We Need A Full-On Cairn Play Set

[Catalyzt]

I am riffing off the DIY toy idea, because I think what we need here is something much more complicated-- some Rube Goldberg device with Hot Wheels-type ramps 20-30 feet long and ten inches wide, with hoops, tunnels, obstacles to jump over, a Cairn-size Hamster wheel, and wind-up or robot rodents or drones that Spike can chase around.

In the hot weather-- and while I was out of town for a few weeks-- Spike's hunting behaviors have gone totally out of control.  (We figure him for about 2.5 years old at this point.)  He climbs behind furniture I can't believe he can fit behind, and I recently found him 5 feet off the ground on top of a tower of guitar and trap cases literally trying to climb the walls to get at something-- he has some neurological issues, so it could have been a hallucination, or there could have been a cricket or spider behind one of the sensors for the alarms that he seemed to want to attack.

Some of this behavior makes me worry that he's going totally psycho (I'm a psychotherapist, that's a technical term) but sometimes, his play is intensely creative.  Last week, he literally built a fort right near where the guitar cases are.  I have cushions and bedding folded and stacked at the end of the couch (again, near the pile of guitar cases, gig bags and trap cases) and the other afternoon, after I dozed off for a nap, I woke up and found that he'd created a perfectly square space for himself on the floor, with walls about two feet high.  There was a cushion on the bottom, a cushion on two sides, a guitar case on a third side, and the end of the couch for the fourth wall.  Of course, there's a space under the couch cushions and behind the trap cases under the couch, which his bat-cave tunnel for getting in and out.

It's exactly the kind of fort I would have built for myself when I was 8 years old.  In fact, I remember when I did exactly that-- which cushions I used, etc.

He's settled down a bit in the week since I got back, and if I play ball with him, the behaviors definitely decrease.  Some kind of play set would help me encourage the creative behaviors and discourage the more aggressive, hunting-type ones, or at least channel them into something more constructive.  And yes, we probably do have a mouse or two running around, and we live in a canyon, so inevitably there are small lizards and spiders and crickets that inevitably get indoors.  So sometimes, it's like the fly snapping, which is definitely neurological, but sometimes, I'm sure he's after something that's actually there.

Not expecting a constructive answer to this issue, but thought you guys would find my predicament amusing!  More DIY toys definitely needed!

[bradl]

A busy, tired Cairn is a good Cairn for sure!

[Eliz222]

I have looked at puzzle solving toys online, but haven't purchased any yet. One DIY activity that I want to try is a treat hunting set. You put a large empty muffin tray on the floor. Put a few treats in some of the spaces, and put a tennis ball (or any ball that will fit) on top of all the spaces.

The dog has to sniff out the treats by removing the balls.

I haven't tried it yet, but it looked liked fun.

I find playing ball and long walks always help. I also heard that dogs get tired of their toys, and to rotate the toys every few weeks so the ones that are put away all of a sudden become "new" toys.

[Hillscreek]

Here's a video of Angus with a puzzle toy. It took him several minutes to figure out how to find the treats. After that he could do it in 30secs or less . He whirled the covers around at high speed on all levels. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pUWY73w_h7UAyfu3Z5C0w

[Eliz222]

1 minute ago, Hillscreek said:

Here's a video of Angus with a puzzle toy. It took him several minutes to figure out how to find the treats. After that he could do it in 30secs or less . He whirled the covers around at high speed on all levels. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pUWY73w_

Not sure I up loaded this  correctly Maybe brad can help

h7UAyfu3Z5C0w

It says "no video's uploaded".

[bradl]

That's what I see as well ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pUWY73w_h7UAyfu3Z5C0w/videos  no videos. Could it be that they are not set to be public? 

[Hillscreek]

 

[bradl]

I like that toy! And you got the video sorted perfectly  great job.

[Catalyzt]

That is great!  I will definitely rig something like this, or search for some similar kind of toy, that's exactly the kind of task that Spike likes-- hunting and snuffling for stuff.

When we play ball, unfortunately my throws are very bad, and there are about three or four mini tennis balls stuck somewhere in a dense bush-- not exactly thorny, but you could get scratched rooting around in there.  He's got good judgment, though-- if he might get scratched, he won't go in, but if he can get to the ball without getting snagged, he'll burrow in very carefully and back out.

I'm gonna need a high-powered flashlight and some fireplace tongs pretty soon, because I'm down to my last two tennis balls.

[sanford]

On 9/21/2021 at 8:41 PM, Catalyzt said:

When we play ball, unfortunately my throws are very bad

This $10.00 ball- tosser is available online and also sold at many pet supply stores. Many folks at the dog run use them. They work like a charm and require very little effort, skill or strength. There also seem to be some automatic ball-tossers online for as little as $20 (and much higher), but I don;'t know how good those are. 

[Eliz222]

4 hours ago, sanford said:

This $10.00 ball- tosser is available online and also sold at many pet supply stores. Many folks at the dog run use them. They work like a charm and require very little effort, skill or strength. There also seem to be some automatic ball-tossers online for as little as $20 (and much higher), but I don;'t know how good those are. 

We used this for years with Finch. She LOVED balls, and retrieving them, and would chase balls until she was plum worn out! This saved my arms from wearing out, especially since I've had several shoulder surgeries. This device stood up to the elements too. I left it out on the back deck, all ready for the next play time for many years. It faded over the years, but still did the job. After Finch passed away, I finally threw it away. Now I am regretting my actions since Atticus seems to like balls too!