Crates for bedtime should be in the same room you sleep in… especially with a puppy... if you are rooms away, how would you have any idea that he/she is having a problem? And if you are home, the pup should be with you... and you should be watching him/her.... every minute... the crate is not for your pleasure, so you can do other things... .... or you are bored with watching them every minute.. Certainly if you have to crate when you are out of the house.. that is one thing... but if you are home, they are totally tuned into you being there. If they fall asleep as puppies will do, you can pick them up and put them in the crate... just leave the door open.. and go about your business... but check on the very often.... I have raised many a litter that they are in our family room crashed out or on the back porch for hours sleeping... I can get stuff done while they sleep.. but I keep the eagle eye on them all the time..
Toys to keep them busy in the crate?
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I'm looking for any recommendations for toys/treats/etc. that I can give Dexter in his crate when I have to leave him. I like knowing he has things to keep him busy when he isn't sleeping!
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Watson loves a stuffed frozen Kong toy. I usually mix kibble with a spoon or two of plain yogurt and a bit of natural peanut butter and then freeze overnight.
Nyla bones are also safe toys for in a crate if the dog likes them.
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Voodoo only likes things that are eatable, with other toys he loses interest really quickly if I ain't playing with him. So think I would also settle for giving him a kong filled with some yammy-stuff, or a big bone he can chew on.
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Busy Buddies - all 4 of mine love them. Also large knuckle bones and dental dinosaurs (brontosaurus is the house favourite).
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Bully sticks – but you need to find thick ones (hahaha apparently bigger is better??) the thinner ones they will go through very quickly. They really have to work at the thicker ones.
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We love the big (12 inch) bullies, they last a long time. Take away when they get about 2-3 inches long to prevent swallowing. They can't bite off chunks so as long as you remove the short pieces, they are not a choking hazard. And I have never met a dog that didn't like them!
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Sterilized bones stuffed with peanut butter
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Max refused to eat or play with anything while in the crate-not even his Fav treat.He thought if he ate it I wouldnt come home I guess.
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Thanks for the suggestions! I needed some ideas for this week so I'll be sure to try a few.
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Busy Buddies - all 4 of mine love them. Also large knuckle bones and dental dinosaurs (brontosaurus is the house favourite).
Yes, Kipawa has the white Dental Dinosaur, which is his fav crate buddy!
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Gossy won't touch the nyla bone type food toys.
Any toy that can slip out of the crate bars won't work (the spinning top things for instance).
She's loves frozen marrow bones or frozen yogurt-peanut butter-filled bones and they wont' roll out of the crate. The frozen marrow bones keep her occupied nearly all day! -
So do you guys mainly order online, or go to your local Petco/Petsmart for marrow bones and yogurt/peanut butter filled bones?
By the way, thanks for all of the replies! You guys are awesome!
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What about deer antlers? What does everyone think of them?
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Oh yeah I have heard about antlers…..I have not tried them yet myself (maybe I will when I am feeling a little more hungry)..but I would like to know if the dogs like them or not. Tucker has softer teeth and I would think that these are maybe too hard for him?
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Mine love deer antlers and they would get them more often if they weren't so expensive. I also have tried that Tibetan yak cheese and they love that but it doesn't last long enough considering how expensive it is - mine finished it off in a day (and according to everything I read it is supposed to last longer than that). Honestly, bones from the butcher or the dental dinosaurs are what I use most often - they last the longest.
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Mine love deer antlers and they would get them more often if they weren't so expensive.
Can I ask how much the deer antlers cost?
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I gave up bones for chewing on when my vet showed me cracks in my dog's teeth. She just chewed too aggressively. I wonder if antlers are softer?
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i buy antlers on ebay, and they're not expensive. i do worry about their hardness, though. suki just chews them every now and then - they're not her favorite.
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Cricket gets elk antlers. We have a family member that runs an all natural dog food business, so I get my pick of the antler chews. I always get the ones that are cut in half, and throw them out when she is done all of the marrow. She goes crazy for them!
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The antlers, here anyway, are pretty cheap - maybe a $1 or 2 for 4-5 inches. But mine won't touch them after they've chewed into the first inch or so.
Marrow bones I get at the grocery store.
Peanutbutter-yogurt bones I make myself using old marrow bones – a bit more yogurt (not flavored or at least only vanilla) than peanut butter and then I mix in some kibble. One cup of yogurt will make about 12-16 bones depending on bone thickness.
