Thursday, January 15, 2009

Oh My, My, Maya...




Does anyone have any suggestions for keeping a one-year-old dog occupied (who gets regular exercise and has great toys, such as the Kong Ball, etc.) so that she doesn't get destructive?

I need some KILLER ideas, before Maya gets banished to the kitchen for eternity.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh bless, look at that face!
I think the thing with collies is, that they are constantly on the go and want to be doing things. They're so intelligent that they want to be using that brain all the time.
I'm not sure of a solution really. Have you tried stuffing the Kong Ball with treats so that she has to figure a way to get them out?

Sabrina said...

She's an Aussie, which probably has a lot of similar personality traits to an Aussie. The Kong ball she has doesn't let out treats very easily, but instead of keeping her occupied, she'll move on to something else...hence the destroyed floor cushion.

Oh well...I think this is also part of her puppy phase.

Jessica V. said...

Yeah, she's still a puppy. Things to try: Kong stuffed with peanut butter & frozen, different types of treat balls that let out treats when she rolls them around on the floor (fill it with her regular meal to discourage weight gain), long lasting chews (deer antler, nylabones, bully sticks).

Here is the source I use for antlers: http://www.petexpertise.com/dog-toys/antler-chews.html

I know that you & Chandler give her plenty of physical exercise, but what about mental exercise? Aussies are very smart dogs & they need a lot of mental stimulation in order to keep sane. Working on new tricks/obedience might help keep her from going into super-destructo mode.

Sabrina said...

Hi Jessica!

Thanks for the advice. Maya knows sit, lie down, stay, wait, spin, side (I'm teaching her to roll over in steps), and I'm running out of trick ideas.

I'll definitely look into the antlers and also other ways to give her some mental exercise.

Thanks!

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