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McMac has top quality, well known brands of toys for your dog (and your cat) to both play with and also have a great chew on as well - even the Bionic Range for the professional chewer! In fact they have so many dog and cat related products that you can probably get just about everything from them.

They also have a range of puzzle toys and an additional bonus is that from 1 - 6 June 2020 they have their Mid year Warehouse Sale on! www.mcmac.co.za

Why Dogs Need Toys

www.pawsintraining.com
(Some really nice articles on this website - enjoy!)

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Why dogs need toys: Dogs need toys to provide mental stimulation, allow for appropriate chewing, and serve as important tools in behavior modification.

Toys are mentally and physically stimulating and assist in fulfilling a dog’s emotional and physical needs. Even though dogs today are primarily bred as companion pets, they still need something to do. In the absence of a “job”, they will look for things to do to occupy their time and fulfill their chewing needs. If you don’t want them to choose their own chew toys, such as your sofa, pillows, or toilet paper rolls, provide them with appropriate outlets. There are hundreds of dog toys on the 

Toys are mentally and physically stimulating and assist in fulfilling a dog’s emotional and physical needs. Even though dogs today are primarily bred as companion pets, they still need something to do. In the absence of a “job”, they will look for things to do to occupy their time and fulfill their chewing needs. If you don’t want them to choose their own chew toys, such as your sofa, pillows, or toilet paper rolls, provide them with appropriate outlets.


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Most people greatly underestimate the intelligence of dogs and are surprised to see how much their pets enjoy a challenge.

The picture on the left is a dog puzzle. Owners cannot believe it when they see how much their dogs love challenges like these and how much enjoyment they get out of it. Click on the picture for link to various options of puzzle or behaviour games as often known. 
oys are an exceptional way to teach your dog to relax.

Chewing is a wonderful way to help your dog relax, destress, and also supplies stimulation and relives boredom. Whether you are using Chew Toys, Chew bones, Kongs etc, a great way to keep your dog happy and busy.

A Kong is a rubber beehive shaped toy that you fill with soft food and a wonderful way to entertain your dog with something legal to chew.  Your pet has to figure out how to get the food out with his tongue.  Fill a Kong with canned dog food, plain white yogurt, pumpkin, sweet potato or any other soft healthy food and freeze it. They freeze completely in about 45 minutes.

A few important warnings about dog toys.

A toy’s safety in contingent on how your dog interacts with the toy and this interaction can change with time.  A plush toy that was safe from your 10-week old puppy might not be a good choice when the dog is 5 months old and destuffing the toys and swallowing the squeakers!  Supervise your dog when he is playing with a new toy and monitor the dog’s interaction with the toy regularly to ensure that the toy continues to be a safe choice.

Interactive toys are meant to be used as a team…dog and owner, which provides built-in supervision.  These toys include fetch balls, and tug-o-war ropes.  Interactive toys should only be available to the dog when you and he are playing together.  After the play session, put those toys away so the dog always looks forward to playing with them…and you.

Be mindful of what you give your dog as a toy. If you give your pet socks, old slippers or articles of clothing to play with, they will see all socks, shoes and clothing as their playthings. Dogs cannot distinguish which of your socks and shoes are okay to play with and which are not. It’s best to keep your things separate from their toys to eliminate any possible confusion.

If your dog has a new toy that he shows no interest in, engage him in play using the toy. ​If this proves ineffective, drop the toy in your bed or laundry basket for a day and try to engage him again. Often, items that smell like the owner are more attractive to the pet. If the dog still shows no interest in the toy, consider the material, shape and size of the toy and don’t buy similar toys again.


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If your going to have your dog travel with you in a crate, it is important that it is a good fit and the dog enjoys the experience. Some tips for you in this article. 
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We did some research to find out & what really worried us was that is in a recent study done in America, it was found that up to 80 per cent of pet dogs and 70% of pet cats, where showing signs of dental disease by the age of three years of age!

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Separation anxiety is one of the worst things that a dog can suffer from, and unless tackled will just get worse. Learn the signs that this could be developing and take action to change the behaviour asap
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