January 14, 2014

Tug Training and First Vet ER Visit


In one of last week's posts I mentioned an unexpected trip to the vet hospital, and being thankful for pet insurance.  That trip and Ruby's illness that prompted it was scary, but I'm happy to report that she recovered without incident and I've taken some extra precautions since then.  The night before we rushed off to our local emergency clinic at 7:30 p.m., Ruby had swallowed a small piece of a plush toy - the "skin" if you will, she spits out the innards - probably not bigger than a quarter, and not for the first time.  I have fished many a similar piece out of her mouth and thought I was fairly vigilant in supervising her plushie disemboweling, but clearly not vigilant enough.  I didn't think a lot of it that evening - as I said, it was not the first time and things had "come out okay" before; however, when she began throwing up repeatedly the next night, my first frightening thought was "obstruction" and I was not going to mess around.  Although she'd been groaning at home, Ruby perked up substantially at the clinic and charmed all of the staff.  It's a place I became far too familiar with during my elkhound Freya's illness, and it was tough to be back there, this time worrying that my new little girl could possibly require surgery.  After a precursory exam, the vet took Ruby back for x-rays, and it was a huge relief when the radiology report came back with no major findings.  They administered some anti-vomiting medication and some subcutaneous fluids, then sent us home.  I was advised to keep her on a bland diet and watch for any other signs of illness, but they expected she would be just fine, which she was. 

This incident prompted a revision of our toy policy and the discarding or re-homing  of most of her plush toys.  I kept only two that had not been damaged, and those along with tug toys are kept in her now seldom-used crate, re-purposed into "toy jail" and brought out only for closely supervised play sessions.  I've phased out the rope tugs as they tend to unravel and shed so quickly, and switched to the Walk-e-Woo TugGRRR which is made locally here in Colorado and which is holding up superbly so far.  While it does have fur in the middle, the main tugging part is nylon webbing, and Ruby goes absolutely nuts for it, which I'll talk about next.  She has a selection of balls and durable rubber toys (our favorite by far still being the Hide-A-Squirrel Extreme) out at all times when I'm home, and nothing but an occasional stuffed Kong in the kitchen when I'm gone.  I got her a new toy at Kriser's this weekend - a seemingly tough silicone newt - which lost a limb within minutes.  The limb was recovered, the cute newt tossed.  It astounds me that there are so many toys on the market that appear they would only be appropriate for a toothless dog.  What toys and tugs have you found that stand up to jaws and claws? 

As for tugging...it's become not only our go-to energy-burning game played several times a day, but an extremely useful training platform, and a motivation equal if not greater than high-value treats! I used "training within the game" to teach Ruby's "spin" to the right, and we're pretty close to nailing "twirl" to the left.  I ask her to jump up on the sofa and back down with a sort of "schew"-sounding cue, and can't help but think this would translate perfectly to the flyball box if we ever pursued that sport.  My training goal for this month, also in light of the toy-gulping incident, was to work on a reliable "drop it," and I'm delighted to say that is coming along really well with the tug.  I've successfully recovered a few stolen socks and last night, a pilfered blackberry (safe for dogs but I wanted to test out the command on a food item).  I ask for various commands in between tugging rounds, such as "relax," "roll over" and sequences of the aforementioned "spin" and "twirl," and I was thrilled when I was able to take the tug, ask for a "down," drop the tug on my feet in front of Ruby with a "leave it" command, and never lose her eye contact.   I'm noticing her self-control improve immensely, and while she does still get carried away once in a while (which results in "Game Over" and the tug going back to toy jail) this is happening less and less.  I'm anxious to try taking the tug out with us, on walks or to the park, and see if it can be a viable distraction/reward for her trigger managing. It's wonderful to have a play and training tool that she obviously enjoys so much.  

I'd like to take a moment to welcome our new followers - I am ridiculously giddy whenever I see a new faces and comments as I think one of the most exciting aspects of blogging is meeting fellow pet lovers and sharing experiences and ideas.  Since Ruby and I spend part of most weekends curled up on the sofa with a book, I've decided to combine my passion for reading and dogs and start including book reviews here - watch for the first one coming soon!


10 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, but I'm thankful it turned out as well as it did! As for the tugging, a couple different trainers suggested that to help keep Cooper focused and redirected when he got super excited out and about. Unfortunately, he has zero interest in tugging. If he can't shred a toy to pieces, he has no interest in it. Did you have to teach Ruby to tug or was it natural?

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    1. Thank you! Unexpected vet visits are never fun. I figured the bright side was getting our insurance deductible out of the way at the start of the year...

      Tugging is Ruby's absolute favorite activity - she's a natural! She takes toys to other dogs as well to initiate a game.

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  2. Lara, another great post :) It caught my attention because tugging is a big part of training with Stella. Its great. The best tug that I have found is the Kong Wubba. This has really helped me teach Stella how to fetch. I throw one, she brings it back and drops it at my feet, then I throw the other. when she starts to lose attention we play tug, which gets her excited again. She is great at "drop it". This has helped teach her to fetch, we are transitioning into balls. But its neat to see her "get it". If I actually leave the Wubba with Stella she will destroy it. I tested it once, and it took her about 2 days. still strong, but not stront enough. I agree with you about the toys. Its very frustrating to test them out to see which is indestructible. Ive been sticking with the Kong brand. Check out the Kong bouncer. Its a lot of fun and its squishy! also the Kong Wobble treat dispenser. Glad to hear little miss Ruby is okay!! we too had a trip to the vet on Saturday. Stellas face blew up, and she had bumps all over her body. some sort of allergic reaction. ??

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment, Lori. I have looked at the Kong Wubba before and I do like Kong products. We have the classic Kong, a SafeStix and a squeaky ball. I think the Walk-e-Woo is going to last us a long time if I keep it put away, and I already want one in another color (I am such a dog product nut!).

      My Chow/GSD mix had a similar reaction - her muzzle looked like a Sharpei - after a trip to the barn, the vet suspected a spider bite.

      I'm happy to hear about your little victory on your walk last night!

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    2. Thanks! Its been tough. we are having guests this weekend and my anxiety is HIGH. But all we can do is work through it. Ill have to look into the SafeStix and Walk-e-Woo. I too have an addiction to dog products!

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    3. Don't get the SafeStix in pink, that's all I'm saying. I didn't have a choice and I'm a bit embarrassed to have it lying around. There are some amusing reviews on Amazon.

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    4. LAUGHING!!!!!!! That was my first thought when I saw it in the pet store.... why must they look like this......... haha Lara!

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  3. Rodrigo can't be trusted with toys with squeakers, because he swallows the squeakers. I still allow him to play with the toys from time to time, but always under supervision.

    I've learned that "supervision" doesn't mean while I'm blogging.

    Glad your pup is doing well today :)

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    1. "I've learned that "supervision" doesn't mean while I'm blogging."

      Exactly! I was within a few feet of her when she swallowed the piece, but she gulps it down even faster when she knows I don't want her to have it - naughty terrier streak! All the more reason we are working on "drop it."

      She tends to spit out pieces of plastic/rubber toys, but she thought plush fur was yummy for whatever reason.

      She recovered very quickly and was not impressed with her 72 hour limited diet (she liked the chicken and rice but the quantities were not to her standards) - I can't be certain what it was that made her sick, but the toy piece was the most likely culprit.

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  4. These tug games, they sound so familiar! We, too, spend a lot of time with tug and use it to teach a lot of things. I taught heeling almost entirely with tug, first holding the toy so that Silas would walk with me, and then putting the toy nearby while we walked around. Now I can put the toy on the ground and reward Silas by releasing him to go get the toy.

    Our best tuggies, in no particular order: West Paw designs rubber toys. They don't look like much (Silas's favorite is just a rubber stick thing, second best looks like a Z), but they last and Silas loves them. Bionic Toss--n-tug Frisbee (the other Bionic toys are not flexible enough to tug). JW Pets Holee Roller ball. Kong Wubba--it's fabric-covered, but ours has held up to a *lot* of play. A homemade braided fleece tug, which is great because it's long enough to put around my neck while we work. An Udder Tug (helpingudders.com), but it REEKS of barn. Most of these are tough enough to leave out, but the fleece rope and the Udder Tug get put away.

    For balls, our best ones are from Planet Dog. I like their recycled ones, not so much because they're recycled as because they're softer and less likely to damage the walls when we play indoors.

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