Photo fixed for you Simply click "share" on flikr, choose "BBCode" then "medium" depending on whether you resized the photo prior to uploading to flikr. Gorgeous puppy!
Yup Bailey was the same - anything apart from the "safe" puppy toys he loved. Stuffed toys were and still are a favourite - just watch out if they rip the stuffing out of them (Bailey used to get the toy in his back teeth and manage to get through to the stuffing, then start pulling it out and spitting it to the side - actually what do I mean used to,....). The first few times I will stitch them up but after then I just take the stuffing out and he has a carcass to carry around (currently one of a penguin and a reindeer!) old favourites such as Eyore get stitched over and over again (Eyore is Bailey's love interest btw) Now at almost 18 months yes he still does gut a soft toy every now and then, but he has the most beautiful gentle mouth - I have a couple of soft rubber squeaky toys that he has had for months that he just loves carrying around and then squeaking them at me! My friends two small dogs just rip all toys to pieces within minutes while Bailey just sits guarding his toys to protect them! Oh and he loves stripping tennis balls of their furry coating!
I don't see those options when I post from my phone. I'll try on my computer next time. Thanks for the help!
Did you intentionally work on retrieving? Did he pick up naturally? Toby also loves to chew empty water bottles (what we are giving him until he can get used to our water). I always watch and will take them as soon as he begins to pull them apart. Don't want any small pieces to end up inside his tummy! But those water bottles are the first thing he's shown deep interest in, aside from human hair and arms. Thanks for sharing!
He has always chased things - not always bringing them back - and we have given each of his toys a name - the soft rubber toy is in the shape of a miniature space hopper and is called Hoppy, his soft rubber duck that quacks out of its butt is called Quackers, his Kong Lamb is called Lambie etc etc so we say "go find whoever" and he does go and get it. I found repeating the toys name when I give it to him and when we play with it, then ask him to find it with a treat (usually playing with the toy) when he brings it back. I must sound like a loony saying "Where's Quackers, go find Quackers" then "Good boy, hello Quackers" Water bottles are great things for them to chew - they are nice and easy for them to crunch down on and they make a lovely sound to them too. I used to bring home plastic bottles from work for Bailey - usually Lucozade Sports bottles - when he was small I put one in an old sock and then tied the end - that was something I could divert his teeth onto instead of my arm! It lasted longer in the sock than just giving him the bottle "naked"
We bought lots of toys for Pongo but the only things he ever really loved were empty plastic bottles and cardboard boxes. Still his favorite toys!
