Two questions for seasoned doodle parents

[Pattty Oehrlein]

 Two question for all you seasoned doodle owners.

My 13 wo old puppy Quincy (bows were groomers idea- lasted an hour)  Q1-

She loves her antlerz and this dried pumpkin thing on a natural rope. She will chew all day long if I let her. I usually give it about an hour at a time and then put it away and she gulps down water and crashes. How long is safe?  The antlerz piece doesn't even have a dent in it, the pumpkin thingy gets mushy and she can chew off little bits which get all over the carpet and she seems to just adore it. The natural dog food store said to supervise all chew toys, which I do but they never mentioned how long to allow her to "play" with these chew items.

 Q2-

Sticks- they are going to be the death of me!  Even though we have raked and picked up all know offending sticks from our yard, she still manages to find them.She has a talent for finding the very one that will lodge in the roof of her mouth and then she gets all anxious to get it out. Of course I try and keep her away from them, and we are working on the give command with praise and treats - but these stuck sticks scare me and when she whimpers it breaks my heart, I cant remove it fast enough. I bought a rubber stick and thought of just buying more and spreading them about the yard. Does anyone have any suggestions on this?

Thanks in advance for all the help- this site has given me daily guidance and know how in raising my new puppy. I have gotten such great ideas and tips that really work. For everyone who posts you will never know how much it means to new dog owners like myself.

I wish you all a fantastic day!

Patty

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Hi, I'm not a super experienced doodle parent, but for me, antlers are great. Mine love them. I don't know what that pumpkin thing is but as long as it's made in north america I think it sounds safe.

Sticks, well, you need to teach your doodle the "leave it" command and then employ a lot of patience. Mine still love getting into sticks, but not as much as the puppy years. She could out grow it...

Good luck with your adorable doodle!

[Dori & Rua]

H Patty...First Quincy is so adorable...bows & all.  All I can say is that Rua never kept on one thing very long so I don't have any experince in that area.

 

Rua's obsession was with mulch/bark.  Our back yard has NO trees (new house), but if she got near the mulch, she went for it.  Not having a fenced in yard meant that I took Rua out on a leash, so I would control where she went (it was on my DH's watch that she got into the mulch, of course).  I have a lead staked out in the yard now, with the snap bolt reaching to the patio door but not to the mulch area...so, now I'll make her sit and wait while I open the patio door and grab the lead to attach to her collar.  I stand there while she goes out and does her thing, but I no longer am walking from one end of the yard to the other (back and forth and back and forth) when it is cold out, so she can find the perfect potty spot.  So, if possible, find a part of the yard that is far away from any trees/bushes and put her on a leash and take her to potty there.  If she is just playing, I can only say to be out there with her and keep her moving...perhaps chasing a ball.

 

Good luck!

[Pattty Oehrlein]

Thanks Dori- I just saw Rua's pool video and cant wait for summer to get Quincy one. I keep her on a leash now and even when directing her she still finds those sticks- our yard is very forest like and full of acorns and the offending tasty mulch- I am praying she grows out of this fascination with small sticks, its making our outside time very challenging- good thing they are so cute!

[Pattty Oehrlein]

Thanks- we are lucky to have a new natural dog store here in town and everything they sell is made here in USA and is organic. This pumpkin thingy is by far the biggest hit for Quincy- its a hemp rope with dried out pumpkin rings on it. She would chew on her stuff all day, but I would think that these special chewy items like antlerz and dried pumpkin should only be give for a certain amount of time- otherwise I'm afraid her mouth or jaw would become irritated? Not sure ??

[Pattty Oehrlein]

Thanks for the ideas- I hope she outgrows this- I am considering dog day care for one day a week for socialization and to get out myself - one problem the entire yard is nothing but wood chips and trees- I guess they would supervise or she would be so preoccupied with the other pups she wouldn't notice- Great idea on the toys we are a bit over the top with toys, I put most away and just left a couple of her favorites.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Patty, I am trying to think back to when my dogs were little and remembering how long they chewed. I did Bully Sticks in the beginning and think I let them chew it until it became too small and I was afraid they might swallow it. Over time, they were chewing the bully sticks too quickly for my liking and devouring them, so I stopped buying them. I don't know about the pumpkin thing, but the Antlerz is not supposed to chip or splinter even with tough chewing, so I would just watch her and let her chew. It sounds like the hour idea is working great and she is sleeping when you take it away, so maybe stick with that idea. Vern likes to chew something before he goes to bed. I think it calms him down.

As for sticks. I hate those darn things. My two find every stick in the yard...taunt each other with them and chew them. I usually try and distract them with a ball or something and hope they forget about them. The "Leave it" command is another thing you can work on. Also, why not put an antler out there in the yard.

I hope you get other suggestions that help. Good luck!! Quincy is adorable, bows and all :)

[Pattty Oehrlein]

oh thanks Laurie- Im so whacky it wasn't pumpkin the new chewie is sweet potatoes, dehydrated circles on a hemp rope- and let me tell you it was caviar for her- she was nibbling on it for hours today, and was able to bite off a chunk and chew it, lets pray that its not too much fiber. ;) Bully sicks and peanut butter are not agreeable to her system, so I stick with chicken based stuff and vegetables and some yogurt and pumpkin as snacks. I wished I ate so healthy. LOL

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

 

Quincy is beautiful -

 

As for the sticks - you might want to go out and spray bitter apple on as many sticks as you can.  Hopefully she doen't like it.  Once she gets one or two sticks with the bitter apple on it she will associate that bad taste with the sticks.  This worked for us with acorns.

It's worth a try.

[Pattty Oehrlein]

Great idea - Im going to go do that right now- fingers crossed it works- BTW your dogs are gorgeous and so expressive.

[Pattty Oehrlein]

Thanks Cathy- yes I find that she will take the stick and run away or as far as the leash will allow- lol - I am patiently waiting for the day she just drops them. Love the pic of Sully, shes a sweetie.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I think your idea of an hour with a chew then taking it away is good - they need frequent naps at that age and it seems like Quincy has got a nice routine going. if she wont nap, then leaving her longer with the chews is fine. I love the sound of the pumpkin one - my Cooper would love that!

Cooper also loved sticks when she was little. She did grow out of it for the most part, but teaching the leave it and drop it command is important. Have Quincy on a leash or long line so you can reel her back in when she wont leave the stick alone, or wont let you catch her to take it away (they love the chase me game!). Thats a good way of teaching the come command too

I too bought Cooper a rubber stick to carry around with her as she loved to find a stick on walks and carry them, but it didnt work. She would drop the rubber stick and we would end up carrying it. In the house she would just chew pieces off it :(

Now we go on a walk and...

Cooper - Ooh walk!

Cooper - ooh stick

Me - ok you can carry the stick

Cooper - drops stick

Me - Cooper get your stick

Cooper - what? Stick? Oh ok

Cooper - picks up stick

Cooper - drops stick

Me - oh whatever, come on

Cooper - Oh but my stick

Me - ok get your stick

Cooper - nah sticks are boring

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Too funny!