True or False about stuffed animal toys

[SewSleepy]

Stuffed animal toys increase prey drive and increase the potential for issues/incidents with small, furry animals in the house with the dog.

Stuffed animal toys confuse the dog about stuffed animals that are ok to play with and ones that are not (human child's stuffed animals).

I believe both are true so Seven does not have any stuffed animal toys. She does occasionally grab one of my daughters but we take it away as soon as we see it. I'm getting bored with the toys we do have though and was wanting to branch out a bit.


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[kiya]

My dogs love stuffies, well Apache & Lakota do, Kiya only plays with balls. Apache has high play drive, both females have high prey drives. I think it depends on the individual dog. All of my dogs have been raised with cats.

[Freestep]

I am not sure I believe that. Puppies, being opportunists, are liable to play with whatever they can get their paws on, no matter what kind of toys you give them. But they quickly learn what is "theirs" to play with and what is not--and some dogs actually become quite picky as they mature. Luka has lots of stuffed toys, but has become very fond of two of them, and eschews the rest--she's done this since she was young.

I don't think stuffed toys increase prey drive. If anything builds prey drive, it's a ball, tug-of-war, or flirt pole. Some people say that if there is a squeaker in the toy, it will cause a dog to go after small animals that squeak. I am not sure I believe this either. I have always given my dogs squeaky toys and have never had an incident with them going after a cat or small animal. In fact, Luka once rescued a mouse from one of my cats, laid down with it between her paws, and would not let any of the cats near it!

[Blanketback]

I say false, based on my experience. I've had 4 GSDs, all played with squeekie stuffed toys, all trained to ignore other animals. Except for my first darling who was allowed to chase squirrels (because they ask for it, lol) but after catching one covered in bugs that was the end of that. And they were also living under the same roof with cats, rats and birds that they all left alone. Well...except for my latest cat who asks for it too, lmao.

[sashadog]

This reminds me of a couple that came into the feed/supply store and work at and told me proudly that they weren't giving their puppies anything to chew on because then they would learn that it's ok to chew... luckily I was able to change their minds and they walked away with several buffalo bones, raw ribs, and bully sticks. Just like with stuffed toys it's all about giving them an appropriate outlet for a natural behavior.

[mycobraracr]

Yes, and I was also told by a GSD specialist never to play tug with a GSD because it makes them aggressive. Hmm.... Where do they get some of these theories?

[Lilie]

False! I think the only bad thing a stuffie teaches a dog is that they can tear up (de-stuff) a toy. Once a dog has learned this is a fun thing to do, the wonderful world of stuffed toys is over.

[LoveEcho]

Echo loves stuffies, loves to eventually shred them... but anything small and furry and living he's petrified of. Cats, ferrets, chinchillas... he has been exposed to all and never had an issue except for him trying to hide.

[Bear GSD]

Originally Posted by Lilie

False! I think the only bad thing a stuffie teaches a dog is that they can tear up (de-stuff) a toy. Once a dog has learned this is a fun thing to do, the wonderful world of stuffed toys is over.

How true this is! Bear loves stuffed toys, but no matter how tough it says the toy is, he will always tear it apart.
I just bought these crazy balls yesterday for Bear's birthday. They are balls that are fur(like) covered with eyes stiched on it, they're called
i-balls.
They have squeakers in them which made it even better for Bear, he likes anything furry and with squeakers!

[CarrieJ]

I lean toward (with small puppies) to avoid squeaky toys. I believe it does reward prey drive. But, then again; I work in loose pack environments so I see what happens when a dog for whatever reason squeals. (we have a chocolate lab at work that literally screams at feeding time...you'd be amazed what the pack does and another chocolate lab that screams and runs around like a banshee on crack when he hears his dad's truck)
I've seen Labradors and Golden Retrievers put terriers to shame with prey driven behavior.

I do avoid cloth toys as sometimes you may end up with a puppy that thinks ALL cloth is to be pounced upon: dish towels, socks, curtains, kid's stuffed animals, etc. When the puppy is older I don't sweat it as much.

The closest to cloth that I'll do is a rope toy. Alice is easy....all she cares about it THE BALL. Zoey, the weasel really enjoys killing things: toys, rats, and even a bird once....good thing that Zoey is small enough to step on.....
(disclaimer: the last sentence is sarcasm/joke I would never step on my dog intentionally)