Who uses stuffed "toys" with your furkids?

[Woodbender]

Just a passing muse here,..
We're wondering since Claire was an abused barn breeder and watched her pups get taken by coyotes etc,.. we're wondering if we might introduce a stuffed toy/animal of some sort as a cuddle toy.
She's made remarkable progress but sometimes she just seems moody and "alone" even with us in the room and we can't help but wonder if some stuffed playtoy about the size of a puppy might bring her out of a shell and be inclined to play more. Another thought is we think she is older than the published age guestimate which could also be a factor in her demeanor.
Behaviorists in the group,.. what do you think? Bad idea?

 

[trini]

I think a soft stuffed toy is a good idea...even if Claire only uses it as a snuggle pillow and not as a toy to play with. Several of mine cuddle with soft toys to nap...even the ones who are not "players". Our Mickey has many little stuffed animals and he won't go to bed without collecting them and putting them in his bed with him...he was a shelter adoption and we have no clue as to his background, but he takes care of his stuffies as if they were his pups.

If by any chance Claire seems upset more by having a stuffed toy (reminder of babies lost) you can always remove it...but I think it is well worth a try.

Claire has been through a lot...quiet pensive times are to be expected.

Trini

 

[MissyGallant]

Tara has several stuffed toys. She brings a different toy to bed every night. And there are times when she wants a specific one and will dig through the pile to find it. Tara will occasionally even arrange the toys so that they are face up (or rearup) in her dog bed. Not sure what the toy does to deserve the face down scenario.

Casey has chosen stuffed toys at the pet store, to the point where he carries them to the checkout. How do you not buy it at that point?

My late Brodie had a stuffed elephant that came with him from the breeder. He didn't like it's eyes. But after he removed the eyes, I sewed a patch over the eyes. And no other creature was allowed to touch the elephant.

Annabelle's stuffed toy is our cat Caruso. Caruso tolerates this.

 

[tesslynn]

team claire

Kaleigh was a one pup litter-she seems drawn to fur toys more than my others, she would surround herself in them in her crate and bury herself in them (surrogate siblings???-my other pups didn't do this). Way back, 1st pup got a sheltie puppet that ALL my shelties favor (durable too-considering it has lasted this long) It was/is Kaleigh's favorite. They all have "talked" to it when I use it as a puppet and play with them-have others, they don't respond to those like this. I have been gifted with sheltie/collie type stuffed toys mostly and there seems to be a preference with my woofs to play with those over the others-I find that curious-maybe they taste or smell better, who knows. Yet, those are the ones they like near when napping or overnight-a "woobie" sorta deal. Kaleigh doesn't "play" as much as the others did as a puppy. I often wondered if not having siblings she was more like an only child. Savannah loves/lives to play-and sorta rough, she had bigger brothers that were feisty and she is WAY more assertive than my other pups. So the behaviorist in me thinks the environment conditioned this. Savannah has "lightened" Kaleigh up, so to speak. Maybe Claire, never learned "play" just survival. I know the shelters here, like to have stuffed toys to give to their rescues as comfort.

 

[Ann]

Some of mine enjoy the stuffed toys, and others have no interest. As has been said, it depends on the dog. Some of mine have a favorite stuffie...Checkers has a stuffed frisbie that she loves, and Lacey has a stuffed slipper and a flamingo. Barkley has a stuffed donkey that brays that he loves playing fetch with to the extent that I had to buy 3 of them because he wears them out, and only the donkey will do!

In Claire's case, I do think it's a good idea to introduce some and see how she feels. She's done so well that they may open another play door for her, or just give her comfort. I'd give it a try.

 

[ute_fan]

Callie loves plush toys -- but she also loves to destroy them. Her favorite is a stuffed sheep (I couldn't resist), but she keeps worrying a hole in it and pulling the stuffing out. Her other favorites are the "stuffing-less" toys that have squeakers in each end. She folds them up in thirds and carries them around very softly in her mouth, rarely squeeking them, but she will eventually find a way to pull at loose threads until she can get the squeakers out.

We don't leave her alone with them without supervision, and she doesn't take them in her crate with her, but she gets a lot of enjoyment out of them. She also loves to have us throw them for her to retrieve. I'd definitely try one for your girl.

 

[MissyGallant]

She folds them up in thirds and carries them around very softly in her mouth, rarely squeeking them,.

Annabelle LOVES to Squeak! She will find the squeaker and just squeak it for five minutes straight. She grins and just makes the noise. Her little tail wags and she spins and it is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. But she doesn't rip anything. Just squeaks.

 

[Jess041]

Missy has a ridiculous amount of stuffed toys. She doesn't love on them like some people are describing. She likes to play fetch with them and tug with them. Thankfully, she doesn't disembowel them. We still have most of the toys she got as a puppy and they are in very good shape... which is why we have so many. They never seem to go away!

 

[take4roll10]

I think it's a great idea! My dog loves to cuddle with stuffed toys. Her favorite is a crocodile doll that we won at an arcade. It stays on her bed and she always sleeps with it. We refer to this doll as her "lover". They have a very troubling relationship. She bites bite it, pulls it around the room, shakes it and humps it every day after she eats dinner. But of course they always make up and Bailey will cuddle it.

 

[trini]

Love the pics of Bailey and her Croc "lover"...second one is my favorite...so cute!

Trini