The problem with Kody is that he's an intense chewer, too intense. When he gets a chew he starts working on it and won't stop. But that's not all, he gets better and better at chewing them faster. In the case of the rawhide chews he finally learned he could just chew off gigantic pieces and swallow them.

This morning, he got one stuck in his throat. He started making the scariest noises. He coughed that piece up again, but then re-swallowed it. Just a few minutes ago, he threw up his lunch and in it was a big piece of rawhide. He did the same thing last night. That's why this is the end of chew toys.

It's so unfortunate, because he loves them so much. I hope I can find some good alternatives to chew toys that give him at least some chewing satisfaction. I mentioned there might be one exception which is that if I can find a chew toy that turns to mush in a bowl of water in a half hour, I might give that to Kody.

The truth is, I'm probably very lucky that Kody threw up those pieces of rawhide. Since he hasn't yet fully passed any food I'm not in the clear yet, either. But we'll just stop the chews altogether and hope things go well. He seems pretty happy, so I he's not clogged up.

One thing I can do is just get on my hands and knees with him real quick and he really enjoys that. His play sessions don't need to be very long. When we have more time, we get out the hide-a-squirrel made cube shaped toy where he's learned to pull out the different pieces. We also do dinner from a canine genius every night, that was the best suggestion, he loves it!

He doesn't want just a toy though, he wants interactivity. He wants to play *with* me. Even with the canine genius he will sometimes wait for me to be present before playing with it.

It's the same dilemma every parent has. It's also a blessing we often miss that we have someone who wants to play with so often.

Learning to play with a dog is hard. They have real needs and they don't always work with how we think our schedule is supposed to go. At the same time, when I give in to play I realize I was an idiot for resisting. Kody makes me laugh and have fun in way that's pure goodness.

Kody like vegetables too. He likes carrots and they’re a great chew toy. But he loves lettuce especially ice berg lettuce. I don’t normally wash ice berg lettuce though, and believe it or not, if I don’t get organic it makes Kody itchy. I noticed this a couple of times before realizing it, since I rarely get non-organic. Pesticide issues are common with dogs and vegetables, so thorough washing is good and organic is better.

Anyway, organic ice berg lettuce is actually hard to find, since most organic fans are too snooty for it. So I’m currently trying out some vegetable adventures. Right now I have some red kale, which is kind of tough and has hard spines you cut out of the leaves. You chop the leaves and use a dressing containing lemon juice and olive oil, then toss the dressing in and let it sit to let the leaves soften.

The spines of the leaves are like sticks. I accidentally dropped one on the floor and Kody stole it, chewed it up, and ate the whole thing!

Now I think this is awesome. He didn’t like the Kale leaves, so it was hard for us to share Kale like we used to share our lettuce salads, but now this is the best possible thing and those spines are going to be great for his teeth as well as being a fun toy.

Of the foods they had, it seemed that “Grammy’s Pot Pie” was almost exactly like “Turducken” but without the turkey or the duck. So I wasn’t too concerned about it upsetting his stomach. But I did worry that he might not like something different.

When it was dinner time, I filled up his Canine Genius and I gave it to him. At first he approached it a little slower, he could tell it was new. But he didn’t seem opposed to eating it. He ate it in shifts. When he was done, he went over by the food and treat door and was begging. I thought he wanted treats. But then he came and look at me desperately and picked up his canine genius, dropped it, and looked at me again.

The communication couldn’t have been any clearer, he wanted more of the food! So I put another handful of the food in there and he was happy. Once he was done eating it, he went to sleep. So I guess he likes it.

What I like about these toys is that they are very interesting to Kody because he doesn’t get them very often. They are tube shaped and I’m sure they smell great to him.

My observation today is of Kody’s behavior after I gave it to him. He was really trying to find a good spot to hide it and trying out many different spots. I even opened up a few doors around the house that I normally keep closed to save energy so he would be free to try different areas.

You’ve probably seen this behavior with your dog too, and the funny Traveler’s Insurance commercial is based on this behavior.

It’s so interesting to watch this behavior because the dogs are really thinking. They also do cute things like moving pillows around and stuff like that. It’s really interesting to watch a dog working toward his own goals.

At one point, he came and dropped the toy off in my lap and then went to the slider to bark. There was nothing there that I could see, and I wondered if he was thinking, “I’ll leave this with this guy because he’ll keep it safe, and then I’ll go scare off any intruders that may be lurking nearby.” Then he came back and got it from me, and played with it some more.

I don’t know if it’s because we just don’t have very good hiding places or if Kody is just too excited by the toy, but he never leaves it in one place for very long. Eventually, he just starts to eat it.

What I like to think is that this behavior means Kody is really happy with the toy. I also like that this seems to be a good enrichment activity for Kody sort of working mental muscles that he doesn’t use all that often.

I feel like when I observe Kody’s behavior in this type of situation that I gain valuable insights into his behavior that I can use for training purposes.

Kody has stopped eating the toy and is not trying to bury it in the blanket on the couch. It’s so cute how he taps the blanket down to secure his treasure.

It’s not really a problem, in fact, I wish I could understand what he’s doing better to give him good opportunities to do it at a good time. I’ll just have to keep watching and learning. Actually, it would be really fun to train him to make that sound in response to a command, since it’s so original. But since that’s the first time I’ve heard it, and I have no idea what caused it, that’s probably not going to happen.

Kody is getting really good at the Canine Genius Leo and loves it. I love it too, it’s such a good toy for him because he’s normally such a chewer and this works his other skills. I just sit with him and watch him now because it’s so interesting. He gets his whole dinner out in about 10 minutes.

Yesterday, though, we went to go for a walk and as soon as I opened the door Kody let out the loudest most intense bark I can imagine. It wasn’t a quick bark, it was the howl/scream bark, sort of like “Arrrroooooooo-woof-woof!”, but really loud. When you’re not prepared for this bark it shakes your soul and affects you for at least an hour afterward. Imagine if you were right next to a cute happy baby and then without warning this baby let out the most horrible scream it could and started crying violently. Or like those internet video clips that scare you by being quiet and then having some horrible ghoul scream all of a sudden. It’s very difficult to describe in words, but maybe some of you know what I’m talking about.

I don’t consider this “bad behavior” necessarily, but it’s an unfortunate side effect of Kody. If he gets spooked in just the right way, he’ll do this. It’s usually some way that I could never ever predict. I think it was a strong scent he smelled because there was nothing to see and after that he was intensely smelling everything he could outside. I image some wild animal must have passed by or something.

Also, the Canine Genius is really working out. Kody eats his whole dinner from it now and has a great time. He’s really learning how to get the food out. I still sit with him just in case things get a little slow for him. It’s also just plain fun to watch. Then when he’s done I wash it and put it away for the next day. I’ve also noted that the size of the food is a big variable with this toy. If you can’t get the food in by just dropping it into the top, it’s not going to come out either. Our food seems to be the perfect size, but if you get one, just be aware of that. I also put in a little bit of Natural Balance Roll-a-Round I’ve broken up into small bits to make sure it stays interesting.

For two years now, I have been searching for a fun dog treat release toy that my dog would enjoy, hopefully to release his dinner kibble. Kongs have potential, but if I freeze moist kibble it takes a little too long to get out. His tongue can’t reach the last bits and it really frustrates him and he quickly gets bored of it. I’m always trying to think of ways around this, but for now, I’m not using the Kongs. I’ve tried other treat release toys but they seem to either release them all at once or not at all, frustrating the dog.

A while ago, I heard about the Canine Genius toys, and today I bought one. First off, they are great because they come with instructions on how to teach your dog to play with them so they don’t get frustrated. We started off with little bits of treat that would fall out easily and Kody quickly learned to love it. Tonight we used it for Kody’s dinner and he loved that too.

I am sitting with him when we use it at this stage to make sure he doesn’t get stuck. If he starts using an unproductive method for too long, I will roll the toy around or tilt it to make sure some more food falls out. Kody’s picking it up pretty quickly.

While a human could empty it without too much trouble, a dog will always take at least a little while because they get distracted by the treats falling out. Also, they just don’t have the motor skills to empty it all at once, so it’s really fun for them. It’s also fun to sit and help out when needed because you can really see their brain start to work. Kody is learning that rolling or lifting is better than chewing, which is a new concept for him.

For a dachshund, I would recommend the Mini Leo, which comes in Ph.D. Purple, Cracker Jack Blue, Geek Squad Green, Hot Shot Pink, and SoBright Orange, all named to suggest how smart your dog will become!

The larger (actually regular sized) Canine Genius Leo is good for mid-sized and large breed dogs. There is also the “Extra” version of the larger Leo for heavy chewers.

All dog toys have a method of playing with them, and this toy seems to require more intense supervision at first. You start by paying close attention to teach your dog how to use it without getting frustrated or chewing the toy. Then it seems to require minor supervision later, where you will at least notice the toy is empty and take it away so they don’t chew it up. But, having said that, it’s all very easy on the human and fun for both the dog and the human. For me, it’s a great way to feed my dog his dinner kibble.

Buy at Amazon:

• Ph.D. Purple
• Cracker Jack Blue
• Geek Squad Green
• Hot Shot Pink
• SoBright Orange

Later he retrieved the horn part and luckily was willing to trade that too. When I looked at it there was this sharp thing sticking out of it. I got some tweezers and pulled it apart and the sharp thing was a bit of hard white plastic that splintered as soon as I pulled it out. There was also an extra bit of soft plastic and some brown gunk in there too.

It was exactly the kind of thing you don’t want in your dog’s stomach. In fact if I made a list of dangerous things Kody had encountered, that would probably be at the top.

So I’m not buying Petco stuffed toys anymore, and I would advise against them. They probably get them real cheap somewhere. I’m going to have to consider whether I will give stuffed toys at all anymore. If I do, they will be name brand and I’ll probably rip them open myself to check out the squeaker.

My trainer suggested refilling old toys with fluff. You can even buy the squeakers and put them in an extra tough little bag you’ll have some time to get them before the dog chews them apart. That seems like the best option.

If you’re a regular reader you might remember how I mentioned this type of behavior in the past where Kody has seemed to want to entrust me with the safety of his bully sticks rather than his own hiding places.

The other interesting thing that happened is that Kody followed me for a while. He’s done that a few times since we started using the new trainer’s methods. I think now that he realizes he needs to track where I am to walk on a loose leash that it’s sometimes just easier to do that from behind me. Who knows, but it’s definitely a good thing. I’m a little thrown off by it. I’m so used to tracking him that it’s weird not knowing what he’s doing.

On his second bone, he got much more aggressive. Within a couple of hours he had chewed out all the marrow and was really going to town on the bone itself. Again, it was just inviting trouble.

I’ll stick with the bully sticks. I do have to keep an eye out for when the bully stick gets small, but this is OK, because it still seems like the bully stick is the perfect chew toy for Kody.

One day I went to my favorite pet store to buy some more bully sticks. They were out of the brand I prefer which are nice thick ones that last over a day and are cheaper than the others. I was thinking of getting some others when I asked the woman, “Well, you guys recommended the bully sticks, and they were great. My dog is a super chewer, so what else do you recommend that would last a long time?”

I should explain that this pet store only carries natural foods and high quality products, so I trust them. The people are also knowledgeable and use these products for their pets. I wouldn’t even think of asking this question at a regular pet store. Which is why I was surprised by her answer.

She suggested a 4 inch piece of a cooked beef leg bone. I was like, what? So here were my questions which I’m sure are your questions too.

Aren’t raw bones supposed to be safer than cooked?

She said that raw bones are OK for dogs, but you have to pick them up after a few hours because they will start to become dangerous for humans. So then you miss out on how long they last.

But aren’t cooked bones supposed to splinter?

She said that these big thick beef leg bones will not splinter. She said the worst that had happened to her was one of her big dogs broke one of the 6 inch bones in half, which just meant they had two 3 inch bones then.

How long will they last?

She asked one of the guys who worked there how long his dachshund would keep a bone. He said about a week.

The bone was only $2.50, I was used to paying $5.00 for bully sticks that lasted a day! So I bought a couple of the bones. They are really thick, so Kody can’t chew on the outside of the bone because his mouth isn’t big enough. Instead, he chews the marrow out of the bone. He chews from the side of the bone with the bottom part of his jaw outside the bone and his nose inside the bone. Well, at least he works his way there. At first the bone is full of marrow which he somehow chews out.

It’s been about a week and we’re still on the first bone. He loves it. At this point he’s not obsessed with chewing it all day, but when he’s bored he’ll go grab it and work on it. If I’m watching TV he’ll be on my lap with it.

I did a little more research on bones since then, and the internet reflects all possible opinions. One other concern I found was that heavy chewers could break their teeth on bones because they are hard. I think that’s a valid point. So I watched Kody to see if he was chewing in a way to make that a possibility, but he doesn’t see to chew on the bone, he’s working on the marrow.

The unfortunate truth is that every toy is potentially dangerous. So you just have to choose the toys you feel are less dangerous in general and less dangerous for you depending on your dog. And you also have to remember that if serious accidents were that common, the products would not be sold. At some point it’s like the choice between letting your child go outside at the risk of getting hit by a car while doing your best to educate them, or keeping them in the house at all times. Even though there’s risk, you have to give your dog something to do.

Something happened today that was bizarre. For the second time, I went to Petco to get a dog toy for Kody and walked out empty handed. I’m not sure what has happened, but the prices are outrageous. It was at least $8 for any realistic adult dog toy, and the more interesting ones are between $12 and $17 or more. And absolutely nothing was on sale!

Am I just imagining it or have the prices gone way up? I seem to remember buying toys at an average price of $5 with some smaller toys costing as low as $3 and buying “special” higher end toys for $7 or $8. But seriously, today I couldn’t justify buying a single toy.

It’s so odd because I thought to myself, okay, what do I have at home that we can use for toys? I guess we’ll just have to play more, and since he loves pine cones we can play fetch with those. It’s like Little House on the Prairie!

I’m not likely to be out on the street any time soon. But I feel like in many areas that everything is so expensive. I’m concerned about how companies are going to survive this economic situation when they’re pricing things so high that no reasonable person will buy them.

If those toys had been priced at $5 I would have probably left with four of them. But instead I left with nothing, and I don’t really want to go back. I wonder if I’m just imagining that it used to be less expensive.

I think of a dog toy for Kody like I think of a latte for myself. With both I think one or two a week is ok (although I rarely get a latte anymore.) But a latte costs less than $4. Maybe it’s a bad analogy. I’m seriously a bit perplexed.

I went to the store and bought a case for my laptop. It’s black fabric and slightly larger than a piece of paper, and about an inch thick. When I brought it home I took it into the kitchen, cut off the tags with the scissors and put it on a shelf for later use.

The only other things that have tags that I need to cut off in the kitchen with the scissors are Kody’s toys. Except he usually gets them right after that. In spite of this minor difference, I believe Kody tought that the laptop bag was his. He had an unusual interest in it, but not as much as he would for a regular toy. Probably because it looked so boring.

But the difference showed up when I started using the laptop bag. If I left the house with it he would bark from his crate when I shut the door. At first I thought something was wrong because he never does this, so I went back in to see what it was. Although this was the reasonable thing to do, it had the unintended effect of making Kody think he could bark and I would come back in.

For the next few days he would bark for a little while after I left the house, but only if I left with the laptop bag. Today, thankfully, he didn’t bark. I think I will cut the tags off in a different room the next time I get something.

But this morning I noticed something surprising. Kody already has a small Extreme Kong, but I bought him a new medium sized Classic Kong yesterday and it came with some free Kong treats. I was just about to throw them away because I figured they were full of chemicals. Then I noticed the package said “all natural”. I didn’t believe it so just to entertain myself I looked at the ingredients. OMG. They were not only truly all natural but they were actually really good ingredients for dogs. No corn, wheat, or soy. Here they are:

barley and spelt flours, gound oats, chicken meat, rice flour, chicken liver, canola oil, beet pulp, dried skim milk, apples, salmon oil, tumeric, tocopherols (natural source of vitamin E)

It’s nice to see that dog treat manufacturers are starting to use better ingredients. I will actually let my dog have these! The truth is, even with the better ingredients I’m sure they’re making a ton of profit, so why not?

It’s not my goal for him to do this, but I don’t mind that he does it. And from what I’ve seen, most dogs do it. Other dog houses I’ve been to are like mine, there are lots of toys in the basket, lot’s of un-stuffed toys.

I always supervise Kody while he’s un-stuffing a new toy though. And the part that worries me the most is the squeakers, because I don’t want him to eat them. So we have a Treats for Squeakers program whereby Kody gets a little celebration and a treat, in this case, about a quarter of a Roll-a-Round, when he discovers and subsequently gives up a squeaker. He knows the program. Today he actually threw the squeaker at me!

These last at least all day, and sometimes two. When he has one he chews on it nonstop all day. I have to take it away to get him to go outside and when we come back in he starts sniffing around to find it. He’s not possessive of it, he just loves the chewing.

Kody un-stuffs a soft toy in about half an hour. And then I have to worry about threads or him chewing parts off. As for the toys that claim to be tough, he’s tougher and they don’t last much longer. I don’t buy those anymore because their toughness isn’t worth the added cost. Then with rawhide chews he gets them soft pretty quickly and has swallowed them before. So I don’t like those.

So for the bully sticks to last a whole day, and be tough enough that he only chews of tiny bits at a time gives me a worry free treat and him a ton of fun. I didn’t know about these before, and I expect others don’t either, but they are the perfect toy.

Watch out for rawhide treats that look the same. Bully sticks will always be labelled as such, it’s not a brand name, so don’t be fooled. They’re uncommon, a pet store here has an entire isle of rawhide and in the middle was one, just one, bin of bully sticks. Natural pet stores will have more. They are a bit pricey in the stores, up to seven bucks a piece. They’re less than three dollars each at Amazon. Still cheaper that a stuffed toy and they last much longer.

One safety note is you take it away before it gets short enough for them to potentially swallow, so you do have to monitor that, but it isn’t likely to sneak up on you. They start out at twelve inches and I take it away when it’s two for Kody. Your dog may be able to swallow larger things so adjust as needed. So these are not good toys if you’re not able to monitor your dog or if you’re away. They’re perfect for when you’re at home with your dog and need a little time for yourself.

I went to the store today and got ten dog toys for like $36 bucks! And these aren’t little ones. These are soccer playing Santas with knit shorts and scarves and soccer balls and the whole deal. They are so ornate I was serious considering keeping some for Christmas decorations. Anyway, I may even go back because the deals are so good. Kody doesn’t know the difference and we just finished with the Halloween toys last week.

One thing he always does when he gets a new toy is try to bury it. This is cute, but sometimes he scrapes up his nose a little because he’s trying to bury it in blankets, not dirt. Does anyone do anything clever to let their dog “bury” things inside?