Fun activity for dogs who like to "disembowel" their stuffed animal toys.

Does your dog like to do this:

Leopold has always liked to "disembowel" his stuffed toys.  I used to stop him before he could completely ruin them and then repair any damage done.  The toy you seen in the photo was repaired probably ten times before I gave up and let Leopold do what he really wanted to do: tear every piece of stuffing out!  What a mess.  But at least he had fun.
Since then I've come up with an activity for Leopold that works with the same general principle (tearing out stuffing!), but is re-usable and easy to clean up.


             * * * WARNING!* * *  
This is not an activity you want to give to a dog that is prone to swallowing pieces of fabric (or other things they shouldn't be eating for that matter!).  This is an activity I would never give to my other dog, Halo, as she thinks fabric is delicious and likes to eat it.

Though remember that it's always a good idea to supervise your dog when it's playing with toys (especially when its playing with pieces of fabric).

MATERIALS you need for this activity:

- Hol-ee Roller Dog Toy, 5"
- pre-cut pieces of fleece fabric
- treats (I often use Zukes Mini Naturals)
- a dog who loves to play!

I like to use the Hol-ee Roller because it's very durable and doesn't do a lot of damage if my dogs accidentally whip it at something.  For a game I like to give my dogs that uses a smaller version of the Hol-ee Roller ball, check out this post.
I use fleece fabric because its a thicker fabric and is also washable!  I've cut my pieces into various sized strips.

HERE's what you do:
Stuff the ball with the pieces of fleece!   Then stuff some treats in the ball.  You don't have to add treats, but it can help make the game more fun for the dog.
I like to actually roll up small treats in some of the pieces of fleece.  Then Leopold is not only more interested, but because the treats are rolled up in fleece, he has to work a little harder to get the treats--this is good mental stimulation as it requires Leopold to figure out how to manipulate the pieces of fabric to get at the tasty bits. 

Want to get started on making your own dog a stuffed Hol-ee roller ball?
You can purchase the ball at most pet stores, or just get it from amazon.com: JW Pet Company Hol-ee Roller Dog Toy, 5-Inches (Colors Vary)
And here's the treats I often use: Zuke's Mini Naturals Dog Treats

[Edit, Jan2014: I put a warning at the beginning of this post, but here it is again in different words. 
Please supervise your dog when playing this game.  If you choose to roll up treats like I do, please please please supervise your dog to make sure they don't eat the whole roll.  I supervise Leo every time.  If you're watching your dog and see them chewing on the whole roll, then you'll be able to stop and correct the behavior immediately and/or take away the game before they consume the rolls and end up at the E.R.]

Now the ball is all ready to be torn apart! :-D

Here's a video of Leopold playing with his ball:

Leopold gets to have fun over and over, and the carnage is easy to clean up:

Hope your dog has as much fun with this game as Leopold does!


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A fun dog activity: Newmans Own brand treats + Hol-ee ball!

When Leopold was a puppy, he was full of energy and curiosity. If he wasn’t busy with an activity I gave him, he’d find one of his own, usually chewing on things he shouldn't. I tried to find things for him to do that would keep him occupied (and out of trouble!), but also keep him mentally stimulated. Now that Leopold is older, he’s learned not to get into my stuff, which is great, but it means he gets bored and just sleeps all day if I don’t give him something fun to do. And while I'd love to spend the day playing with my dogs, I only have so much time that I can give them. It’s nice to have activities I can offer my dog that are fun and also keep them mentally engaged for a while.

Here’s one activity that I came up with. It involves a green stretchy, molecule-like ball, called a Hol-ee Roller, 3.5" (the balls come in other colors; it’s just known as “the green ball” around our house). The ball is great for stuffing treats into so that the dog has to figure out how to get the treats out.

I find this particular ball design appealing because it’s so squishy and is not likely to do much damage if the dog whips it around or drops it down the stairs. It’s also very bouncy, which my dogs love. I’ve experimented with stuffing different types of treats inside; most are too easy to get out because they’re long and thin or too pliable. I’ve discovered, however, that the Newman’s Own Organic treats fit perfectly into the ball! The ball has enough stretch to get the treat through one of the holes to the center, and the hart-shape of the treat makes it impossible for it to fall out on its own.  I also like the Newman's Own brand treats (I get the turkey and sweet potato flavor) because they're healthy and made with good ingredients while still being appealing to my dogs.

Think your dog would like this activity?
The Hol-ee Roller ball is sold at most pet stores, or you can buy it from amazon.com: Hol-ee Roller, Size 3.5
And here's the perfect-shape and sized treats: Newman's Own Organic Premium Dog Treats Turkey and Sweet Potato -- 10 oz 

Leopold is a pretty smart guy and it didn’t take him long to figure out that he had to squash his green ball with his foot or mouth to get to the treat inside; though it takes him a while to work the treat out. He loves playing with his green ball, and it makes me happy to see him being active instead of just sleeping all day. Halo has yet
to figure out how to get the treat out (she just throws it around and chews on the ball, completely missing the treat), but she spends a lot of time playing with it. And that’s what I want! If Halo is playing with her green ball, she’s not getting into trouble.

Both Leopold and Halo love playing with their green ball! They get to have fun, and I get to feel good about keeping my dogs’ minds active.

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