What is your favorite medium sized dog breed and why?
The Airedale. Originally bred from the otter hound and the bull terrier. The king of the terriers is the jack of all trades. Great hunters, with excellent noses, I have used my Airedales for upland game (pheasants, grouse, rabbits), and, because of the otter hound in them, water foul of all kind. They can’t out swim a golden or lab, but they sure do try.I met a German Shepard (a man), with three dogs. Two of his dogs were dedicated shepard dogs one was an Airedale. He said that the Airedale is a pretty good shepard, but when he wants to go into to town, to sleep, or to enjoy a pint or two, he leaves the Airedale with his flock. He commented that the Airedale is a very, and responsible dog. He takes his work seriously. Left alone, he takes charge of the sheep , and if stray dogs show up (like in the days wolves), intent on bad things with the sheep, a 65 pound fearless, terrier with very large teeth, who fights like a terrier, is more than enough to discourage a fairly large number of feral dogs.In WW I, Airedales were the most fearless and dependable couriers. Even wounded, airedales are know to be almost oblivious to pain, the big terriers delivered their messages.Great with children, but with the ability to intimidate suspicious adults, the airedale is a great guard and nanny dog. They seem to get a mission for their existence.Their rough coat doesn’t pick up burrs and debris, grooming is easy, but when a hot summer approached they seem to appreciate a shorter cut. Without their wire outer coat, they don’t quite swim as well, but by duck season they get it back.They use their front paws, almost like hands, so teaching them to “shake,” and then giving them a treat, will entice them to use their paws for a try for treats for anything. Teach an Airedale to “salute.” It is cute, and doesn’t get you a board, with nails in it, planted into your hand.As a hunter, Airedales flush, but don’t point. They have to taught to hunt close, which they get fairly quickly, when they start to understand guns, but if the pheasant or rabbit tries to hide, you won’t need a gun.Airedales can figure things out. They are very friendly, but when given the responsibly to nanny kids, they will welcome your neighbor, but be suspicious of strangers. Showing their hairy mussel hidden very large white teeth.The whites of their dark eyes are obvious when they look around. Perhaps that makes them look more human than they actually are, but if they are your loyal Airedale, it is cool.
Best dog chew toy for a serios chewer?
Yeah go to your local pet shop and buy a KONG, they are great & come with recipies too (they also promise to buy it back off you if it gets damaged too soon)! There are different sizes for different dogs. My Shar Pei is on is 2nd one and he loves it to bits, he carries it every where with him!
How do you stop dogs from chewing wood?
I have dealt with this in the past, and just read a very good article about this today in an archived article of the Whole Dog Journal. Dogs usually chew for one or a combination of these reasons: 1) stress; 2) teething (young dogs); 3) high jinks - they’re exploring with their mouths. Does this taste good? Does it feel good? Is it fun to play with? 4) boredom; 5) habit. If you catch a dog chewing on something s/he is not supposed to, then you can say, “No.” But if you don’t catch her in the act, that correction won’t work. Yes, have appropriate chew toys around for dogs that like to chew out of habit or if she just like how it feels to chew. There are good chewable toys in which you can hide treats, and that makes that toy even more desirable. If a dog chews because she’s stressed or bored, then EXERCISE will almost always fix the problem. If you don’t exercise your dog at least 45 minutes a day then you’re not exercising it enough. They need a vigorous walk or run, a good game of fetch, or some other activity (even on a treadmill) that gets rid of energy they may have pent up. Bored or stressed dogs can be destructive. If a dog is young, then for sure work on correcting the behavior so it doesn’t become a habit. Give appropriate chew toys to the dog. Make it a fun substitution so the dog doesn’t mind giving up the inappropriate chew thing. If a dog consistently chews for the first two years of its life, then the habit is formed. It will take patience and some behavior modification to change it. I adopted a two year old dog who chewed a lot when I first got her. She chewed because she was stressed. But as she became more accustomed to me, to her new environment, to the routines I created for her, she quit chewing destructively. It took about 2–3 months before I no longer had to worry about her chewing something I didn’t want her to chew. She still likes to chew, but only on chew toys or bully sticks I give her.
Why does my dog chew on sticks when his toy is right beside him?
Why do I eat potato chips when there’s a perfectly good apple available?
Is it safe for a dog to eat a chew bone?
While it would be wonderful to believe that all edible chew toys marketed for dogs were safe, many of them are not safe, or at least not completely safe. Greenies, for example, are notorious for making dogs ill. Some dogs use them quite safely while others have gotten life-threatening bowel obstructions because they gulped them down whole. Bones are another--often safe, but can splinter and cause problems and injuries. When you are selecting an edible chew toy, first you have to know your dog. Will he gnaw on something endlessly (the only way any of these toys are designed to be used and can be safe)? Or is he a gulper with a low frustration tolerance who's going to swallow that toy after about a minute of gnawing just so he can eat it already? The gulpers really aren't safe with any edible chew toy! I see you updated to mention you bought a rawhide. Lots of debate over these, although I've used them with no problems. Again, know your dog. If he's gulping it, eating it while it's still hard, or getting big pieces off it, your dog is not going to do well with rawhides. If he will mouth it endlessly to soften it up, he's probably a good candidate for SUPERVISED use of a rawhide. This is not a toy to leave laying around the house--you have to supervise him with it. If you're at all concerned about it, take it away from him after he's softened it up, put it somewhere to dry out and reharden, and give again the next day. And always throw it out once he's worked it down to a small enough piece that he could gulp that stub down whole. ETA; See, lots of debate on rawhides! :)
What treats or toys can I get my dog that is an aggressive chewer? He destroys all toys and eats them too. We usually have to sit with him and pick up the toy BITS as he’s destroying so he doesn’t eat them.
Nyla bones are good option nylabones are good option for heavy chewers. It's made out of nylon plastic does flavored but you off bits that aren't any bigger than a grain of rice and they can pass through the digestive system without any problem. A company called Benny bone makes some too but nylabones usually last longer. PetSafe makes a antler alternative called a deer horn. It's safer than chewing regular answers and last a long time it's my dog's favorite. Now as far as treats Himalayan chews are pretty good. They're made out of milk lime and salt they're pretty hard but edible you can even pop the ends of them in the microwave once they've chewed them down. As far as dental treats goes only ones but I think are worth buying are the oravet dental chews, they're thicker and they have the same chemical that's found in mouthwash but it won't make them sick and they don't have to spit it out it keeps the bacterial plaque from growing on their teeth. I would recommend real antlers because they could be so hard that it would crack your dog's teeth but you could also try that at your own risk. I wouldn't recommend plush toys at all. I also recommend Kong extreme it's tougher than the regular red Kong's and it comes up black they use it for extreme chewers and good stuff it with treats. You can use the Jolly balls that use for horses too. As far as fetch toys goes I use chuckit balls the rubber kind not the tennis balls
How would you handle it if your dog completely chewed up your little boys favorite teddy bear?
Been there, done that. A LOT of times. My sweet golden thinks anything soft that she can reach is hers; and rips them apart faster than you can say Merry Christmas. I have gotten very good at doing surgery on stuffed toys. Its amazing what you can do with a thread and needle and some extra stuffing. Once the toy is repaired, you put it in the washer and it comes out pretty good. If the eyes are gone, you can create one out of thread that the dog is less likely to chew up. My grandkids are so used to this they now matter of factly just bring me whatever she has chewed up with a ‘fix it’ request. I have repaired one small frog so many times you’d think he was dead by now!
Should I wash my dog's chew toys and stuffed animals?
I put my dogs Kong in the dishwasher. I wouldnt' worry about their rubber toys. Dogs mouths don't hold a lot of bacteria so they probably aren't festering with germs. It won't hurt to wash them with some gentle dishsoap in the sink, just make sure to rinse them really well because the soap can be toxic. Stuffed animals are okay to wash, just put them on gentle. When they come out sqeeze excess water out and if you can hang them up somehow to dry. They might loose a bit of their shape, but I doubt the dog will care. I doubt he would loose interest in his toys, just work extra hard to get some more of his slobber on there : )
Are baseballs bad for dogs? to chew and play with?
I don't see why you would use one. You can use one to play fetch, but they're more expensive then a tennis ball. But dogs can chew them apart easily. I suggest you use a tennis ball to play fetch and a rawhide for them to chew on.