Rusty's Favorite Toys

Premier Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug, Medium/Large

Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Dog Toy

Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Dog Toy

KONG Extreme Dog Toy, Large, Black

KONG Wet Wubba Dog Toy, Large, Colors Vary

Nylabone Durable Chicken Souper

Nina Otteson Dog Toys

Isn't this Nina Otteson brick puzzle pretty neat? I totally want to get at least one of these for Rusty and the foster dogs to try. Plus Mickey's Pet Supply is having a sale on them.

The Kong Wubba For Water

For a job well done at the Intermediate Training Graduation, we decided to get Rusty a whole new dog toy. It's the KONG Water Wubba and it's pretty cool.

It's shaped like a Kong, but only has fabric around it and it floats. In Rusty's favorite thing. Water. It's fairly easy to throw and easy to retrieve - the only bad thing is that the Kong part is too big for Rusty's mouth so he carries by the fabric string thingys anyway.

And it's pretty cheap too for a Kong product on Amazon. They sell them at Petsmart too, but they're more expensive. I wish I would've seen it on Amazon first!

Happy Monday!

The ORKA Chew Toy

Rusty loves his interactive toys, especially his Tug-a-Jug which I have to refill at least once a week (I put two cups of kibble in it - he can use the extra food!) and now this new toy.It's called an Orka chew toy. Two ends are hollow and go through the entire toy - meaning you can fill it with treats. If you fill it with softer treats but that are larger, Rusty has a hard time getting them out but it keeps him entertained. There are two other ends which don't go all the way through, but you can fill with peanut butter and it lasts a little bit - but definitely not as long as a frozen Kong.

Total time lasted: 21 minutes

I haven't really used this as a throw toy - because it is hard so it would break a window, the Wii, a vase, the TV, whatever. I'll take it outside later this week and see how it does at the park, but it does float which is sort of why I bought it in the first place. When Rusty moves to Minnesota, he's going to need something to chase in the lake.

Perfect! I just hope that squirrels don't swim!

Happy Tuesday!

Need A New Dog Bed?

How cute are these? Totally eco-friendly and made from recycled materials, these plush and comfy dog matts are super cute.

I have to think twice about ordering one for Rusty - simply because of the price - $110 for an extra large bed. I'm all for eco-friendly and what not, but man, does eco-friendly cost more than I wanna spend! I guess that's the drawback to having a large, 77 pound dog. It's size. And big beds cost more. And so do the big treat toys too. Go figure!

There's free shipping on orders over $75 so don't be shy about ordering from Muttropolis. They have a variety of toys, collars and leashes (take a look at the hemp stuff!) and they even have a cat section too!

(Plus, if you sign up for their newsletter, you get 10% off your first order!)

Happy Monday!

Calming the Separation Anxiety

It's hard. We know it. Rusty knows it.

You're leaving and it seems like FOREVER. But really it's not. It could be 5 minutes. It could be 5 hours.

But still - Rusty thinks, "Momma? Why are you leaving me? Don't leave me!!!"

But work calls and it pays the bills. What do we do to calm separation anxiety?

Work at it every day. Little by little.

1. Practice by just leaving room. Every day. At random intervals (Ok, commercial breaks during Grey's Anatomy or The Young & The Restless). For 10 - 30 seconds.

2. Dogs don't have emotional feelings like we have emotional feelings. They don't know the words, "It's OK." They think that loves & kisses = that's an ok behavior to exhibit because I'm being rewarded for acting this way.

3. Ignored Rusty completely 5 - 10 minutes BEFORE LEAVING and 5 - 10 minutes AFTER RETURNING. That's the most important.

4. Give treats when you leave. Make it fun. Fill up Kongs with peanut butter, yogurt, treats and then freeze. They last pretty long too - so you give the treat before you leave and voila! Instant entertainment and distraction!

5. If you crate during the day (we do at night and also randomly during the day), make the crate fun and exciting with a "new" toy every time and calming by making it relaxed. Rotate out the toys you have, whether it be different tasting chew toys, rope toy or a busy toy. Then make the crate nice and comfy to encourage sleep (The distraction is for when they wake up or right when you put them in). Put a lavender satchet on top of the crate or use a scented room spray. It helps.

These are our Top 5 tips for Rusty.

He's come a long way. He still barks at the door if I go to the car, but that's much better than where we used to be!

The Tug-A-Jug

What happens when your dog gets bored? A lot! Or not a lot! Rusty is known for stealing socks, chewing on the corner of the coffee table and generally being a MONSTER. He gets two walks per day plus playtime and then what most dog people call mental stimulation.

If you're dog does not get enough healthy exercise and mental stimulation, this can lead to many problems down the road! They can learn how to jump up on countertops and eat your dinner, chew on your deck, couch, chairs, mattresses, etc... Mental stimulation helps to curb that, plus it's a great help for when you want your dog to learn - the brain needs stimulating to learn new things.

For example, before we go on a walk we practice sitting, drop, leave it, take it, finding me, etc... to be able to try and identify new smells on the walk. It's like an old person, you'd lose your mind too if you didn't use it!

So give the Premier Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug a try. Stick about a half cup of food in it at first, then either up the contents or just put in what's needed to feed for the day. This tool (notice I didn't say toy) also helps fast eaters to slow down. They have to work to get their reward. Pretty cool, huh?

We never leave this out if there's more than 1 cup of food in it - we don't want a fat dog!