"My Dog Doesn't Like Toys!"

So often when I tell people that I have a subscription box for small dogs, they tell me that they would love to buy it but "my dog doesn't like toys!"

It's usually followed up by explaining that they bought baskets of toys for their dogs but their dog ignores them, or engaged with them a few times and never touched them again.

It doesn't surprise me. While some dogs naturally understand toys, toys in themselves do not have a value for your dog. 

It doesn't have to be this way! I am going to discuss a few ways to engage your dogs with toys and create a positive interaction with them.

WHY DOESN'T MY DOG LIKE TOYS?

Dogs don't engage with toys for two reasons:

1) They don't see the value in toys

2) They are bored by having the same toys.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

You dog doesn't seem bothered, doesn't have behavioral issues, so why would it matter?

All dogs are domesticated, but at their core, they have instinctual needs from their wolf days. Yes, you read that right. Your adorable Pomeranian does descend from wolves. By engaging with the [right] toys, your dog can fulfill those needs. Needs like chasing, sniffing (searching), denning (making a bed), and digging. 

Even if your dog seems content without considering these needs, research shows that fulfilling their instinctual needs leads to increased production of serotonin and dopamine, and that dogs who engage with them are happier, healthier, less destructive and anxious, and more well adjusted members of the family.

WHAT KINDS OF TOYS SHOULD I TRY?

Do you have a bunch of plush squeaky toys? Are the rope toys still in the basket? 

Enrichment toys are interactive dog toys. They are toys that encourage your dog to engage with them by giving a reward (usually a small treat) as they play with them, and usually your dog has to figure out a puzzle to get the reward.

These toys are toys that your dog will come back to again and again. They will return to them repetitively because they want to search for every morsel of reward possible and because they have begun to learn that these are the toys that engage with them.

ROTATE YOUR TOYS

Dogs also get bored when they have the same toys available all the time. By rotating your dog toys you can give your dog a new set of toys every few days, ensuring that they will never be bored.

The Petite Paws Box offers a consistent supply of enrichment toys for your small dog, delivered monthly to ensure that your tiny best friend always has the absolute best quality enrichment toys to keep them entertained. Click here to buy!