Hello from Northeast Arkansas

[McCannClan]

Updates –- After much newspaper rolling and beating of our heads... Little Faro whined at the door to go outside to do his business. Of course upon reentering the house he blessed us with a little extra to make our day brighter. lol Only crazy people would find that funny right???

he is also chewing everyone and thing. we try to redirect with chew toys bones etc. any suggestions there??

[crystalncody]

@McCannClan:

Of course upon reentering the house he blessed us with a little extra to make our day brighter. lol Only crazy people would find that funny right???

Oh no, of course not…. make sure you let that sense of humor carry on through the years. My B is 4, and yesterday morning, I forgot to shut my door when I left my bedroom, so when I came back 5 minutes later, he had pulled the sheet from my bed (no holes though, thankfully, because last time he shredded the sheet) and started ripping my memory foam mattress pad. There's just something about it that he likes to chew, (texture maybe?) and I know that from past experiences, so I had to laugh because it was my fault. Later that afternoon, he "found" a steak that was thawing on the counter, broke into the plastic, ripped off the bottom half of the steak, and carried into the dining room to eat. We found him happily munching away. Again, our fault. It was too close to the edge of the counter. So, yeah, a good sense of humor is a must. Of course, in your case, the puppy cuteness goes a long way. And he is absolutely adorable.

[lisastewart]

Trog was a chewer, I kept a nylabone in my back pocket at all times as his favorite thing to chew on was me, wrist, fingers, toes, ankle, but he would trade up for a nubby nyla bone whenever I offered it to him. He outgrew the chews at about 10 months. Xander is 2 now and still loves his nylabone, using it several times every day, unlike Trog he never chewed on anything else..

[Patty]

Crystalncody - I woke up one morning to find my memory foam mattress chewed to pieces underneath me!!!!!!!

[Nemo]

@McCannClan:

Updates –- After much newspaper rolling and beating of our heads... Little Faro whined at the door to go outside to do his business. Of course upon reentering the house he blessed us with a little extra to make our day brighter. lol Only crazy people would find that funny right???

he is also chewing everyone and thing. we try to redirect with chew toys bones etc. any suggestions there??

It takes lots and lots of diligence. For a while, I was constantly redirecting my puppy with chew toys. She loved to get under one of the chairs and put her mouth around the chair leg. So annoying because I'd have to tip the chair to get her out. Stuffed kongs and treat-dispensing toys in particular were a big help for me.

[crystalncody]

I agree. Kongs have been a furniture/clothes saver for me too. Cody likes to play with his even if there isn't anything inside it. I also keep a few toys scattered around the house. We have a few toys in the living room, a rope toy in the dining room, a stuffed animal in the bedroom, etc. I think it helps a little.

[wizard]

Interactive toys are always good for these beasties - anything you can stuff some treats in to keep them occupied; frozen marrow bones or yogurt treats often last several hours. You might have to buy several to see what Faro likes (my Gossy hates the nubby nyla bones and after the initial taste has never gone back to it).

[McCannClan]

Thanks everyone, lots of good advice. I did get a few more toys for him. One we found was a stuffed cow that moos. He has gone nuts over this cow. After first he was scared of it but once he discovered it will not attack him first he was all over it last night. I will video it to show you. Hilarious! at least to his mommy and daddy.

As for the kong, we bought him one and he really doesn't like it too much. One of the dog trainers at Petco said to fill it with a mixture of peanut butter and rice, freeze it for about an hour then give it to him. He said Faro would love it then. What do you all think? Is there a better filling that I should use. I would like for him to use it since so many people on the forums swear by them.

As for the frozen marrow bones do you mean get a soup bone from the grocery store and freeze or is this a doggie treat I am as yet unfamiliar with??? (Totally possible since Faro is my first dog as an adult.) I believe I have seen the yogurt treats though and will give them a try to.

I have also just refused to let him chew on me. He seems to escalate whenever he does that so I firmly say no and put him off the couch or distract him with another toy.

Anyway I know that these questions do not belong on the welcome board and will try to post these in the training section. have lots of training questions. Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and advice.

[lvoss]

I find when you are just starting them on Kongs, you want to make them easy. Stuff some kibble in and then "seal" the end with a little peanut butter, cream cheese, or the Kong stuffing they sell. Once they get the hang of unstuffing the Kongs you can start making them more challenging by freezing them.

Here are some frozen Kong recipes.

Equal amounts of dry dog food and canned pumpkin
Warm water
1 to 3 spoonfuls of canned dog food

Mix this up until it is very thick. Use a small spoon to stuff the mixture into the big end of a kong.

Put the stuffed kongs into a plastic container and stick them in the freezer. The next day, give your dog a meal in a kong or two.

Another frozen treat is homemade frosty paws

1/2 of the large plain yogurt containers
3 heaping spoons (teaspoon or tablespoon - doesn't really matter) of peanut butter, sugar free preferred.
2 bananas.

Blend…then pour the mixture into the small little 8 oz dixie cups - and freeze. Or mix with kibble and stuff into a Kong and freeze.

[crystalncody]

@Patty:

Crystalncody - I woke up one morning to find my memory foam mattress chewed to pieces underneath me!!!!!!!

Holy Moly!!!! I don't think Cody is that bold!

[crystalncody]

@McCannClan:

As for the kong, we bought him one and he really doesn't like it too much. One of the dog trainers at Petco said to fill it with a mixture of peanut butter and rice, freeze it for about an hour then give it to him. He said Faro would love it then. What do you all think? Is there a better filling that I should use. I would like for him to use it since so many people on the forums swear by them.

It took me a while to get Cody interested. I tried the peanut butter filling made for kongs (nope), plain peanut butter (nope), just stuffing it with his favorite treats (that got him interested, but he got them out too quickly), liver paste filling for kongs (which he loved), and satin balls (looooved!). Now I do a mixture of the liver paste and meatballs, which he goes bananas over, and that keeps him occupied for a while. So you may have to try a few different things to find out what he likes.