My dog prefers blankets over chew toys. How to get him to chew toys?

As long as she is not ingesting the blanket than it shouldn't be a problem. It you don't want her to chew on it than you can teach her the "leave it" command and use it when she starts chewing on the blanket. There are a lot of different dog toys that you can purchase but if she has two favorite ones than you can continue to let her play with them. Just avoid toys that she can chew up so she doesn't ingest any of the pieces. You could get her a Kong and stuff it with a mixture of her dog food and peanut butter and then freeze it. It will take her some time to lick all the contents out of the Kong so it will keep her occupied. http://www.akc.org/content/dog-training/articles/teach-leave-it/

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is very dependent on the dogs in terms of how much they enjoy playing with toys. Some dogs just do not enjoy that and will not play with them as much. You can try to get other toys to see if Ginger becomes interested but ultimately she may decide to not use them and that is not necessarily an issue. Have a good night!

Many dogs never play with toys. Try some puzzle toys or a treat ball. He'll be rewarded when he figures out how to get the hidden treat. Sometimes playing with a ball or stick in the yard will get them interested. If Ollie isn't a toy dog, he may get more fun out of going for walks with you or learning cute dog tricks. Find an activity that you can enjoy together and he'll be happy spending time with you. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Ollie.

Hello, and thank you for using PetCoach. This is normal behavior for many dogs - some dogs enjoy chewing and swallowing their toys, which is unsafe and so with those dogs we need to be careful of the types of toys they get, and only let them play with toys when they're supervised. If Buddy continues doing this, he runs the risk of getting a GI obstruction, if he ever swallows a piece that he can't vomit back up and can't pass through in his stool. In the most serious cases, we have to do surgery to remove objects that get stuck in their GI tract! Kong toys tend to be some of the most durable for these dogs - make sure you get toys that are big and tough enough that Buddy can't chew it into pieces, and only let him play while supervised. Here's a good durable one: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/extreme-kong-dog-toy Otherwise, Buddy might just be a dog who can't play with nondigestible toys, and you might need to stick with toys that are meant to be chewed up and swallowed, such as dental chews. Good luck, hope this helps!

This is a difficult behavior to stop. The more she does it, the more she's practicing the behavior, and harder it is to break the cycle. First, increase her physical, mental, and emotional/social activity. For example, take her on a couple 30-45 minute walks a day (physical), do 2-3 10 minute training sessions with her (mental. It doesn't really matter what you're training, it's the brain workup that's important), and spend 5-10 minutes a day sitting and brushing her (social/emotional). Next, I would recommend removing all the blankets that are problems for her. Consider using a basket muzzle to prevent chewing if you can't remove the blankets. She can be in a crate when not directly supervised to prevent destruction. Give her other toys to play with with the blankets totally out of the picture. You may be able to bring them back later, but you may not. Some dogs that chew/destroy are anxious. If she seems like a nervous or skittish dog, I recommend talking to your veterinarian about some treatments or doing a consultation with me to talk about OTC options. Good luck! Behavioral issues can be very frustrating.

Some dogs don't enjoy playing with toys, or may not have learned to play at all. You mentioned he was a rescue, which if he was kept in a shelter too long or didn't have much interaction with toys previously may have stopped him from learning. If he enjoys treats and chew bones, you can try hiding those inside toys to get him to start interacting. If he likes other objects such as sticks or a bone to play fetch, then using that is just fine. As long as he is happy, you are happy and he's getting plenty of exercise and play time, then it's not really a requirement to play with a toy.

Hi and thanks for posting on PetCoach! Redirecting with a tactile enjoyable toy that Max really loves can help quite a bit. Continuing to do this and being consistent with this technique is key. Also making sure Max is stimulated in other ways every day can make a big impact such as play time and frequent walks. You can also try spraying bitter apple on areas where Max likes to inappropriately chew and this can help deter him from chewing on or near that location again. I have provided a helpful training video below you may find useful as well. https://youtu.be/3Odb0BAjZxA