Josey barks every time someone walks past the house. It doesn’t matter if they have a dog with them or if they’re on a bicycle, she uses every distraction past the house as an excuse to bark. As I talked to her parents I looked around and realized there was nothing in the room to indicate a dog lived at the house. “Does she have any toys?” I asked. “Oh no, we tried using toys when she was younger but she’d either gut them or fight over them.”
This is a variation of the No Toys argument I hear from time to time and it always makes me sad. Dogs need toys, they need an outlet and we need to be sure they have them, ideally both hard and soft.
First, dogs are a lot like kids, that’s one of the things we love about them. Kids have a lot more energy than adults and have a much tougher time focusing their energy – so we give them toys and we really work to wear them down – the same has to be done for dogs. Puzzles, enrichment activities and toys are key here.
Second, dogs need an outlet for excitement. If a dog is barking non-stop at home give him something (like a toy!) that he can direct his excitement/energy toward. It has been said that chewing gum can lower the stress causing hormone cortisol – I have found that dogs use toys in a similar fashion. By chopping on something they can really sink their teeth into (a well-made toy, a squeaky tennis ball, etc) they are self-coping or self-soothing and giving their excitement an outlet. An added benefit is that when a toy is in a dog’s mouth, it’s very difficult to bark J
Lastly, what’s wrong with gutting something? We have different habits that help us get through our day, why can’t a dog? Things like jogging, working out, cleaning or other physical outlets to allow us to work off our energy….a stuffed animal can do something similar for a dog.
Bishop, a large white and brown Pittie mix was out walking with his owner the other night. Through the dark the owner heard “No, Bentley come back” ….and knew the block bully, a 12-pound Jack Russell mix was on running over. Bishop tried to ignore the dog, when that didn’t work he laid on him. The dog ran back to his owners crying and carrying on like a drama queen. Bishop’s owner told me that that night, Bishop pulled 4 stuffed animals out of his toy box and gutted every one of them…..what a great redirect! A dog who takes his increased anxiety and stress and directs it toward something appropriate. (Just be sure to replace his favorites so he doesn’t loose out!)