# Does your puppy shake his toys a lot?



## Jazz's Mom (Feb 26, 2007)

My previous golden used to do that to his pillow. Once he ripped it and I came home to find wood chips all over the living room rug! He didn't have an aggressive bone in his body so I wasn't concerned at all. Everyone needs to vent!


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

But the thing is, I think my golden's... pissed off at ME... for putting him into the crate. It was quite scary actually, watching him shake and shake and hurt himself and then continue shaking...

I don't know if Micah has any aggressive bones in his body -.- as he is still a pup. I really hope he doesn't... =\


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## Lestorm (Feb 25, 2007)

Does he only do this when hes in the crate? 

My crew will grap a clump of grass and shake any tiny stones out of it before eating it.


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## Nicole&Zack (Feb 27, 2007)

Zack still shakes his toys, blanket etc....i am sure someone knows why they do that...i think its funny to watch him.
There is no such thing as a dog being pissed at you, mad at you or such thing.
Micah is 9 weeks old? He is still such a puppy...he doesnt know what *mad* is.....


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

He's been starting to growl though...


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## Nicole&Zack (Feb 27, 2007)

Zack growls when he plays with us or shakes a toy...
Are you doing any type of traing with him yet?
If not...you might want to start...say you play tug of war with him....dont let him win..make him sit and give up his toys. You have to show him that you are the boss.....if he gets to rough, put him in time out


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## GoldenShamus (Feb 26, 2007)

It's not anger or frustration. It's FUN for them!! They think it's great fun..my golden is always shaking his toys.

Get some really good books on dogs and dog behavior and read up...you will learn a great deal about them and then will be in a better position to put things into perspective.

I remember with our first dog (back in the 70's-) my parents got Carly, a wonderful mixed breed terrier/portugese water dog. MY father had never been around dogs before and had a lot to learn. My mom always had loads of dogs growing up, so she was able to tell him, yes that's normal, and yes this is what they do, etc. You sound like a nice man who just doesn't have experience with dogs Ivan. You need to not put human expectations on to your dog. Relax, dogs are supposed to be fun and a stress reliever. If you look into and hyperfocus on everything he/she does, it's going to be anything but fun for you or her.

Also, make sure she's getting plenty of exercise. Dogs don't particularly like to play alone, so make sure you are engaging. Also, dogs need to walk, I think daily. I'm not sure how old she is, so depending on age, she needs more or less exercise.


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## GoldenShamus (Feb 26, 2007)

IvanD said:


> He's been starting to growl though...


A play growl? There's a big difference b/w a play growl and an aggressive growl. From your posts, it doesn't sound to me like you will be able to tell the difference at this point. Do you have friends that come over that are experienced with dogs that can guide you? Do you have a dog trainer who uses positive only methods that could come over and work with you? I think you need some guidance.

Just be patient.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Brooks loves to shake one of his toys (a sortof cylindrical tennis ball on a rope) so that the tennis ball thing whips from side to side and hits first his left side and then his right. Back forth back forth.
If it was an animal, it would be dead from all that shaking.


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

GoldenShamus said:


> A play growl? There's a big difference b/w a play growl and an aggressive growl. From your posts, it doesn't sound to me like you will be able to tell the difference at this point. Do you have friends that come over that are experienced with dogs that can guide you? Do you have a dog trainer who uses positive only methods that could come over and work with you? I think you need some guidance.
> 
> Just be patient.


I can tell the difference, just not in puppies... Hahah...

I volunteer at a rescue group, seen almost all kinds of dogs. Aggressive to extremely submissive. Got quite a lot of experience with dogs... JUST not puppies.. SO I freak out on every little thing...


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

Beau and Emmy LOVE to shake their toys. It think it is a fun game for them. I think that Micah sounds very normal and very playful.


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## LuxysMommy (Feb 28, 2007)

Luxy does that too. It's so funny to watch. I know it's a playful growl because at the same time that she's shaking the toy and making growling sounds, her little tailing is going a mile a minute so she's obviusly having fun.
Don't worry about it as I'm pretty sure this is normal puppy behaviour!


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## Ant (Feb 25, 2007)

He's playing.


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

My goldens love to shake their toys...I love to watch them do it too. Even today Biscuit who is now 16 mo old found a toy that he hasn't played with for awhile and he would shake it and fling it and then pounce after it. Very cute and makes me laugh just to watch such innocent play. 

Biscuit also loves to greet my guests with something in his mouth, the bigger the better (a boot or a coat or even my bathrobe), and he will prance back and forth past the person with his prize and doing this growling thing with his throat but his tail and head are up and he just looks so proud of what he's doing and I do not interpret it as aggression at all. You can't compare the playfullness of a puppy and the things that come natural to them with something that a possibly abused rescue dog might do....they just are not the same.


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## GoldenShamus (Feb 26, 2007)

IvanD said:


> I can tell the difference, just not in puppies... Hahah...
> 
> I volunteer at a rescue group, seen almost all kinds of dogs. Aggressive to extremely submissive. Got quite a lot of experience with dogs... JUST not puppies.. SO I freak out on every little thing...


Interesting. I would say that puppy behavior isn't that much off from adult behavior so what you are used to with your many experiences with dogs, should translate into puppies. 

Are you keeping your puppy? What's the verdict?


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## Brinkleysmom (Dec 17, 2005)

Brinkley used to shake the crap out of hers when she was younger but as she got older she just ran around the house with them in her mouth. Now Barney just comes and chews up all her toys. But sometimes they outgrow it and sometimes they dont. When she really wants to play she will grab one of her favorite ones and bring it to me just so far and then stand there and shake it like crazy and as I try to grab it, she runs with it shaking her head. LOL!! Its pretty comical. Its a regular little game we play.


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## Oralia Schatzman (Jun 12, 2006)

Bentley will gently carry his babies around all day and cuddle with them on his beds. But, as soon as we go upstairs for the night, he goes beserk and shakes them crazily, tosses them and shakes them over and over. We think it's his version of a happy dance.


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## DanielleH (Nov 4, 2006)

Both of my girls love to shake their toys.. 
London has a little yellow ducky that quacks..I toss the ducky from the living room to the kitchen.. she runs over and picks it up and it starts quacking when she picks it up .. she stops and drops it, picks it up again and shakes the crap out of it until it stops quacking then brings it back.. its cute to watch because she has to get those cute little puppy growls in too..
Shy shakes the crap out of her toys before she destuffs them, and as shes destuffing them.. and after they are destuffed ..
when they play tug together they both shake & growl.. its cute to watch because they have so much fun..


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## MyDoggie (Dec 14, 2006)

*Callie shakes the fish*

Yes. Here's a picture of Callie shaking her fish (rainbow trout?).










I once spent an afternoon photographing a coyote catching voles (about 5). He would hover silently over their burrow and then pounce on them when they showed themselves. Then he would shake them to kill them. Probably the same deal, huh?

Regards,


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## Jcnbarb4RN (Mar 13, 2007)

The shaking their things type of behavior is just a playful fun thing for them to do. No worries. It's not bad. 

Barb


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## ravenchow (Apr 3, 2007)

My pup likes to growl & occasionally bark at his toys. My shepherd will occasionally moan at his--LOL! When the 2 play together, it sounds like a vicious dog fight--with all the growls & barks the baby makes....

Jody


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## Wrigleysmom (Dec 30, 2006)

It is just Micah being a dog. Believe me the crate is not an enemy-it is a friend. The dogs see it as their "den", remember they are canines and still have instinctual behavior, and it problably doesn't hurt him when he hits himself against the sides of the crate- or else he wouldn't. He probably is pretending he has something that he has captured, and has taken it back to his den and is having some doggy fun with it.LOL!! Have you gotten him his puppy shots yet?


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Mine do it all the time. I think it's cute, and I ecourage them to shred cardboard and kill their toys - with permission, of course! Doggy stress release!!


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## MissNikkisMom (Apr 10, 2007)

It's exactly the same as a coyote shaking a vole.

Miss Nikki shook her toys when she was a puppy. She still shakes her stuffed toys as well as her "jolly ball" (ball with a handle on it). I've seen her catch a critter and shake the heck out of that too.


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

Alright great to know that it's normal!



And nope he hasn't had all his shots yet. Only got his first a couple of days ago


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## Stressedgoldenmom (Aug 2, 2011)

So shaking their toys is ok??? I get conflicting opinions ... I personally feel like they are getting their energy out when they do that. But then I read that this promotes aggression and any toy they shake and growl with should be taken away.


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## aerolor (May 27, 2011)

IvanD said:


> He's been starting to growl though...


If he was out of his crate he would probably be chucking his toys all over the place, pouncing on them and really giving them some "wellie" - even barking and snarling as well as growling. He is playing, but that play is very important - it would be unnatural if he didn't do it. If he was in the wild he wouldn't survive without learning the skills of how to hunt and kill his food. Nobody seems to think it unusual for a kitten to behave like this - its considered cute to chase and pounce. It always surprises me that some of us worry about it when it is a puppy. So don't worry - get him out of his crate and play some games with him.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Shaking the toys is just a game for them. It doesn't mean that they have high prey drive, either. Danny shakes his toys every time he and I play. He also has zero prey drive.


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Yes, they enjoy doing it as puppies and as adults. Our adult dogs do what I call "the bucking bronco" routine when they really get into shaking their toys and jumping around at the same time. The only difference between them being puppies and older dogs when they do it, is that puppies take up a lot less space. HA!


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

fostermom said:


> Shaking the toys is just a game for them. It doesn't mean that they have high prey drive, either. Danny shakes his toys every time he and I play. He also has zero prey drive.


Same with Riley. He shakes his toys, but has absolutely no prey drive, at all.

He shakes them in a real funny way, though. He never learned how to do it "right", I guess. It's hard to explain, but he doesn't shake the toy - he shakes his head. Exactly like he would if his ears were bothering him. Goofy dog.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

LifeOfRiley said:


> Same with Riley. He shakes his toys, but has absolutely no prey drive, at all.
> 
> He shakes them in a real funny way, though. He never learned how to do it "right", I guess. It's hard to explain, but he doesn't shake the toy - he shakes his head. Exactly like he would if his ears were bothering him. Goofy dog.


Danny reminds me of a bear and he goes "errrr errrr errrr" while shaking them. So I errr errrr errrr at him and then he shakes them some more. LOL


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

You puppy is playing. Shaking toys and growling is how they play. My 2 y.o. guy loves to grab his back leg and spin around with it in his mouth while growling. He's so goofy!


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## KatieBlue'sMidnightSky (Feb 22, 2011)

My golden does this on occasion too, and on even rarer occasions will growl to herself. It's totally instinctual behavior--and perfectly normal! Although I have absolutely no proof, I think it goes back to their hunting days, and that is how they would break the neck of whatever they caught that was small enough, or to gain control over a larger kill. Who knows!


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## KatieBlue'sMidnightSky (Feb 22, 2011)

Hi Stressedgoldenmom~

Are you referring to some trainers who train dogs for field work? I've heard about some trainers who highly discourage most toy play--it seems to be all over the board. No squeaky toys, No tug toys, no furry toys....etc. etc. etc. Then there are those who say to get your dog used to all sorts of toys of varying sounds. 

I suppose there are some non-field trainers who are concerned with aggression encouragement?

Go with what you believe is best for your doggie and their situation -- listen to your gut.



Stressedgoldenmom said:


> So shaking their toys is ok??? I get conflicting opinions ... I personally feel like they are getting their energy out when they do that. But then I read that this promotes aggression and any toy they shake and growl with should be taken away.


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## harrym (Nov 13, 2010)

Amber shakes her toys, sofa cushions, clumps of grass. She loves to shake her stuffed ducks, but they are not up to it and usually separate somewhere along the neck. She growls, too, while shaking them. It's almost as much fun for her as chasing her tail. She also growls and barks at the dog in the fireplace [her own reflection in the glass doors].


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

BaWaaJige shakes his toys and growls this morning he added yodeling to the routine. It is so cute I love watching him do this and I will grrrr him back and slap his sides as he walks around my legs with his toys he likes and I think it is funny.


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## LauraBella (Feb 9, 2010)

Belles doesn't do this often, but ALL of our Scotties have done this---even into adulthood.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Ranger does this all the time, so much that it's easy to recognize his play "kill" and his "I'm shaking this because it flaps and it's fun!" The play kill is little quick shakes that would easily snap a neck...in fact, he's actually caught and killed things and done the quick shakes. It's effective on a LOT of little critters. The "fun shake" is big shakes, so much that he almost hits his hips with his nose as he's shaking it back and forth. Usually a kong wubba or anything with flappy parts. The foster pups learned to stay out of the way after he'd pick up his kong wubba by a flap since he'd knock the stuffing out of the pups (by accident) when the ball part of the wubba smacked them when he was flailing it about.


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## Deb_Bayne (Mar 18, 2011)

Wow, this is a really old thread started back in 2007 and still getting answers LOL


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Deb_Bayne said:


> Wow, this is a really old thread started back in 2007 and still getting answers LOL


It happens a lot here. Usually when someone has searched for some information and came across a thread that has something to do with that subject. Then they ask a question and it bumps back up to the top. It's kind of fun to see other threads sometimes.


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## Stressedgoldenmom (Aug 2, 2011)

So now I'm really confused ... Wrigley graduated from puppy kindergarten today .... Yea! But the trainer said to throw away any squeaky toys or toys they shake because it encourages a kill instinct .... He used the example of what a baby bunny sounds like when it gets attacked. he said thar squeaky toys should only be used to get attention, not for play ... Ugh!!!!

Mind you, this trainer owns a dog day care and has a pack of 9 that live in his house ...

Wrigley is an only dog ... Sure, I play with him, but most of his toys have squeakers and he shakes everything. But, if I demand he gives it, he does so willingly. he's never exhibited any aggression toward giving up his toys to me, DH or the kid's ...

I'm confused.

Oh, I bought one of those hollee roller balls ... Wow! Great toy!!! And just for the record ... He shook it.


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## aerolor (May 27, 2011)

I think your trainer is a bit too serious. It's how dogs play - they are actually honing their skills and whether we like it or not they are practicing chasing and killing their prey even when chasing after a ball and it is instinctive and naturally right that they do it. They are dogs, who left to their own devices kill things to survive. It makes me smile that when cat owners give their cats fluffy toys to stalk/catch and "kill" there is nothing wrong and it is encouraged in playing with them this way, but when it is a dog it is somehow wrong! 

The only worry I have with squeeker toys is that the squeek may come out and be swallowed. They also do make some dogs quite excited and I look on squeeker toys as "special" toys which I keep and use as a treat.


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## Stressedgoldenmom (Aug 2, 2011)

Thank you! I feel the same way you do ...I feel like as long as they give me the toy without aggression, it's ok. now if I could get my retriever to RETRIEVE!!!!! Ugh!!!!


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Do Goldens shake their toys? Is the Pope Catholic? Are squeaky ones fun? You bet. But I have had to stop giving them to Jaro unless I watch very closely because at 16 months he can tear them apart in no time and want to eat the squeaker.


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## Stressedgoldenmom (Aug 2, 2011)

So far, Wrig likes to find the squeaker in the toy and walk around the house squeaking away ... He's never torn anything up and to be honest, it's a good way for me to keep track of the knucklehead.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Great, so far so good. Jaro was wonderful when he was younger. I hear a squeak downstairs right now, but I know it is a ball that squeaks--hubby is with him, so I am hoping it is just a ball.


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