Snakes in the Grass Puzzle Toy

We were looking for puzzle toys for Bailey's birthday. He had an odd reaction to Kyjen PP01056 Hide-A-Squirrel Pet Toy, Large that he had received earlier. Instead of wanting to get the squirrels out of the house. He fought hard to get them in the house. When we removed one to try to get him to play with us, he stubbornly tried to push the squirrel back into the tree stump. To keep us from pulling the squirrels out, he would pick up the tree and carry it off. He does occasionally take one out to play with, but for the most part, he likes to keep the squirrels in the trees. This seems to mirror his real life ambitions. He has no issue with the squirrels in the tree. However, when they get on the ground or his fence, they must be herded back to the trees.

The Kyjen Snakes in the Grass Puzzle Plush Interactive Dog Toy had some added benefits. Two of the snakes are attached and only one can be removed. This means Katy and Bailey can play with the toy. So far, Bailey is not letting Katy near his new toy. He picks it up and carries it off when it appears interest is shown. However, the attached snakes would give Katy something to grab and that would provide her with a shot at playing with the toy.

We had to use some treats to get Bailey engaged with this toy. I guess snakes do not provide the same natural interest as squirrels. Once he found the treats, he has become very possessive of his snake house. Perhaps Katy will have a chance to play with him and the toy soon.

Chuck It Balls

While we were out shopping for Bailey's birthday, we bought some items for Katy as well. Katy had limited experience with toys when we got her. She has transitioned to playing with Bailey's toys, but has trouble holding on to some of his larger toys. I grew up with smaller dogs that never had trouble with tennis balls or the toys Bailey plays with, but they all played with toys as puppies. Katy has struggled with keeping the toys in her mouth.

At one of the pet stores we were at yesterday we explored the Chuckit! Ultra Ball Small 2-inch, 2 pack. These toys come in multiple sizes. We bought the smaller ones for Katy and the medium ones for Bailey. Katy was thrilled. For the first time she has a good grip on the ball when she grabs it and the ball does not fall out of her mouth when she plays.

We also bought just the Chuckit! Tennis Ball Small 2-inch, 2 pack. My disappointment with these, as with all the dog tennis balls we have tried is they do not bounce. However, Katy has been chasing these around the house as we toss or roll them to her. She has an advantage because Bailey is finding the smaller balls harder to pick up and this gives her a few added moments to get and hold on to the balls when she plays.

We saw the Chuckit! Pocket Ball Launcher (Colors Vary). We do not have any issue in throwing the balls for the dogs. If we launch them too far, they will be in our neighbors' yards. We have had that issue with Frisbees, so we try to avoid it with our tennis balls.

One suggestion I would make is to shop around for price. My main reason for buying these balls was the smaller size and the durability of the medium sized ones we bought for Bailey. I like the idea of being able to wash his outdoor toys as the tennis balls can get pretty dirty in the mud. We visited several stores and price and selection do range.

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Sheltie Toy Boxes

Even before Katy came to us, we had two toy boxes. One used to store indoor dog toys and one for outdoor toys. The outdoor toy box is just a box that we put the dried outdoor toys in to keep them from being dragged out to play with in the house. The indoor toy box serves a similar function to children's toy boxes. It stores the toys the dogs are not playing with and makes cleaning a simpler task. We use a recycled plant box that is low to the ground and open so the dogs can identify what items are in the box.

Prior to Katy's arrival Bailey had pretty much ignored the indoor toy box except on vacuuming days. The days I vacuum, I take all his toys and pile them in the box so I can clean the floor. After I am done, he takes his favorite toys and removes them back to the floor to reclaim the space.

Family, friends, and my husband and I have bought many toys over time. After Christmas, I cleaned out the broken toys and those that were not good for play. The box is still full. Cute dogs attract dog gifts.

One of the warnings we got from the rescue about Katy is that she was bone protective. She would engage over bones. She showed little interest in toys when we got her, but they were right, she wanted bones. We made sure that she and Bailey had bones. When she became confident enough that there were plenty, she and Bailey became more engaged in using the bones as a way of enticing each other to play. As she got more confident with bones, Bailey got her interested in toys.

As she started to enjoy the toys on the floor, she was curious about the indoor toy box but hesitant to approach it. As her confidence has emerged, she has reintroduced toys to Bailey that he had long forgotten about and abandoned. Only a few nights ago she started a game of tug with a toy that I know was at the bottom of the pile. She had been on a quest to find something interesting. As she has shown an interest, Bailey has discovered new treasures in his toy box.