OCCUPY YOUR PUPPY: AN AMAZON LIST

Occupying your puppy is a key element to training success. It makes crate training easier, it helps to reduce destructive behaviors like chewing shoes and furniture, it reduces teething pain and it allows for distraction when nipping or barking. In order to effectively train a puppy, it's best to have a full arsenal of tools on hand and to rotate them to prevent boredom. While this may seem like a long list, it will take trial and error to really figure out what will work for your puppy. And remember, any items your puppy doesn't use or enjoy can be dropped off at your local animal shelter for less fortunate dogs who would LOVE something new! Below is our list of items we have on hand and what we use them for: 

CRATE TRAINING - One key to crate training is to make the crate or pen somewhere your puppy wants to go, Not only should it be a safe place, but it should also have some stimulation to reduce boredom, barking and whining. One easy way to make that happen is to feed your puppy in the crate and to also provide stimulating rewards. For crate training, look for items that last a while and don't require supervision. Items that could cause choking should be avoided - and never use rawhide. Here are our top picks (click on each to go directly to Amazon): 

• STUFFED KONG - Our favorite crate entertainment is a Kong. Although occasionally messy, we prefer to stuff them with various edible items in an effort to force the puppy to both work for his/her food as well as entertain themselves in the crate. The size Kong you choose will be based on the size puppy but for Cavaliers, Cavachons & Cavapoos, you should always start with the puppy size small and only move up in size once your puppy has mastered them. Our favorite puppy Kongs are the Kong Basic Puppy, Kong Puppy Tire, and the Kong Puppy Binkie. Again, all of these can be stuffed. We will post some of our favorite Kong stuffing recipes in a future post. 
• WEST PAW TOYS - Two of our favorite toys are from West Paw. The first, which we love for crates, is Qwizl. For crate, stuff it with a carrot stick, kibble, apple slices or even a bully stick. While we normally wouldn't suggest a bully stick in the crate when unsupervised, the Qwizl reduces the chances of a small portion of the bully stick causing a choking hazard and extends the life of the bully stick. The other, Toppl, is described below. 
• NYLABONE - There are a variety of Nylabone products. For small breed puppies it's important to purchase the softer puppy version. We like this puppy variety pack because it allows you to figure out what style and flavor your puppy prefers. Please note that one of these is edible and we only use that bone in supervised situations. 
• LICK MATS - A recently new toy, a lick mat is designed to sooth dogs who like to lick and to act as a puzzle for dogs to get the food. Some of our dogs LOVE these and others are barely interested. For crate training we've found it best to freeze them and to look for healthier foods to spread on them as a tummy full of sugary peanut butter is not a great choice for a puppy in a crate as tummy issues could result. We will offer some lick mat recipes in the Kong stuffing post. We do not leave these in the crate when we aren't home as we have heard that some dogs attempt to tear up or eat the actual toy (although our dogs have never tried that). 

GENERAL CHEWING - Dogs chew for multiple reasons including boredom and teething. Getting to the bottom of why your dog is chewing might help you choose the correct toy or product. Also, if your dog is simply bored, the best solution is always increasing exercise and mental stimulation through training.  Below are some of our favorite solutions for teething and mental stimulation: ​

• YAK CHEWS - These natural chews (actually a hard cheese) are relatively new to the dog chew world. If you are lucky enough to have a puppy who enjoys these a single chew can often keep them busy for days and days. They are fully digestible, don't stink and won't stain carpet. You do, however, need to supervise your puppy with them and remove them when they become too small. But don't worry, once the chew is small and presents a choking hazard, you can actually soak them in water for a few hours, microwave them for a minute or until it puffs up. After it cools completely you can give it to the dog as it becomes an edible biscuit. 
• BULLY STICKS - Our dogs and puppies love bully sticks. You should always supervise your puppy when providing bully sticks but this brand is guaranteed to be a favorite. Our dogs often ignore other sticks but these usually generate a fight so have one available for every dog in the house. In order to extend the life of bully sticks and reduce choking hazard, some people use stick holders. We've not found them necessary as we simply remove the small pieces once enjoyed. 
• TUG-A-JUG - While this won't help with teething, it will help with stimulation and boredom. Once the puppies are about 4 months old and have watched an older dog get food from the jug, they will entertain themselves for hours to get a few treats. If you don't have another dog, simply help your puppy get a few treats out. I recommend using small kibble or treats to begin as it's easier to get out for beginners. 
• ​TOPPL - This is the 2nd product from West Paw toys that we love. We enjoy using it as a food treat and later as a puzzle. Purchase the small for a puppy and then if your puppy enjoys it, you can purchase a large and create a treat puzzle for an older dog. Their Amazon page has some great examples of how to use this toy!
• EARTH ANIMAL NO HIDES - We discovered this healthy digestible rawhide alternative in our local pet store and our dogs LOVE them. We use two sizes - the single stick for a quick treat or the 4" size for longer chewing. Unfortunately, these are pretty expensive locally so we searched Amazon and now buy in bulk. Buy in bulk when you can get the single sticks for less than $1 per stick and the 4" chews for less than $5 each. This post will always be updated with the best priced bulk option for our two favorite flavors (salmon and chicken). The other flavors, peanut butter, beef and venison are also great but we use peanut butter for so many other treats (such as Kong stuffing and lick mats) and we've found the beef has the possibility to stain carpet and fur. Here are the links: 
  • ​Best bulk for single sticks (chicken)
  • Best bulk for single stick (salmon) (not currently a great price)
  • Best bulk for 4" chews (chicken)
  • Best bulk for 4" chews (salmon) (best bulk price)

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TRAINING TREATS - Training your puppy is great because it's not only mental stimulation that reduces bad behaviors but it also helps the puppy bond with you. The key to training is high value treats that the dog really wants to earn. That being said you also want to make sure it's okay for their tummies. A lot of dog treats are loaded with bad ingredients and things that can be harmful for your puppy. Try a few of these treats to find one that your puppy really enjoys and when shopping always look for single ingredients, natural ingredients and treats that can be broken in to small pieces for training sessions. Here are a few of our favorites but don't be afraid to also try home cooked treats or pieces of deli meat, ground beef, etc. 

• Sojo's Freeze Dried Meat Treats - Single ingredient treats that are easily broken for smaller puppies. Try a sample pack to decide your dog's favorite. These are our preferred training treat due to size and simplicity of ingredients (and they don't get stale if left open). That being said, we need variety too so the others below are also recommended. 
• Zuke's Mini Natural Dog Treats - A great size, healthy ingredients and they won't break in your pocket or pouch while training. The only negative is they are a little stinky but perhaps that's why our dogs love them so much! We recommend the sample pack of multiple flavors to figure out your puppies favorite. 
• ​Stella & Chewy Treats - This reputable company has several single ingredient treats for you to test on your puppy for training purposes. Our older dogs love the Carnivore Crunch but they may be more difficult to use for training due to their size. 
• Little Jacks Small Dog Training Treats -  Of the treats we offer, these are the least healthy but still better than many commercial treats. That being said, these are perfect to hide pills, offer for potty training, etc. We do not use these when we plan to offer multiple treats. 

​While this blog has focused on puppies, we use every item here for our grown dogs, we simply size up on some of the Kong type toys and don't break the treats in half! Best wishes in occupying your pup . . . 

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