Marla Mauser

Last weekend we adopted a puppy sister for Max! Her name is Marla Mauser, or Marla Mayhem when she's in trouble. She is a wonderful dog with an even temperament. She is learning all the good behaviors easily: no jumping, no biting, no chewing, etc. She is weakest in the housebreaking area, but that's to be expected. What was unexpected is our family vet's verdict on her genetics. I expected him to say German Shepherd/Husky/Rottweiler. He says it's more like German Shepherd/Malamute/St. Bernard. St. Bernard? What? Holy mole. Well ok, I just have to readjust my notion on what size this girl is going to be.

Because of the new puppy, we've gotten plenty of new toys. Rawhides galore, a second Kong, Petsmart tennis balls, and two stuffed sea creatures from Target. See pics:







As you can see, the stuffed animals from target were quickly de-stuffed and now lie empty. Still fun though, and at $2.50 each, I think we got our money's worth. However, I recently went to Petsmart for the first time in a long time to find that the new trend in dog toys is unstuffed animals! This is a fantastic idea, but the cost on these animals is way too high: $25 each! I think Max's and Marla's dad might buy some fabric to make homemade unstuffed animals.

The first image is of Max with Kong. The Kong is by far one of the best toys you can ever get a dog. It should be purchase number one whenever someone gets a new puppy. Max has had two Kongs, and that was only because he lost one. The Kong is virtually indestructable, although years of being left out in the sun and rain has made his current Kong sort of porous. It's still a favorite and a great way to keep dogs occupied. I'm not sure of the cost and it's irrelevant anyway. The Kong's perfection as a dog toy makes it worth every penny.

I'm afraid Marla may not be much fun for this blog. She is very gentle with all toys. She has been working on the same rawhide for three days, which Max just stole from her and ate in about 5 minutes. She didn't get close to puncturing one of the stuffed animals; she didn't even figure out how to make them squeak! Tonight, as Max was going to town on his peanut butter-filled Kong, she abandoned hers to come sleep at my feet. She is so attached to me, not to mention lazy/tired from growing so fast that she just isn't too interested in playing. Maybe as she gets into puberty she will perk up, but I'm envisioning her having the characteristic "gentle giant" temperament that Mastiffs and St. Bernards have. She will most likely spend most of her life padding around on her big paws and choosing a nice bit of carpet with a view of whatever I'm doing to collapse on.

Max remains the primary destructive force threatening all dog toys in this world.

Big News

I have not forgotten about Max's Dog Toy Test! This is a temporary break because we have big news. Max found out that he's getting a new puppy for Christmas! So I've been hot on the puppy search. But Max has gotten lots of new toys that he is waiting on tenterhooks to review. So sit tight!

Everlasting Fun Ball

Max, being a medium-sized dog, has a medium-sized Everlasting Fun Ball by Triple Crown. This toy, as the title suggests, is supposed to be everlasting, but I would settle for "lasts for an hour" if it keeps the Max busy. The ball is brightly colored and kind of neat looking. Holes in the sides make way for chew treats to be physically screwed into place through the ball, making it extra hard for the dog to tear apart the ensemble once you put it together. The Amazon listing says that the ball floats and is dishwasher safe. We have yet to test this. Here are the toy's stats:

Play time: The ball itself has lasted Max for months. The treats last around 10 to 15 minutes.

Durability: As the pictures below show, the ball is darn near indestructible, for a dog of Max's size and chewing strength.

Cost: Varies by size. Amazon is selling the ball plus treat starter pack for $14.98, which is slightly less than I paid at my local pet store.

Annoying factor: This toy is not annoying at all unless you really don't want to play with your dog when he's demanding a game of fetch.

Fun: Max has a great time with this toy and lives for the day I bring home a treat package. Even without the treats, Max can play fetch with this toy for long periods of time.

Safety: This toy is very safe, but as with all edible treats it is important to watch your dog use it just in case of an accidental choke.

Cleanliness: This toy doesn't make much mess and doesn't pick up too much dirt or dog hair. It sill looks pretty new after a pretty long time in my house. The package even says it's dish washable.

Bottom line: This toy did not meet my expectations, but is a good toy nonetheless. With the title, cost and durable appearance, I was suckered into thinking that this toy might keep Max occupied for a long stretch of time. It does not. This amounts to an expensive ball. I have only bought treats for this toy twice because they cost a lot more than a Greenie but don't last that much longer. And now on to the fun part: pictures of the bad dog attempting to destroy his toy.

See playtime begin:



As you can see, the ball is in pretty good shape, despite being treated like this:



See Max stand at attention, raptly waiting for me to throw the ball:



See Max chase the ball against a backdrop of clean laundry and guitar amp:

Day One: Sunday Greenies

For Max's first few posts, I'm going to review the tried and tested toys and treats that make up his day to day life. After we've cycled through those, we'll branch out to try new things. Today, I'm reviewing his Sunday Greenie ritual. Max gets one Greenie every week. Greenies are the entire meaning of life for Max. They're his favorite treat in the world and nothing gets him as excited as when I reach for the bag of Greenies in the cupboard. Since Max is a 50 lb. dog, he gets regular sized Greenies. Today, Max's friend Dings is over, so she got in on the Greenie fun. Dings weighs about the same as Max but is much gentler on toys and treats as she is three years older and has a previous jaw injury. See Max and Dings before commencement of destruction:



The Stats: Greenies

Play time: Max finished his Greenie in 3 minutes flat. I stopped watching Dings when she was halfway done at 6 minutes. That jaw issue is major.

Durability: N/A

Cost: Greenies are pretty expensive for a treat that lasts three minutes.

Safety: Greenies are safe toys, but monitor your dogs with them! If a large enough piece is swallowed, the dog can get a blockage and a resulting trip to the dog ER.

View dogs destroying Greenies: