy a milk liner as a chewy toy and leave it lying around.

Seriously.... and I feel I will very much regret asking this... what is a milk liner??!!

 

[planete]

Three lurchers and a terrier here. We have a toy box with lots of different toys and the dogs help themselves to any chew or toy they fancy whenever they like, never a cross word. A few high value toys are mine and only handed out to an individual dog for a one to one training game with me. I believe the key is to have a large selection always accessible so no dog is tempted to be possessive, and not to leave anything high value lying around. I am also lucky to have a very stable pack of dogs who are very respectful of each other.

 

[Leo Walker]

Two whippets and a house full of toys! They love them and play with them a lot. The only thing we ever have an issue with is chews/ I feed them strips of dried beef scalp and rabbit ears with fur on, Kongs stuffed with fish and peanut butter etc, so high value chews. They play swapsies with these a lot and at some point Floyd usually starts yapping becuase Dylan has the best one. Dylan just ignores him. Theres no falling out at all, if their was I would have to rethink it.

 

[Wheels]

5 dogs here, the rescue collie who had a very very bad start in life doesn't play with toys.

The 4 GSPs have a favourite - the favourite being whatever one of the others have. The bitch is very clever and always ends up with the one she wants. She will find any old rag and toss it about like it's the best thing in the world until one of the boys takes it off her and then she'll grab their toy.

One of the boys is a bit protective of his stuff, the other two are a bit more polite and like a variety of stuff to chew on.

They only get toys when we are there so 1) we can break up any scraps and 2) reduce any choking risk

 

[Cahill]

Seriously.... and I feel I will very much regret asking this... what is a milk liner??!!

it is a rubbery bit from inside a milking machine-used to make a tuggy toy,usually with braided fleece.the dog can bite on the liner part or it makes a comfy handle for the owner.sposed to be tough but bitten through by my sbt within a minute

 

[{97702}]

Oh that’s ok then - phew - thanks Cahill

 

[meleeka]

Mrs Spaniel ADORES her toys! She does tend to chew and rip soft toys but will then spend ages lying on her back holding them in her paws and mouthing them.
Tennis balls are a favourite obviously and often after dinner she will bring me a tuggy to have a game with.
She rarely plays with them when alone I've noticed although she has access to them all day she only gets them out to play with when people are home, even if she doesn't need you to join in her game.

My Spaniel does this too. She looks like a cat laid on her back with the toy in her paws.

Mine have a toy box. The terrier has a favourite ball but otherwise prefers to tug. They never argue over toys and if you encourage them to play tug the spaniel will always win. She just holds it until the terrier gets fed up of pulling.

I sometimes look after family’s dogs. The toys are put away then as there’s more chance of arguments. Those dogs are both a nightmare with asking you to play all the time so balls are then restricted to walks only.

 

[skinnydipper]

2 big baskets of toys were shared between 8 dogs. Different types of toys for different play styles. Toys to play with alone, with other dogs and with me. Toys offer mental stimulation, fun and a chance to interact with your dog.

2 of the dogs were large sighthounds, Greyhound X loved balls and Saluki X loved soft toys - she threw them in the air, pounced on them but never destroyed them.

We had no fighting over toys.

Sticks are not a good idea.

Natural treat given daily, ie pigs ear. No problem.

 

[wyrdsister]

2-3 working cockers in our household at any one time, plus occasional visits from a collie. Toys are out when we're around and there's the occasional tug of war or theft of some else's toy of choice, but it's usually playful and I can intervene if need be. A simple 'no' or 'leave' shuts down any grumpy nonsense. Toys go away when we're not there to keep an eye, though to be honest A is a total klepto and will usually have an unauthorised sock or a pair of slippers in her mouth by the time we get back! F stays out of that game!