Rolling - Findable Noise- Sound Toys for Blind Dogs?
Owners often needed noise-toys that blind dogs could chase and find indoors, or outdoors. Commercial toys specifically designed and tested for blind dogs exist (the potential market was estimated as roughly 6,000 homes with blind dogs) and a few kinds of toys marketed for babies and small children might be OK under adult supervision for small dogs.
Most owners wanted to buy or make dog-proof objects like balls that contained noise makers, which could be rolled or tossed by the dogs and located afterward by the dogs listening for sounds from the toy. Scents from cooking flavors could be put on safely to some toys, for the dog to find.
From the Web, noise balls and similar things might possibly work as safe toys OK to amuse some small blind dogs. The offerings for small human children ought be carefully tried under supervision for every size of dog. One of the brands was offered for kids and small dogs.
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The following comments were just thoughts based on the Web pictures and descriptions. Every toy should get the dog owner’s - buyer's best careful look-over for sharp edges and corners, and anything bad in the construction or assembly. I did NOT buy or try any of them, so can't say which were best and safest.
Maybe for a "do it yourselfer" => Small Metronomes http://www.johnsonstring.com/cgi-bin/accessorysearch/accessorysearch.cgi?select1=ME - About $20 each for little ones that could be placed in a plastic container - replace the plastic container when the dog beats up or chews on the container too much (plastic bits when eaten are bad for a dog’s intestines!).
3.5 inches diameter ball -Looks like maybe a small tough dog-ball-toy : http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/retail_pet_distribution/animal_sounds_x_tire_balls_small.cfm - about $10, makes noise when rolling? Probably stops noise when it stops moving.
4.5 inches diameter ball for mid-size [?] http://www.amazon.com/Multipet-Wiggly-Giggly-Small-4-5-Inch/dp/B00005OMX6/ref=pd_sim_t_1 - about $10 each, might not use batteries. A larger ball - -makes sounds while it rolls http://www.amazon.com/Wiggly-Giggly-Toysmith-assorted-individually/dp/B000RA1R5A/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top ; About $14 each, maybe does not use batteries & makes noises only while it moves.
A toy drum maybe can roll and can be batted about by small dogs? various sounds - probably battery power
< http://www.amazon.com/International-Playthings-Flash-Beat-Drum/product-reviews/B00028SAU2/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1> About $22
Probably none of those are OK for dogs who chew into little pieces everything they can get in their mouths. Likely should NOT be offered for unsupervised play.
Of the noise unscented items mentioned the only one that I suspect might work for a deaf-blind dog was the one with battery power. If the vibration sounds a deep tone, a deaf dog might be able to “hear” the drum vibrations (sound) through the floor, with sensitive hairs and nerves in its feet and legs.
For large dogs such as German Shepherds, a toy for blind dogs ought to be large enough that the dog can’t open her jaws far enough to get a solid grip on it, even on corners or protrusions. Large dogs of our acquaintance too often swallowed amazing things and arrived “paws –up” at the veterinary for surgery or autopsy. Objects devoured included tennis balls, pieces of soccer balls, walnuts, stones or pantyhose.
For a noise ball toys that endures for large blind dogs, a local GSD already educated me for a ball than can survive, (we have one). For our dogs we owned a thick-walled blue rubber "Jolly-Pet" ball sold with a strong rope running through it. The local GSD ‘killed’ our first one after the rope came out, after which he got a grip on it at the edge of the hole for the rope.
Because our dogs liked that "ball on a rope" we bought a replacement, as large as possible (eight inches diameter) so the GSD couldn't easily open his jaws wide enough to get a good grip with his fangs. Biting the rope tended to distract him from biting the middle of the ball to destroy it. As long as the rope is through such a large diameter ball, a dog usually can't get a grip-bite on the hole's edges or corners, so a dog smaller than a GSD would have to work hard to destroy it. It was about $20 at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Jolly-Pet-8-Inch-Romp-n-Roll-Red/dp/B0002DK9OW/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_2
we were pleased to discover that the ball near one "end" had a 'port' where objects to about 3/8 across inches can be easily chucked in - - and the port has a deep inside-pointing rim that will prevent almost anything from falling out again if it’s shaken. Unless the ball was broken-ripped open, it seemed that the objects inside it couldn't be got out and eaten by a dog.
A dozen dog treats slid easily in through the port-hole – and made a racket while it was moving - I could hear the clatter at ten feet distance. Maybe some sort of small diameter wind-up or inertia machine from some other type of toy might be inserted through a port in some other sort of ball? A battery powered “noise canister” was maybe for sale on the “petqwerks” web site, which could be placed somehow into a ball of your choice?
For best endurance maybe get the largest size. Other brands of balls of suitable size from other vendors were also advertised. One of them was (as I recall) about ten-inches diameter, and maybe had a removable port-hole cover so that noise stuff could be put in. I am unsure about any others surviving well. Some owners were pleased to have such a ball survive a whole year -
*** Other places worth looking at: ***
Search on “bell ball” for http://www.braillebookstore.com/view.php?T=Bell+Tennis+Ball,+Three-Pack
http://www.braillebookstore.com/view.php?T=Bell+Hockey+Ball,+Three-Pack
*** or search for “Babble Ball” ; possibly the following link will work
http://www.petproductadvisor.com/store/product-detail.aspx?pi=TBB1
*** For medium to light chewers: > http://www.dog.com/item/multipet-look-whos-talking-dog-toy/311004/
makes sounds of animals, soft toys, tosss & they go find it
***or battery power toys were described at http://www.petqwerks.com/xtireballs.php
***or Search for “Boingo Ball” - - apparently available at Amazon.com
***or try at < flaghouse.com> and search there for “beep ball”
Scam Caution: The same and similar names - - like “biengo ball dog toy” on a rope – showed up in our searches – Those imitations were NOT OK noise toy balls for blind dogs!
Owners often needed noise-toys that blind dogs could chase and find indoors, or outdoors. Commercial toys specifically designed and tested for blind dogs exist (the potential market was estimated as roughly 6,000 homes with blind dogs) and a few kinds of toys marketed for babies and small children might be OK under adult supervision for small dogs.
Most owners wanted to buy or make dog-proof objects like balls that contained noise makers, which could be rolled or tossed by the dogs and located afterward by the dogs listening for sounds from the toy. Scents from cooking flavors could be put on safely to some toys, for the dog to find.
- Reusing plastic bottles, jugs, etc: Put small edible things such hard dog treats in plastic bottles, which can be rolled and tossed about by a dog, and chased. Such plastic containers would be replaced when they became too worn or chewed by the dog. Limitation: sounds from the container stop when the thing stops rolling, thus a blind dog can’t find it by sound after it stops rolling, but could find a scent from the container - cooking flavors, possibly ‘liver bits’ or crisp- bacon bits?). Cost: Near zero?
- Modifying Commercial dog-baby toys: Put small edible objects such as hard dog treats into commercial ball-toys that have “ports” where such things can be easily inserted but prevent objects from falling out; such as the Jolly-Ball <see Amazon.com zzzz>. Limitations same as #1, but cost perhaps nearly $20 each, with long life.
- Modifying Commercial ‘toy’ dispensers of dog treats; possibly a noise maker device can be inserted in place of treats. Obviously the noise makers must be harmless if a dog proves to be able to get the noise maker out of the toy and try to dissect or eat it. Possibly such noise makers could be extracted from cat-toys, metronomes, etc. Beans, etc in a container, or an electrically powered noise maker would let the blind dog search for and find it after it stopped rolling. Scenting a toy as mentioned also could be used for a blind dog to search for the toy. Costs range from perhaps $15 to over $30 each for a toy plus a noise-maker device.
- Blind and blind-deaf dogs (supervised) can try toys developed and marketed for babies or small children, i.e. child-proof: Advertised on Amazon.com and other places, including some of the manufacturers sites, were low cost noise toys that appeared to be worth investigating for use by those blind dogs who don’t destroy quickly every ‘toy’ they can attack with their mouth.
From the Web, noise balls and similar things might possibly work as safe toys OK to amuse some small blind dogs. The offerings for small human children ought be carefully tried under supervision for every size of dog. One of the brands was offered for kids and small dogs.
***
The following comments were just thoughts based on the Web pictures and descriptions. Every toy should get the dog owner’s - buyer's best careful look-over for sharp edges and corners, and anything bad in the construction or assembly. I did NOT buy or try any of them, so can't say which were best and safest.
Maybe for a "do it yourselfer" => Small Metronomes http://www.johnsonstring.com/cgi-bin/accessorysearch/accessorysearch.cgi?select1=ME - About $20 each for little ones that could be placed in a plastic container - replace the plastic container when the dog beats up or chews on the container too much (plastic bits when eaten are bad for a dog’s intestines!).
3.5 inches diameter ball -Looks like maybe a small tough dog-ball-toy : http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/retail_pet_distribution/animal_sounds_x_tire_balls_small.cfm - about $10, makes noise when rolling? Probably stops noise when it stops moving.
4.5 inches diameter ball for mid-size [?] http://www.amazon.com/Multipet-Wiggly-Giggly-Small-4-5-Inch/dp/B00005OMX6/ref=pd_sim_t_1 - about $10 each, might not use batteries. A larger ball - -makes sounds while it rolls http://www.amazon.com/Wiggly-Giggly-Toysmith-assorted-individually/dp/B000RA1R5A/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top ; About $14 each, maybe does not use batteries & makes noises only while it moves.
A toy drum maybe can roll and can be batted about by small dogs? various sounds - probably battery power
< http://www.amazon.com/International-Playthings-Flash-Beat-Drum/product-reviews/B00028SAU2/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1> About $22
Probably none of those are OK for dogs who chew into little pieces everything they can get in their mouths. Likely should NOT be offered for unsupervised play.
Of the noise unscented items mentioned the only one that I suspect might work for a deaf-blind dog was the one with battery power. If the vibration sounds a deep tone, a deaf dog might be able to “hear” the drum vibrations (sound) through the floor, with sensitive hairs and nerves in its feet and legs.
For large dogs such as German Shepherds, a toy for blind dogs ought to be large enough that the dog can’t open her jaws far enough to get a solid grip on it, even on corners or protrusions. Large dogs of our acquaintance too often swallowed amazing things and arrived “paws –up” at the veterinary for surgery or autopsy. Objects devoured included tennis balls, pieces of soccer balls, walnuts, stones or pantyhose.
For a noise ball toys that endures for large blind dogs, a local GSD already educated me for a ball than can survive, (we have one). For our dogs we owned a thick-walled blue rubber "Jolly-Pet" ball sold with a strong rope running through it. The local GSD ‘killed’ our first one after the rope came out, after which he got a grip on it at the edge of the hole for the rope.
Because our dogs liked that "ball on a rope" we bought a replacement, as large as possible (eight inches diameter) so the GSD couldn't easily open his jaws wide enough to get a good grip with his fangs. Biting the rope tended to distract him from biting the middle of the ball to destroy it. As long as the rope is through such a large diameter ball, a dog usually can't get a grip-bite on the hole's edges or corners, so a dog smaller than a GSD would have to work hard to destroy it. It was about $20 at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Jolly-Pet-8-Inch-Romp-n-Roll-Red/dp/B0002DK9OW/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_2
we were pleased to discover that the ball near one "end" had a 'port' where objects to about 3/8 across inches can be easily chucked in - - and the port has a deep inside-pointing rim that will prevent almost anything from falling out again if it’s shaken. Unless the ball was broken-ripped open, it seemed that the objects inside it couldn't be got out and eaten by a dog.
A dozen dog treats slid easily in through the port-hole – and made a racket while it was moving - I could hear the clatter at ten feet distance. Maybe some sort of small diameter wind-up or inertia machine from some other type of toy might be inserted through a port in some other sort of ball? A battery powered “noise canister” was maybe for sale on the “petqwerks” web site, which could be placed somehow into a ball of your choice?
For best endurance maybe get the largest size. Other brands of balls of suitable size from other vendors were also advertised. One of them was (as I recall) about ten-inches diameter, and maybe had a removable port-hole cover so that noise stuff could be put in. I am unsure about any others surviving well. Some owners were pleased to have such a ball survive a whole year -
*** Other places worth looking at: ***
Search on “bell ball” for http://www.braillebookstore.com/view.php?T=Bell+Tennis+Ball,+Three-Pack
http://www.braillebookstore.com/view.php?T=Bell+Hockey+Ball,+Three-Pack
*** or search for “Babble Ball” ; possibly the following link will work
http://www.petproductadvisor.com/store/product-detail.aspx?pi=TBB1
*** For medium to light chewers: > http://www.dog.com/item/multipet-look-whos-talking-dog-toy/311004/
makes sounds of animals, soft toys, tosss & they go find it
***or battery power toys were described at http://www.petqwerks.com/xtireballs.php
***or Search for “Boingo Ball” - - apparently available at Amazon.com
***or try at < flaghouse.com> and search there for “beep ball”
Scam Caution: The same and similar names - - like “biengo ball dog toy” on a rope – showed up in our searches – Those imitations were NOT OK noise toy balls for blind dogs!