Toys | Games | Goodies

Wanna play?

Here's a description of Sheba's best toys. Some are homemade, some expensive designer toys (!), but all have gone through extensive testing and are approved by Sheba herself!

Teddy
When we picked Sheba up from the kennel at 10 weeks, we brought one of Sten's used T-shirts and rubbed Sheba's Mum on the back with it. Then it smelled of both Sten and Mum. We tied it into a knot, and Sheba slept with it every night and played with it until it fell apart. Teddy has been replaced when necessary. Particularly while Sheba had her new teeth, Teddy looked like a traffic accident, but then we just washed it. By that time it didn't matter whether it smelled of Mum or not.

Socks, version 1
Two mens' socks tied together is a wonderful toy. It smells interesting (!), it's soft and it's elastic. No, using socks doesn't mean that your dog will throw itself on every sock in sight. They will learn which socks belong to them and which belong to Dad.

Socks, version 2 
When one more pair of socks had holes, they were tied together with the first two and strapped to the radiator. To this date Sheba still gives the string of socks a tug or a more in-depth pull (depending on her mood) when she happens to be passing. The fascination is that they are elastic, meaning that when you pull such a string of socks and let go, the string darts away at high speed, like real prey. 

Rubber bone with bell
A stylized bone of coloured rubber with a bell in one end. Looks silly but apparently dogs just love the smell and the texture of rubber, and this one even makes a noise when you shake it! The rubber bone has many uses (pulling, hiding, retrieving etc.), and you can combine it with the socks (version 2): If you tie it to the end of a sock string, pull and let go, it can obtain a considerable velocity!

Balls
No need to elaborate on this: Dogs love balls. Period. 

The towel
When Teddy wasn't larger than Sheba anymore, we needed another similar toy. Dogs have an instinct for dragging a large prey, preferably large enough to trip over it. A well-worn towel which had been used for drying Sheba's feet, so had the right fragrance...), had a new mission. We tied a couple of knots on it and let Sheba have it (after a fight, of course) to drag away and show off proudly. Again, and again, and again (yawn...).

Sheba and her pussycat

Pussy
At the vet's clinic we found this thick coloured piece of rope with a knot at each end. We didn't think much of it at first, but the vet assured us that dogs just love it, so we bought it for our poor little puppy with her plastered leg after an operation. It's a great toy, and we've even seen it on TV, promoted by one of Denmark's renowned dog trainers. 

A less noisy alternative is a 1½ liter Coke bottle. Unscrew the lid and add some of the small puppy food pellets. However, you must keep an eye on the dog, because when there are no more goodies, it will start chewing on the bottleneck!

But the best part is that you can stuff it with liver pate or goodies although goodies are soon extracted if not clogged by something. If the dog has a Buster Cube or a large Coke bottle, it knows how to dab it to see some quick results. But the liver pate, the liver pate!!!

The cone is fairly easy to clean with water and a bottle brush, but do remember that a dog's tongue can lick round corners! You might also want to try with honey, peanut butter or a well-aged camembert. Or indeed any dinner left-overs. This interesting discipline is known as "kong-stuffing"! For extended fun, stuff the kong in the evening, put it in the freezer overnight and present it to your airedale in the morning when you leave home. 

"Nope, sorry, too tired to play!"

Bone, version 1
The bones made of beefskin taste fine, but they're no good with a terrier beard. We only keep one in the back of the car so as not to get bored on a trip. Instead, we use the "kalkben" ("calcium bones") from the pet stores. These longlife bones have apparently been boiled to remove any meat so that they don't soil the floor. Amazingly, they remain interesting for a very long time.

Bone, version 2
If you don't have a garden, you don't give your dog a real bone unless e.g. you're on summer holiday in a cottage with a garden. Then we buy a real bone from a butcher's shop and let Sheba gnaw at it until it's "housebroken" enough to take inside. Until that happens, you can keep the bone in the freezer in a plastic bag. 

It's great to pack your picnic basket for the two-legged, add a (frozen) bone for the dog, walk down to the park, sit in the shade of a blossoming apple tree, tie your favourite airedale to a tree, pour it some water, serve it a long-lost bone, and then forget it for 3 hours (while it definitely forgets you!)

Giggle Ball
It is a silly rubber ball slightly larger than a tennis ball with a pattern of small paws and bones (!) Inside, it has a gadget like an old-fashioned girls' doll (remember: They cried/moaned when you laid them on their backs). This one more like giggles. 

In addition, it's lopsided like the little penguin you give your budgie. It's as much fun for the owner as it is for the dog: When you bring it home and roll it over to your puppy, lie down on the floor yourself and watch - it's great entertainment! It shows a bit about how courageous your puppy is. It also comes in a version like a Buster Cube with room for goodies in the middle.

Even as a grown-up, Sheba yanks at it occasionally. Probably because it makes a noise.

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