Although she is already two years old, Maple is still a puppy. I have heard that Golden Doodles do not mature until they are three but I have also heard that sometimes Golden Doodles never mature. We love our dog but I am really hoping that she still has some maturing to do.
Early on, when Maple was really young we kept stuffed animals, balls, bones and ropes around for her to play with. For a while these were great stimulation for her. As she grew older we encountered problems with almost all of her playthings.
1. The Stuffed Animals: Sure, these were great when she had an underdeveloped jaw but as time passed and she grew stronger, so did her bite. All of a sudden Maple could tear apart any stuffed animal within the first half an hour of having it in her mouth. We needed to be cautious about the stuffing. Stuffing could be lethal for a puppy. Before long we had to protect Maple from those cute bunnies and teddy bears.
2. Balls: Maple loved to play fetch and it was a great way to keep her occupied. Still, when we began throwing tennis balls around the living room, Maple developed a new favourite game. She began to hide the tennis ball under the expensive living room couch. What later transpired had us less than thrilled. We noticed that she had managed to claw through the stitched thread that held the fabric together at the bottom of the couch. Fetch and other ball games were banned from inside the house.
3. Bones: When Maple was really young the only bones that occupied her were the "bull's penises" (I am skeptical if these are truly authentic Bull's penises or just a thin bone made of beef) It used to take her a half and hour to get through one. These bones cost $5 and although they served as great dog sitters when I couldn't play fetch with her (only outside....!!) it soon became apparent that although Maple had become the most docile dog in history, soon not only would Maple be living at a dog shelter, our family would have to move to a homeless shelter as well. So I vowed to stop buying the bulls penises and started buying fresh fruit for the kids again.
4. Ropes: Dogs only want to play tug of war with these ropes. They cannot play with them independently. Also, I have read that if the dog wins tug of war they feel they are dominant over their owners. Really, it was hard enough to discipline her already. Ropes had a short shelf life in our house.
For months we resolved ourselves that Maple just needed lots and lots of exercise and if we pooped her out, she wouldn't really need any toys. What we didn't realize was that were pooping ourselves out too. We were back at square one. Maple needed entertainment, she need some toys.
The Toy From Hell: At the pharmacy I found this cute purple squeaky rubber dog. I couldn't resist...it seemed like the perfect toy for our perfect, well almost, perfect pup. I arrived home and couldn't wait to give it to Maple. What I hadn't realized was how loud the squeaker really was. It began to drive our household mad. Maple became so obsessed with it that when we tried to take it away from her she went mad. Now we were all going crazy. Somehow we finally managed to get it away from her. I wanted to throw it out but instead I ended up hiding it. One day I pulled it out from it's hiding place (a kitchen cupboard) and Maple saw. From that moment on she began barking at the cupboard non stop. The rubber dog became the toy from hell. It has taken a month and a half for Maple to forget that evil toy. All I want to do is forget about it. Some nights I still wake up in a sweat hearing that squeaky plaything!
I swear, I am swearing off toys for a while!
Early on, when Maple was really young we kept stuffed animals, balls, bones and ropes around for her to play with. For a while these were great stimulation for her. As she grew older we encountered problems with almost all of her playthings.
1. The Stuffed Animals: Sure, these were great when she had an underdeveloped jaw but as time passed and she grew stronger, so did her bite. All of a sudden Maple could tear apart any stuffed animal within the first half an hour of having it in her mouth. We needed to be cautious about the stuffing. Stuffing could be lethal for a puppy. Before long we had to protect Maple from those cute bunnies and teddy bears.
2. Balls: Maple loved to play fetch and it was a great way to keep her occupied. Still, when we began throwing tennis balls around the living room, Maple developed a new favourite game. She began to hide the tennis ball under the expensive living room couch. What later transpired had us less than thrilled. We noticed that she had managed to claw through the stitched thread that held the fabric together at the bottom of the couch. Fetch and other ball games were banned from inside the house.
3. Bones: When Maple was really young the only bones that occupied her were the "bull's penises" (I am skeptical if these are truly authentic Bull's penises or just a thin bone made of beef) It used to take her a half and hour to get through one. These bones cost $5 and although they served as great dog sitters when I couldn't play fetch with her (only outside....!!) it soon became apparent that although Maple had become the most docile dog in history, soon not only would Maple be living at a dog shelter, our family would have to move to a homeless shelter as well. So I vowed to stop buying the bulls penises and started buying fresh fruit for the kids again.
4. Ropes: Dogs only want to play tug of war with these ropes. They cannot play with them independently. Also, I have read that if the dog wins tug of war they feel they are dominant over their owners. Really, it was hard enough to discipline her already. Ropes had a short shelf life in our house.
For months we resolved ourselves that Maple just needed lots and lots of exercise and if we pooped her out, she wouldn't really need any toys. What we didn't realize was that were pooping ourselves out too. We were back at square one. Maple needed entertainment, she need some toys.
The Toy From Hell: At the pharmacy I found this cute purple squeaky rubber dog. I couldn't resist...it seemed like the perfect toy for our perfect, well almost, perfect pup. I arrived home and couldn't wait to give it to Maple. What I hadn't realized was how loud the squeaker really was. It began to drive our household mad. Maple became so obsessed with it that when we tried to take it away from her she went mad. Now we were all going crazy. Somehow we finally managed to get it away from her. I wanted to throw it out but instead I ended up hiding it. One day I pulled it out from it's hiding place (a kitchen cupboard) and Maple saw. From that moment on she began barking at the cupboard non stop. The rubber dog became the toy from hell. It has taken a month and a half for Maple to forget that evil toy. All I want to do is forget about it. Some nights I still wake up in a sweat hearing that squeaky plaything!
I swear, I am swearing off toys for a while!
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