Favorites Your guide to choosing the best interactive toys for your pup

Winter 2011 PLAY Favorites Your guide to choosing the best interactive toys for your pup Also Inside: Canine Influenza Virus: a Real Concern Expert Advice: Halt the Humping How to treat FIDO RIGHT Estate Planning for Pets

C O V E R S T O R Y PLAY By Vivian Leven Shoemaker Favorites Your guide to choosing the best interactive toys for your pup Tammy Rosen, owner and CEO of Fur-Get Me Not Dog Daycare and Training Facility in Arlington, VA, plays tug with her Golden Hunter. Photo by local pet photographer Robin Burkett of PawPrints Photography. To see more of her work or to schedule an appointment, visit www.pawprintsphotography.com. 14 Northern Virginia Dog Winter 2011

It s winter and it s cold outside. We aren t as likely to take our dog out for a long walk or to play an extended game of fetch and we definitely are not going to take him for a swim. This time of year challenges us to find other ways to provide the mental and physical stimulation that dogs need. Activity toys are a good solution because they provide a great way for you to make sure your dog still enjoys an active and stimulating life. A broad range of toys are available that stimulate your dog in different ways. To find the right toy, first determine which toys your dog is most likely to enjoy and what size toy is most appropriate. Knowing your dog s personal preferences is important. Think about the following when selecting a toy: Is your dog highly food motivated? If so, pick a food dispensing toy that requires a bit more work to get the food out. Some food dispensing toys have settings that allow you to start easy and gradually make the task harder. Is your dog an aggressive chewer? If so, pick a hardy toy advertised as being difficult to destroy. Does your dog like to chase, tug or chew on things? Does your dog prefer things that make sounds? Playing in water? Soft or hard toys? Does Your Dog Like to NIBBLE? Food dispensing toys should be a staple in every dog owner s home. It s true some dogs are more food motivated than others, but if you use high-value foods and pair it with a hungry dog, he ll likely show interest. These toys are the closest we can get to the dog s natural drive to hunt for food and offer great mental stimulation. They also provide a great chew outlet. The dog gets to satisfy his instincts and complete a task, which is rewarding in itself. Here are some options you may want to explore: Smarter Toys Collection. These come in three challenging levels (Smart, Brilliant and Genius) and are extremely hardy. The Atomic Treat Ball is easy to load with treats or food and is made from safe and durable thermoplastic rubber for aggressive use. The IQ Treat Ball has an insert that allows you to adjust the food delivery. You decide the level of difficulty. The Buster Food Cube rewards your dog when treats or food fall out. You decide the level of difficulty with a simple twist. The Premier Toys Brand. These are easy to spot look for purple. They come in many different varieties that offer different sensations and experiences. The Bouncy Bone is a durable nylon bone and rubber ball with added gnawhides on the sides. This toy is great for heavy chewers. Dogs love to chew on it even after the side-rings have been chewed off. This is also a great toy to bring in the car or other places where you want your dog to be occupied, as it s not greasy or messy. Replacement gnawhide rings are sold separately. The Kibble Nibble activity ball features two customizable meters that dispense two cups of food. It is a perfect way to offer your dog his breakfast or dinner if you feed dry food. The opening is a bit large, so, if you use it for feeding with smaller kibble, consider putting a tennis ball inside to make it harder for the smaller treats to come out. The softer rubber bumpers ensure that your walls and floors are protected. The Tug-a-Jug Treat Puzzle provides a multi-sensory appeal to keep dogs engaged and motivated to play. The Tug-a-Jug can be used for dispensing treats, retrieval games (If you bring it back to me, I will feed you out of the bottle!) and feeding meals. It has scent holes at the bottom and is see-through to further entice the dog. The dog has to figure out how to pull out the treats or food with the rope. If the dog chews the rope off it can be replaced with a ball in the jug. This is great for highly food-motivated dogs and dogs who enjoy problem solving. The Twist N Treat is a two-piece toy that twists to tighten and can be adjusted to the dog s level of interest and ability to get the food. This allows for a number of options and variations of the shapes and sizes of treats you can use. It is not recommended for heavy chewers. The Kong is a durable rubber toy that comes in different shapes. It has been on the market for quite some time and is a tried-and-true food dispensing toy. It should be in every dog owner s home, especially ones with younger dogs and puppies. It is dishwasher safe and can be filled with peanut butter, cream cheese, or the dog s breakfast and dinner for a good chew workout. For adult dogs, stuff the Kong with food and keep it in the freezer overnight. A Kong filled with frozen food offers a great workout. Does Your Dog Love to RETRIEVE? Few dogs have real jobs these days unless they are farm or service dogs but many retain the instincts that served them and their masters well in the early days. Your dog may like the work of retrieving items and returning them to you. For added fun, these toys float and are extremely durable for aggressive chewers. www.novadogmagazine.com 15

How to treat FIDO RIGHT When it comes to doggie indulgence, all treats are not created equal. Which ones should you use and when? Use our handy guide to help you decide. ROLL MEAT BY RED BARN How To Use It: Cut it up into small pieces to put in various treat dispensing toys or bigger chunks to use as stuffing material in a Kong. Also great for regular training as pieces can be made small. Good To Know: A high-value* treat. Needs to be refrigerated once open. Comes in three flavors: chicken and liver, lamb and rice, and beef. JERKY TREATS BY REAL MEAT How To Use It: Flat, non-greasy treat that can be carried in the pocket and pleasant to handle. Use to reward for retrieve, letting go of a tug, or to play the game Find It! Also great for regular training as pieces can be made small. Good To Know: A high-value* treat. Comes in six flavors: chicken and venison, lamb, lamb liver, fish and venison, beef, and venison. MINI BAKES BY ZUKES How To Use It: These work perfect in any treat dispensing toy. Treats are compact and round, ready to put into the toy. Can also be used for training. Good To Know: Already comes in small bits. Available in Turkey N Taterz, Peanut Butter N Blueberryz, and Chicken N Cherryz. CHICKEN NIBS BY PRIMAL How To Use It: Small and soft pieces easy to put into treat dispensing toys. Good To Know: An organic, high-value* treat. PIG AND COW EARS How To Use It: These are great for a shorter but gratifying chew time. Great for chewing in the crate or to play the game Find It! Good To Know: Pig ears are greasier than cow ears. This may matter depending on where you allow your dog to chew and also impacts your dog s digestive system. Cow ears come in large and small. BULLY STICKS How To Use It: Dogs love these, and they will keep them busy chewing for some time. Good To Know: A very popular chew item made out of 100 percent bull penis. Also called pizzles. Comes in shorter and longer versions. *High-value treats are treats your dog gets only seldom, and he is extremely eager to receive. Each dog will have his favorite, and owners will know what their dog craves best. LOOKING FOR THAT HOMEBAKED TASTE? VISIT THESE BARKERIES FOR GOODIES WITH A LOCAL TWIST: Barkley Square Dog Bakery (www.barkleysquarebakery.com) Chateau Animaux (www.chateau-animaux.com) Dogma Bakery & Boutique (www.dogmabakery.com) Fetch! Dog Bakery Boutique (www.fetch-bakery.com) West Paw Toys. These toys come with a refund guarantee should your dog succeed in destroying them after all! The Huck is very durable. You can toss it, float it, and let your dog chew it. It will bounce in unpredictable directions. The Hurley is also very durable. You can toss it, float it, and let the dog chew it. If your dog loves playing in and around water, consider having him retrieve these toys out of the bathtub during winter months. Does Your Dog Love to CHASE? If so, you have probably thrown a tennis ball or two or three to fulfill this instinctive behavior. Here are some other options to add variety and fun. Jolly Pets. These plastic toys are puncture resistant. They also offer a big variety of rubber toys that are very durable. Both are backed with a money-back manufacturer s guarantee. The Push-n-Play (also referred to as The Jolly Ball) is very durable and satisfies your dogs need to push and bite. It also floats for interesting water play. Some dogs love to play with this ball by themselves. Great for herding/terriers/working dogs that may have a more aggressive play style. Bounce-n-Play balls are made from nontoxic polyethylene plastic. This floating toy is durable, and dogs love the hiss sound it makes when they bite into it. The toy has a delicious scent, which means no more nasty rubber smell. The Teaser Ball actually has a ball within the ball. Some dogs love to play with this toy by themselves. Great for herding/terriers/working dogs that may have a more aggressive play style. 16 Northern Virginia Dog Winter 2011

Does Your Dog Love NOISY toys? Does buying a squeaky plush toy and having it ripped to shreds in under two minutes sound familiar? Then the Egg Babies with removable and replaceable squeakers may be for you. The Kyjen company is based in the Colorado foothills, where it strives to make different and better products so everyone benefits. If you visit its web site, your dog could become an official Kyjen toy tester. Egg Babies are a selection of plush toys with three squeaky eggs inside. The opening is at the bottom of the toy where the dog finds the squeaker eggs and pulls them out. You can put them into the toy again, or purchase replacement eggs if your dog destroys the eggs. This leaves the squeaker-less main toy intact for a much longer time. The perfect solution for a dog that loves his squeaky toys! Bottle Buddies are plush toys that hold a recycled water bottle inside. The dog s chewing action makes crinkly noises, and an opening at the bottom allows you to replace the plastic bottle with a fresh one. It is a great way to reuse your old plastic bottles before the final recycling. Dogs who enjoy squeaky toys will enjoy the noisy crinkle this toy makes. Does Your Dog Love to TUG? You may have tried the tug rope that comes in different lengths and thickness. To add more fun and variety, try one of the following toys. Katie s Bumpers are unique toys that have just the right amount of weight for a good toss or tug. The company is named after an 11-yearold black and white Newfoundland named, you guessed it, Katie. The Double Tug is a tug toy with a handle at each end. Made of tough firehose, this toy is durable, but not indestructible. It is not intended as a chew toy. An added benefit is that this toy can be machine washed (air dry) so very appropriate for outdoor use as well. Frying Pan Farm Park s Specialists in Natural Pet Foods and Supplies Agility-non-competitive Dog Obedience-all levels Registration starts Feb. 8 M. Nicole Fischer Photography Where every dog is an A-student To register or for information, call Frying Pan Farm Park 703-437-9101 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fpp GO DOG U! M. Nicole Fischer Photography Conveniently located at 2709 West Ox Road in Herndon, just off the Fairfax County Parkway and close to the Dulles Toll Road. 703-324-8563. TTY 703-803-3354 n Ashburn n Rockville n Herndon/Reston 703.724.4319 www.wholepetcentral.com www.novadogmagazine.com 17

WIN AN EGG BABIES DOG TOY! Fan us on Facebook (facebook. com/novadog). Post a comment to our wall on January 28 for your chance to win. (Winners picked at random.) Sqwuggies are squeakable, tuggable, durable, colorful, fetchable, floatable squeak and tug toys. They can be used by all size dogs, whether they want to squeak, tug, carry, or hide, they will have lots of fun with it. Both are very durable and made from recycled firehose material. Cautionary note: If you have a dog that is toy destructive, offer them Sqwuggis under your supervision. Did you know? A nice side effect of encouraging regular playtime with your dog, is he will gravitate to these toys and continue to play with them on his own (especially the food dispensing ones). If you remove a toy and give it back a week later, it becomes like new again. So don t let the same old toy lay around the house. With patience you can teach rescue dogs, deprived of toys and human interaction, the fun of play it is well worth the trouble! Food dispensing toys can be a great way to help your dog reduce his anxiety while left home alone, during thunderstorms, or when visitors come to your home. Combining toys with your dog s training regimen is an effective way to get a wellmannered dog. It builds a good relationship with your dog, makes the learning fun, and motivates the dog to engage in the training sessions. Many of these toys can be used both indoors and outdoors so do not limit yourself to the colder season but enjoy these toys year round and never stop playing with your dog! Interested in more information? You can visit the Fur-Get Me Not dog daycare and training facility in Arlington to see a demonstration of most of these toys in action. ND Vivian Leven Shoemaker is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), CGC Evaluator, and owner of POSITIVE DOG, which focuses on behavioral problems specializing in fear and aggression cases (www.positivedog.net). She is also the dog training director at Fur-Get Me Not where she teaches Levels classes and provides basic inhome training. For more information on Levels, private training, or CGC testing visit www. furgetmenot.com. 18 Northern Virginia Dog Winter 2011