Puppy Toys, The Good, The Great, The Dangerous

The photo is of Finn (Marcus and Taffy's litter brother) with his weim friend.

Well, my thoughts are still on puppies (it is all I think about right now!!)

I have a collection of toys that I rotate in and out of the whelping box/puppy pen. I have ordered most of them online, been given some, and others were things I saw at pet stores and thought would be great for my puppies. I think puppy toys are a great way to help socialize puppies. I work very hard to give my puppies as many experiences as possible that will bring out a slight startle reflex followed by a quick recovery. I think this helps to create fearless, outgoing, happy, friendly English Cockers. With very young puppies, I give these experiences mostly by taking them to new areas of my house and by giving them new toys to explore and play with.

My favorites:

The Babble Ball- This is a ball that makes noise each time the puppy touches it. It is soooo hilarious. It says many things including: Come along little doggy, here doggy doggy doggy, ouch don't do that, oh you got me, hot diggity dog, grrrrr. http://www.petqwerks.com/babbleballs.php

Fat Cat Mini Big Mean Kitty and also their Crackler series of toys for cats. These are tiny little toys that my four week old puppies can carry around and they make a crackling noise when mouthed.

Toys with a noise box that make an animal or other type of noise or toys with a loud and sensitive squeaker.

Nylabones- The smallest size.

Petstages: They make so many neat little toys that make puppies think, I can't mention them all. http://www.petstages.com/

Ruff Doggie Puppy Teether- These really do help teething puppies feel better!http://www.ruffdoggie.com/index2.html

The Dangerous: Any toy that a puppy can get trapped in or under requires supervision and can be very dangerous!! I bought the neatest little cat bed for my puppies recently. It is one of those tunnel style beds and it makes a crackling noise when walked on or layed in (I *love* noisy toys for puppies as I am sure you have noticed.) Well, I heard some crying from the puppy pen and found two puppies trapped in the bed by other puppies who were sleeping across the opening, locking the first two puppies inside. I no longer give beds like these unsupervised.

Please note: These toys are recommended for puppies only and most are not appropriate for older puppies and adults. Pet owners, I will make a list for you soon of my favorite toys for adult English Cockers!