Hi, all! Cassie is an 8 month golden lab puppy (terror )! I struggle the most with all the confusing contradicting advice from book to book to website to blog. Everyone seems to know what's right, and it's always prefaced with scary warnings that if you don't do this, your dog will guard, or your dog will be a terror (which triggers my anxiety, which I'm working on). I've problem solved a lot by sticking to positive reinforcement methods, as well as sticking to what I find here and on "The Labrador Site" as it all ties in with what I've learned at puppy classes, and I feel comfortable with it all. Ultimately, my goal is to prevent resource guarding and have a dog who loves to play with toys (both alone and with me) and be comfortable enough to play with these toys around people. Right now, she LOVES toys and being around people. She brings me toys to play with her, she chews on her toys in my lap, or at my feet, and almost always greets people with a toy. I want to continue this, as in the coming years, we'll be having a little toddler around from time to time when he visits! I have been wondering about something that I haven't been able to find a stance on anywhere here or on the website, and that is toys & free access to them. It seems to be controversial. I've seen everything from "Your dog owns nothing. You are the key to access to all things good, treats and toys included" to "If your dog has access to toys, they're more likely to guard" to "Dogs should only play with toys with humans" to my personal belief that when we leave Cassie's toy basket out for her, she chews on her toys instead of my socks, cupboards, etc and seems happy to occupy herself with her toys. I was curious if anyone had a general agreement on here about this? Any truth to any of this? Pros/cons? Cassie has always liked to entertain herself, she will take a tennis ball and run around the yard, throwing it into the air and catching it or dropping her ball at the top of the hill and chasing after it. She also loves to play with me, and brings me toys for tug, so we play (and practice drop, take it, etc) or I'll play fetch with her. I'm mostly a worrier, and some articles I read made it sound like this is really going to make a difference in her behavior, but she's had free access to toys since she was a puppy. Sorry for rambling on, I'll try to narrow down my questions: 1) Do I leave her toys out and let her play with them on her own? 2) Should Dogs only be allowed to play with toys with their owners? 3) Is it OK to let her initiate a game of tug? She brings me her toy and I will pick up the other end and she starts to tug, then I will eventually ask her to drop it, reward her, and then we start again when I say "get it". 4) Pros/Cons Consensus on the debate of free access or not...or just some reliable sources of information on the topic? 5) Any other suggestions for toys/playing protocol? Thanks in advance!
The only toys I don’t leave with my pups are those they may tear up/destroy/ eat etc They have a toy box and can choose what they want. Keir loves to fill his bed with stuff Sometimes he chooses a toy and brings it to me or Tatze to play, other times he throws it round himself. .
Hi , my dogs have always had access to their toy box , to play with them whenever they chose , with me or without me , it doesn't matter at all . Yes, play tug , not a problem especially if she stops when you ask her to ! The only rule I had when my dogs were pups or youngsters is to never leave them alone unsupervised with toys, or overnight for example , for safety sake . Kongs are about the only exception to this rule as they tend to be safe and indestructible .
Many dogs won't play with toys without their owner. In that case, it makes sense to keep the toys shut away because then it makes them more "special" when they do come out for play time. If your dog is happy to entertain herself with them, great! I would still probably rotate them, so only have a selection out at any one time, but only for the reason that it keeps them more exciting. You always have to keep in mind "what if she swallows it when I'm not there", so there are some toys that I wouldn't leave out without supervision, as the others have said. I also have some toys that are only used for playing with me, because these games have rules. Things like furry tug toys (which they'd destroy anyway, left to their own devices!), frizbees, balls - these are all things that I want to have for "us" games, so when they have them, they bring them back to me. This is so that they see me as a source of fun - these toys are special and the games are special because they're interactive. So I might let my dog "win" at tug with the toy, but because the game is more fun with me, they bring it back to start the game again. I'd lose that value in the game if I let them play with the toy alone. With balls, I only ever use them as a reward, so restricting access to them keeps them super valuable and so a really high-value reinforcer for training purposes. If your dog is offering you a toy, she's trying to initiate play - it's absolutely OK to play with her! Just keep in mind that she doesn't become too demanding and expect it at times that don't suit you. But as long as you're happy with her doing it, then there's no problem with her asking for a game - it's lovely she wants to involve you I don't think there are any hard and fast rules. People who are training their dogs to be working gundogs may have more specific goals and therefore be a bit more prescriptive in how they use toys, but for a dog that's "just" a pet, do what feels right.
The Interactive Play Guide by Craig Ogilvie is worth a look for ideas of how and what to play: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Interactive-Play-Guide-Craig-Ogilvie/dp/1910488348
Oh, how precious is he! I love him! He's beautiful! Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm definitely going to be re-vamping the toy box to only her strongest toys, and keep the ones she likes to destroy for special, supervised occasions!
Thank you! You brought up some great points! I'm going to go through her current (3!!!) toy baskets and eliminate the shredded toys, and keep one of rotating toys/chews that are safe for less supervised play, and one for "special" toys that are interactive, or have rules! Thank you! Some things seem to have such strong suggestions, I just never know--and I just want what's best for her! Thank you for your help! And I'll be checking out that book about play!
I allow free access to toys, as long as they are safe to be left although my girl has never been a chewer. She carries a soft toy to greet people and we have to remember to take a couple with us when visiting so she has a toy to greet but a discarded shoe will do if all else fails . I have toys that are only for us to play with together and are put back in the drawer when play is over. If my girl brings a toy to me to initiate play that is absolutely fine and I'm happy to play with her. If for any reason I can't play right then and there I tell her not right now and ignore the toy and she'll lay beside me instead. I don't subscribe to the NILIF (nothing in life is free) way of thinking, who would want their dog to have to earn every single interaction, stroke, cuddle let alone treats etc. Guarding problems usually focus around a dog's fear of losing a resource (having it taken away) and I don't see why having access to their toys would increase guarding particularly if you have always trained a swop so your dog is happy to give things up.
Thanks for sharing your point of view! I'm loving hearing everyone's different experiences! I definitely agree with what you are saying, and my train of thought was definitely along the same line...it's just honestly stressful and confusing out there! So many people have such strong opinions about things, and they really instill fear into the reader, I feel. That's why I love this forum, and the labrador training site! Having like minded people talk about their experiences and ideas is just so helpful to me! I'm really trying to stick to this forum and Pippa's sites, because they are clear-cut, straight to the point and non-fear-mongering. As I mentioned to other people, I've just finished sorting her toys into "free play" and "play with me" toys, and she now has a new, smaller basket of toys on the ground she can chew on anytime (that will be rotated out for others I have), and I have a lovely basket up in the cupboard for playing with me! She's quite delighted by some of her older toys I found in clean up she had forgot about, and is happily tossing them up and down the hallway as I type this!
Labradors are among the top five smartest dogs in existence. They get bored easily, and when they are bored, that when they get destructive(really that’s just them using their brains to change your house decor). Having lots of toys, kongs, pulls and stuff he can think about keeps his mind involved. You want a smart and spirited dog; they are way more fun than a submissive kowtowed dog. But if he’s with you, teach him to sit, and make him sit for everything that he does so that he learns skills and jobs to do also, since labs need a career.
I'm a little late to this but just wanted to say that I agree with what the others have already said. I always had a toy basket, too. What was in the toy basket depending on the dog(s) I had at the time and what stage they were at. If they were destructive chewers, the "100% access" toys needed to be safe. Eventually I got so many toys that I did rotate them in and out of the toy basket just to make things more interesting. Some toys were only interactive, so stayed up until we could play together. I had a great hand puppet that was to teach orphaned puppies bite inhibition that they would normally learn with litter mates - that was one of the 'interactive only' toys. Also the Buster Cube (or other food puzzles) got picked up once empty. Also when doing heavy-duty training sessions, sometime it's useful to have a really high-reward toy kept aside as a jackpot instead of food treats. I'm a big believer in playing tug as a way of teaching 'take it/drop it/wait' and think it's fun if the dog initiates play. Along with couch cuddles, silly play sessions are one of the best parts of having a dog! The only caveat would be that a dog also has to understand that sometimes you CAN'T play at that particular moment for whatever reason and that that's OK too.
