Why Do Dogs Need Toys?

March 5th, 2010

Author: Terry King -br
Source: articledashboard.combr
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Dogs are just dogs right? If they still lived in the wild and werent domesticated they wouldnt have dog toys would they?

Well actually its because they are domesticated that our dogs need toys to replace activities or replicate in part, the lifestyle they would have experienced as wild animals.

The toys we provide our dogs meet these needs and help our dogs remain fit, well adjusted animals.

I like to categorise dogs toys into four types:

1. Chewing Toys

Dogs need to chew, for a number of different reasons throughout their life stages. So, give your dogs items they are allowed to chew, and dont leave them to pick on your prized possessions.

Puppies chew in order to ease tension, soothe their gums and to loosen puppy teeth to make way for their new teeth.

Adult dogs Chew to help maintain their jaw muscles, dogs also use chewing to pass time when on their own or ease boredom.

In senior dogs chewing the right things as well as helping ease boredom, also helps to avoid gum disease and tooth problems

2. Activity Toys

Activity dog toys help to keep domestic dogs fit and in addition to a healthy diet help to keep our pet dogs, in good shape, burning off calories that would otherwise be unused. Used wisely activity toys will also help to strengthen a dogs muscles, which along with diet, reinforces good bone structure.

Regular interaction with constructive play will help build good relations with your dog these activities can be used to encourage good behaviour in your pet. For example the throwing of a favourite retrieval toy can be used as a reward for sitting or staying.

The choice of activity dog toys these days is huge, with the traditional Balls, Frisbees and Fetch toys coming in a bewildering number of varieties and materials.

When not sleeping, puppies go through periods in the day when they have a huge amount of energy to burn. Care should be taken not to over exercise, but plenty of varied play will help build bonds with owners and avoid destructive tendencies showing.

Adult dogs need exercise to keep muscles, bones and organs working in top order. The right amount of active play will also help to avoid periods of boredom in a normal healthy adult. This will help to reduce the risk of destructive or attention seeking tendencies manifesting themselves in your pet.

Regular but reduced amounts of activity will help maintain healthy joints in a senior dog.

3. Reward Toys

As wild animals it would be rare for dogs to spend time on their alone, but as domestic pets most will spend time on their own at some stage. Because boredom can lead to destructive behaviour, it is essential that you provide your dog with appropriate toys that fight monotony and offer enticing play, sometimes this may be met with a reward such as carefully hidden treat.

Apart from having chew toys available, your puppy will react well to having toys that reward him by reacting with sound, movement or giving treats. This is another way of avoiding destructive behaviour.

Many adult dogs respond well to having a toy that will help them to stay alert or be challenged when left on their own.

4. Soothing or Comfort Toys

These toys are not necessarily needed by all types of dogs, however there may be many times in a dogs life when the need to soothe and calm is required. Travel, trips to the vet, illness or noisy periods are all times when aid in calming and soothing could be beneficial.

A comfort toy can ease the separation from a mother or smooth the transition from being a litter member

In addition providing comfort toys are usually tough enough to allow adult dogs to carry them around, often adult or maturing dogs will occupy themselves with a mock kill game./pbr
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A Toy Music Box Is A Toy For Life

March 5th, 2010

Author: Michelle Bery -br
Source: articledashboard.combr
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Music box collectors and enthusiasts often have a wide variety of music boxes in their collections. Some collectors may prefer music boxes that play wonderful music, while others might opt for those that provide an ornate home to jewelry and family heirlooms. But what we often forget when discussing music boxes is that nearly all of us have been touched by their song at one time or another. There are many childrens toys that have an almost universal appeal and presence; teddy bears, a baby doll, toy cars, and yes, a toy music box too.

Every day millions of babies are lulled to sleep by the soothing sounds of a music box. And every day many of those same babies wake up to play with a toy music box. Whether it is a Jack-In-The-Box whose song is a precursor to him springing from his box, or a stuffed toy that is wound up and plays a lullaby, music boxes become part of our lives at the earliest of ages.

Older children have strong ties to music boxes as well. Many girls enjoy a toy music box in the form of a music jewelry box that opens to reveal more than just jewelry. Maybe the most popular toy music box for girls is the ballerina music box which opens to display the performance of a ballerina, or maybe an ice skater, who twirls gracefully across a stage of mirrored glass. Boys, on the other hand, might be more familiar with a toy music box that displays circling airplanes, trains, or cars instead of a dancing or skating performer. Of course, there are countless versions of the toy music box that we all remember, regardless of our gender. Toy clocks, radios, televisions, records players, and CD players, all of them have taken the form of a music box and have provided hours of fun to countless children.

As adults many of us still have an interest in toy music boxes. Whether it is a musical snow globe, a souvenir from a vacation, or even the music boxes that we enjoyed in our youth, for many a toy music box is something that stays with us for a lifetime./pbr
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