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Of course dogs love getting new toys, however,
you can rekindle their interest in their old toys as well
by Scotty Valadao - Friends of the Dog
you can rekindle their interest in their old toys as well
by Scotty Valadao - Friends of the Dog
Just as our kids love getting new toys, so do our dogs!
There is actually terminology for this - Neophilia - definition - "love or or enthusiasm for what is new or novel"
Interestingly enough, a study to examine novel-object preference in dogs, was undertaken by Patricia Kaulfub & Daniel Mills in 2008 with 17 dogs where the dogs had free choice to take which objects they preferred. The options were two familial toys paired with a new/novely toy. The new toy was chosen first 38 out of 50 tests, which shows a strong preference for novel over familiar.
Further research was also done in 2012 where the focus was on neophilia in purebred dogs, by by Lydia B. Kniowski, in the event anybody would like to read more on this aspect.
What was interesting in the first study mentioned above, was that the researchers tested various factors to see if they could lengthen the dogs' period of play with any one particular toy - but without success. It also appeared that once the dog was completely familiar with the smell, sight etc of the new toy boredom set in.
However, we all know that on average, our dogs interest in the new toy does not always last, and they don't seem at all concerned about how much the toy cost us either! We have seen dogs loose interest in a brand new toy ten minutes after receiving it - there again, we have also seen dogs that totally fallen in love with a new toy and carry it everywhere!
It is always a good option to ask around when you are about to buy new toys for your dogs and see what friends and family recommend before making a purchase - on average, the more it can be stuffed, chewed, played with independently, the more dogs seem to love it, the longer there interest in the new toy will remain. Always go for toys that are sturdy, safe, non-toxic, and don't have 'bits' that can fall off or be swallowed. Avoid toys that are 'cheap' as these are more likely to be a hazard in general.
Now what we all want to know - how do we keep our dogs interest in their toys going, or rekindle the enjoyment for an old toy?
Think about then you were a child, or one of your own children and they received a brand new doll with clothes, or a train set for Xmas - remember what it was like? The first day all they wanted to do was play with that particular toy to the exclusion of anything else - our dogs are no different!
So how can we change this? Give your dog it's new toy, let it play with it for about half an hour, then do a 'Swap' - taking that toy away and diverting your dog's attention onto something else, or just say 'finished' - you will not believe how excited the dog will be to get the toy again a bit later in the day. If you just leave the toy with the dog, on average boredom will soon occur.
While you are home with your dog, with the exception of giving them a lovely chew toy to get stuck into on occasion, rather keep the toys for when they are going to be alone. Not only will this extend the period of interest in the toy, the dog will see the time you are out as a rewarding time, rather than stressing, as they get something they normally don't have free access too.
The exception to this is with pups, as they have a real need to chew to help those teeth come through - they actually need chew toys around them. However, you can do a version of the above, and keep one or two special chew toys to only give on occasion.
Where balls and Frisbee's and throwing toys are concerned, again take control of them. When you then go and have a good game of throwing the ball for your dog, not only will his interest in these toys last longer, it will also improve the dogs relationship with you, and toys like this last, much, much longer. As the game is over, you put the throwing toy away.
Another thing you can do with rope toys or rubber tyre toys and similar, is to suspend them on a long, strong rope from a tree, and teach your dog to play with it in this position, by interacting with them and having them swinging back and forth. Most dogs, especially the terrier breeds really enjoy this, and the idea is to have them low enough that not a lot of effort is required from the dog to reach them.
Another thing you can do is rotate toys. Scotty used to have 5 cane baskets that sat on a shelf in the laundry, and these were labelled Monday to Friday. As she went out to see clients, or out of the house for a period of time, the toy basket for that day was put on the floor, and the dogs loved this. When she came home, the toys were put back in the basket (and you can teach your dogs to do this very easily) and up on the shelf. Worst thing you can possible do its to leave a basket of toys on the floor, as boredom with these sets in very quickly.
You can also make the toys more interesting, which is one of the reasons why we love chew toys that can be safely stuffed - you can vary what goes in them all the time, so always a surprise and lovely treat for the dog. You can also make standard chew toys the dogs plays with more interesting, by smearing on some peanut butter (never with xlyitol, birch sugar or birch gum - toxic, can kill), or liver paste with increases the dog's interest in the chew toy and also makes it more interesting.
Do consider behaviour puzzles and games. Of course you would not leave your dog alone with these, but wonderful to stimulate mentally, dogs love them and you get from starter to advanced, and what we love best, is because they play with these with you, it increases your bond, plus mental stimulation is well known to tire a dog and also to build confidence and make them think.
There is actually terminology for this - Neophilia - definition - "love or or enthusiasm for what is new or novel"
Interestingly enough, a study to examine novel-object preference in dogs, was undertaken by Patricia Kaulfub & Daniel Mills in 2008 with 17 dogs where the dogs had free choice to take which objects they preferred. The options were two familial toys paired with a new/novely toy. The new toy was chosen first 38 out of 50 tests, which shows a strong preference for novel over familiar.
Further research was also done in 2012 where the focus was on neophilia in purebred dogs, by by Lydia B. Kniowski, in the event anybody would like to read more on this aspect.
What was interesting in the first study mentioned above, was that the researchers tested various factors to see if they could lengthen the dogs' period of play with any one particular toy - but without success. It also appeared that once the dog was completely familiar with the smell, sight etc of the new toy boredom set in.
However, we all know that on average, our dogs interest in the new toy does not always last, and they don't seem at all concerned about how much the toy cost us either! We have seen dogs loose interest in a brand new toy ten minutes after receiving it - there again, we have also seen dogs that totally fallen in love with a new toy and carry it everywhere!
It is always a good option to ask around when you are about to buy new toys for your dogs and see what friends and family recommend before making a purchase - on average, the more it can be stuffed, chewed, played with independently, the more dogs seem to love it, the longer there interest in the new toy will remain. Always go for toys that are sturdy, safe, non-toxic, and don't have 'bits' that can fall off or be swallowed. Avoid toys that are 'cheap' as these are more likely to be a hazard in general.
Now what we all want to know - how do we keep our dogs interest in their toys going, or rekindle the enjoyment for an old toy?
Think about then you were a child, or one of your own children and they received a brand new doll with clothes, or a train set for Xmas - remember what it was like? The first day all they wanted to do was play with that particular toy to the exclusion of anything else - our dogs are no different!
So how can we change this? Give your dog it's new toy, let it play with it for about half an hour, then do a 'Swap' - taking that toy away and diverting your dog's attention onto something else, or just say 'finished' - you will not believe how excited the dog will be to get the toy again a bit later in the day. If you just leave the toy with the dog, on average boredom will soon occur.
While you are home with your dog, with the exception of giving them a lovely chew toy to get stuck into on occasion, rather keep the toys for when they are going to be alone. Not only will this extend the period of interest in the toy, the dog will see the time you are out as a rewarding time, rather than stressing, as they get something they normally don't have free access too.
The exception to this is with pups, as they have a real need to chew to help those teeth come through - they actually need chew toys around them. However, you can do a version of the above, and keep one or two special chew toys to only give on occasion.
Where balls and Frisbee's and throwing toys are concerned, again take control of them. When you then go and have a good game of throwing the ball for your dog, not only will his interest in these toys last longer, it will also improve the dogs relationship with you, and toys like this last, much, much longer. As the game is over, you put the throwing toy away.
Another thing you can do with rope toys or rubber tyre toys and similar, is to suspend them on a long, strong rope from a tree, and teach your dog to play with it in this position, by interacting with them and having them swinging back and forth. Most dogs, especially the terrier breeds really enjoy this, and the idea is to have them low enough that not a lot of effort is required from the dog to reach them.
Another thing you can do is rotate toys. Scotty used to have 5 cane baskets that sat on a shelf in the laundry, and these were labelled Monday to Friday. As she went out to see clients, or out of the house for a period of time, the toy basket for that day was put on the floor, and the dogs loved this. When she came home, the toys were put back in the basket (and you can teach your dogs to do this very easily) and up on the shelf. Worst thing you can possible do its to leave a basket of toys on the floor, as boredom with these sets in very quickly.
You can also make the toys more interesting, which is one of the reasons why we love chew toys that can be safely stuffed - you can vary what goes in them all the time, so always a surprise and lovely treat for the dog. You can also make standard chew toys the dogs plays with more interesting, by smearing on some peanut butter (never with xlyitol, birch sugar or birch gum - toxic, can kill), or liver paste with increases the dog's interest in the chew toy and also makes it more interesting.
Do consider behaviour puzzles and games. Of course you would not leave your dog alone with these, but wonderful to stimulate mentally, dogs love them and you get from starter to advanced, and what we love best, is because they play with these with you, it increases your bond, plus mental stimulation is well known to tire a dog and also to build confidence and make them think.
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