Yesterday I was out with a friend finding good treats for Kody to get when a guest comes over. While I was there, I remembered I had literally no dry food left. Luckily, this place also sells Merrick food. However, they didn’t have our usual flavor, “Turducken“, which is what Kody’s eaten ever since puppy food.

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.