Does your dog distroy its toys?

I tried that.. made it so I have a dog with zero interest in toys (Kaiden) He won't play with people with a toy or by himself.

I can see that easily working with many dogs, but not all.

I think leaving the toy where they can see a bit of it helps. I would set Victor's on top of the fridge. He learned a couple lessons by this. One that barking at it got him no where at all. I must have sewn up the donkey a half dozen times. Soon as he ripped a thread...back up it went to exactly the same spot. He was stubborn and it took a couple days.

I guess I dont see the purpose in working on this behavior or torturing a dog all day for this.

Who really cares how they enjoy their toys, as long as they leave my things alone I dont care.

I seriously think that if we didn't have any stuffed toys for Boomer to squeak with that he'd go into depression. lol Seriously.

When we arrive home, or during any higher stress moments, the first thing Boomer does is grab and stuffy, come over to see us and does his entire body wag, and a weird gurgle, while holding and squeaking his stuffy.

I can see how some dogs might have no interesting in it, just not their thing. But with other dogs, like Boomer, it's a must..lol Even Tilly needs her fuzzy squeaky fix.

Kassie, not so much, she's more into shaking the living out of beanie babies. I think she's more of a bean bag girl.

None of my dogs pay any attention to toys that are out of reach. (well unless you include the fuzzy alive ones in the cage) Kaiden just decided that if he couldn't shred the toy there was no point in it.

Dekka ONLY shreds dog toys. She has never destuffed a pillow or one of Darien's toys. Its just how she 'plays'. I don't see the big deal really. If some of my dogs only enjoy toys through destruction why tell them they can never play?

your lucky, lol... Bella will find her way to any dog toy... once I went out and bought a bunch of things and put them all in one bag, there was all sorts of things in that bag and ONE dog toy, that I had forgotten I bought. I put the bag on the kitchen table and forgot about it. Next thing I know she has that toy, everything else on the table and even in the bag was left intact... she just politely took what was "rightfully" hers.

Leaving a toy slightly out of reach would be torture to a toy drive dog like Bella and I dont see the point in that at all.

Didn't torture him at all. It taught him to control himself as he is expected to in all other aspects of his life. He learned quiet. He learned leave it. He learned that good behavior got it back, and good behavior let him keep it. By the time he was 5 and a half months old (and i adopted him at 5 months) he was great with all of his toys and could keep them and access them anytime he wants. The actual lesson time took only a few days. Not hardly torture In the long run he learned important rules that allowed him access to soooo much more which is why he gets to live the life he leads. One that many dogs would wish for. SAme for Mary, Pepper, and every other dogs that has come and gone.

Even Higgs my friend Jean's dog fell in love with a hedgehog that you pull the string and it "runs" vibrates across the floor when he visited here. The first thing he did was chew off the nose and start pulling the hair out which got the toy taken away from him. His owner went out and got him one..guess what..he learned not to do that and is excited and pleased when they play with this toy. He cannot yet have it unattended, but it is something to look forward to and another avenue for teaching him to control himself.

see I teach all mine self control as puppies, so as soon as something goes away they forget about it.

Taking the toy away from Kaiden did teach him that playing rough with the toy would get it taken away. He then decided toys are not fun. I don't really see the harm in letting your dog destroy toys if you don't mind getting them for super cheap, and or fixing them when needed.

If your dog does like to play nicely as well as play destruction then I can see the point in trying to change how they play. But if its the only way your dog likes to enjoy toys.. then either let them or don't give them toys.

The argument is still making no sense... I dont think a dog that plays rough with toys is getting anything less out of life then a dog who doesnt... obviously Im missing the connection.

I want to know how my dogs life is worse because I let them destroy a toy?

All i know is my dogs have always had toys and the rules have always been the same. I do not have to worry about them choking on anything or having it upset their bowels. I don't have stuffing all over the place and worry about them swallowing any of it. THey still to this day play with their toys and enjoy them either with or without human involvement. IT certainly didn't turn them off of their toys or shut them down. THey can have ones that talk or jiggle involving batteries that if they ripped at will they could not have. I do not have to spend money on dog toys but can use what i find at the thrift store...I do not have to remove eyes or anything else. But hey..guess i don't know what i am talking about yet again. lol i just heard Pepper in the bedroom with her toy from CARS...it is saying Oh my aching chassie. Ouch..great timing Pepper thanks for illustrating my point. IT took her exactly two days to learn not to rip up her toys. Because of that..she his having alot of fun in there with the same toy she has had fun with for a year.

Heaven forbid you expect them to learn from their play.

Mine sorta do sometimes. They don't get down to killing the toy immediately, but many toys do die here lol. Stuffies are really the only ones and they die during tug of war. Beau has destuffed lots of Beanie Babies. So far Mia just likes to pull eyes (and sometimes ears) off her toys.

When Ollie's cousins are here and a tug of war causes " fluff " , it's fair game . None of my dogs destroyed their " friends " on purpose . When I got Ollie I was warned that he was very possessive about his toys , so I always would put up his " pride " when others came . He'll share nicely now .... even bones .

Um wow thats kinda rude. I was with you until this. So my dogs who learn self control (as in ONLY play with designated toys, ignore all things not in dog basket etc) are not as good as your dogs who like to play non destructo games?

The whippets didn't take much (a month or so) to learn to play nice with toys. A few of the JRTs ONLY want to play destructo games. There is no gentle play. Poor Kaiden, I would hand him the toy and then take it back immediately. Thats all how he wanted to play.

And you are basically implying he is a 'bad dog' or I am a 'bad trainer' because he naturally wanted to destroy stuffies.

I feel bad I killed his desire to play with all toys by trying to change how he INNATELY wanted to play. I chose to let Dekka destroy stuffed toys, vs kill her fun. I don't worry about swallowed bits etc. And the min or two it takes to clean up the fluff is worth it to see the pure pleasure in her eyes as she disembowels her 'prey'.

I have never known a JRT that doesn't play by destroying the toys. Riata's version of play is to kill the toy. She's figured out how to destroy many supposedly 'indestructible toys'. I think it's fun to watch her play; she clearly enjoys herself and her toys while they last.

ETA: With my own dogs, they learn what is acceptable to play with. They can play however they want with their designated toys. I buy those toys for them and their enjoyment. If they want to kill it then so be it.... I'll learn to buy cheaper toys, lol.

Yes many JRTs I know like to play kill the toy lol. And training those to not kill the toy is kinda like trying to train a whippet to prefer walking over running. (I am sure there are some out there that don't live to run) If you don't like the innate traits of a breed then don't live with one.

Oh good grief.

What's the definition of a dog doing a "bad behavior"? It's a behavior that you don't like. If you don't like a dog tearing up toys, teach him not to do it. If you are ok with a dog tearing up toys, then let him do it. If he swallows the toy, manage the situation so that he doesn't do it. Do what works for you and your dog, and who cares about anybody else.

My dog has just spent the last 10 minutes shredding up a cardboard box to get her dinner out. Some people think it's cruel to make her work for her food. Some people think it's cruel to give her something she might accidently swallow. Some people think it's a terrible inconvenience to have to pick up all the cardboard pieces. But the thing is.... I am not one of those people! It works for us..... if someone else wanted to do it too, great; if not, fine, who cares?

I am not implying anything other than it is not torture. I use whatever they want as a carrot on a stick to get the results i want. I could set a bag of treats on my desk as well as a toy and i would not let him bark himself silly for them. Nor would i let him jump up and get them. I use play as a reward for good behavior because that is how he learns. I thought it a bit rude to think that is torturing a dog. I use a fast walk as a reward for a good down stay..same thing. IT is just taking advantage of one more teaching opportunity. I have heard hunters claim that stuffies would make their bird dogs hardmouthed but I haven't seen any of that in mine either.

I also disagree that teaching them not to tear up their toys has anything to do with their prey drive. Certainly hasn't stopped Pepper or VIctor either in their mania to hunt. Pepper is as lethal as she ever was. It just means that I say not to chew up their toys and they learn not to chew up their toys. IT doens't stop them from playing with them. It certainly doesn't stop them from playing with them with each other. IT just means they learn not to rip the fabric which allows them to have toys that can do more which they enjoy more. I wont' go into it again about the dangers of swallowing stuffing, fabric of squeekers. Also means that when they go into other people's homes and play with their dogs and their dogs toys they don't destroy them there either which happens around here on a regular basis.

I don't see the point in giving them a toy and be throwing it out in 15 minutes. Inside of the house i don't see encouraging them to tear anything up as a good idea.

I don't think anyone said it had anything to do with prey drive (at least no where that I read)

So if you dont' see the point, don't do it.

I would rather clean up occasionally than have a dog that won't play. To me thats sad, to you it might make sense.

Its not a big deal, if I don't want a toy destroyed, I just label it 'mine' and its pretty safe. My dogs don't swallow what they shred, so its no worry.

edited to add:

since you seem to know all about getting a dog to enjoy how to play with out destroying....

Here is what I did...

You give dog toy
dog IMMEDIATELY goes to destroy
You take toy away
Repeat
add it bouts of trying to get dog to play 'with' the toy with me.. (see second line)
Dog decides toys are not for playing with as they are no fun.

I tried a little with Dekka, but if she can't place her paws firmly on the toy and rip away, she just won't interact with it. (unless its playing tug, but then she just wants to take it and shred it lol)

What would you have done differently?

Do not put words in my mouth... I said to MY dog it would be torture to see one of their toys and not be able to play with it...Dekka explained that she has taught her dogs to ignore things that are out of reach... so obviously to her dogs this wouldnt be an issue... if your dogs are the same way, great.

Your the one who keeps saying that if dogs destroy their toys they dont have a good life yet dont explain how that is.

That's good for you. THere are dogs that do and then the owners have very expensive surgeries. I have a close friend that just told me about her friend who just went through this. Besides since when does what i do with my dogs ever mean others have to do it with theirs? I am stating an opinion that i feel it is better to teach them not to. People can agree or disagree. It can be dangerous and that is an issue that needs to be considered. I also didn't say they didn't have a good life..who is putting words in now? I said it is not necessary and that they are smart enough to learn. ANd if they learn a bit of control in this area it can help aid control in other areas.