Blind dog friendly toys and experience with companion dog?

[u/Googleledmehere123]

Hi all! I am just reaching out to see if anyone has recommendations for toys for a blind dog! My 5 year old Shiba got both eyes removed about 2 months ago and I feel she is a bit depressed and just very lazy and sleeping a lot. Would love some toy recs for her!

Also, does anyone have experience with adding another dog to the family to be a companion for your blind pup? Considering this but not sure if my Shiba would find it more of an inconvenience or increase in her quality of life!

Thanks in advance 🤍

[u/Cthulhuboop]

Anything that gets her sniffing around would be good! Could try using her favorite (smelly) treats in a snuffle mat or a treat depending toy. Toys that make sound too!
Also, 2 months isn't very long, she's probably still getting used to the world again and could be feeling a bit uncomfortable. Good luck and sending good vibes to you and your baby!

[u/Incogcneat-o]

Does she like toys in the first place? None of my blind dogs are big toy lovers, but the one toy my blind dobie does like is a long nubbly squeaky bone made from silicone I think. What they ALL love are marrow bones. They will just go to town on them for hours, as happy as anything, until my smallest and worst dog (the only one with functional eyes) steals eventually steals them like the thieving thief he is.

[u/denewoman]

I had a senior rescue who just went through a double enucleation. We had two other pups during Covid (adult son and wife moved home with their pups) and it was ideal for my guy. A year later, I added a younger guy as a fur sibling when we moved away and I just knew my guy would be too lonely. What a gem I picked!

So yes to a fur sibling!

As far as toys - definitely pick up a snuffle mat to hide small tidbits. I also found my blind guy loved kids tv shows with unique voices - Peppa Pig and Sponge Bob Squarepants were hits as I could watch his ears move and his attention towards the tv.

[u/Googleledmehere123]

She did show interest in toys before the blindness but now just spends a good portion of her time sleeping. Oh marrow bone is a great idea to keep her up and active throughout the day!

[u/kharmatika]

So, if I can provide a tale that might prove useful: my cat went through a really awful traumatic year before coming to us. And when I got her I was like “wow she is just a very skittish thing. I wish I could express to her that everything is okay but maybe this is just how it’s going g to be owning her”. I gave her lots of love and space and always gave her safe spaces to be bold, but she preferred her privacy

And then, after almost 6 months of her being very skittish, jumping at everything, and fleeing anytime anyone who wasn’t me was in the house, it was like over ight she went through a change. she started watching people from the doorway. Never coming out but shed peek at them from safety. And she stopped running anytime someone moved. She still bolted anytimea cord moved, but not just a hand. And she would sleep on the bed when my husband was in it, and accept pats from him. And she didn’t play with moving toys, but she would carry mini plushies around.

And I was like Ahhhh, here’s her real personality. Timid, but present.

And then, about a year and a half in, it happened again. All at once She went from watching to occasionally walking near people! And from carrying her “babies” to playing “catch the bathrobe tie”. And from tolerating my husband to spending time with him.

And she’s LOUD.

Idk if she has another big shift, but i can say that pets keeo their own council on what recovering from trauma looks lile, and it won’t always look like us. So just be completely ready to accept your pet where they are, always give hem the option and space to move toward something g bigger, and eventually, when dog logic says “alright, I’m no longer uninterested in toys”, it’ll be playtime again.

[u/Googleledmehere123 → u/kharmatika]

I love this perspective!! Thank you so much for sharing! Yes, I completely agree with allowing the pets to work through their trauma in their own way. I just get nervous because I do care about her so much and want her to be happy!! She now just loves being cuddled up next to us so we’ve been super accommodating and staying home with her and just giving her all the love! I hope to see an improvement though because she once was such a fun playful girl who would dump her massive baskets of toys and have so much interest

[u/embot27]

Does your gorgeous girl like playing fetch?
We have had great success with the “dog balls with bell sound” from Amazon. It takes a little bit of work to get them to understand the game, so don’t expect an immediate reaction.
There’s also scented dog balls.

[u/Googleledmehere123 → u/embot27]

She used to enjoy fetch every now and then! Her favorite activity with balls was to bounce it and catch it! She shows interest in her toy baskets still and trys to play with some balls but just ends us losing it and stops! I will try scented and ones with bells! Thank you so much!

[u/banzaizach]

Anything noisy. My dog's favorite ball is a rope ball that makes noise as it rolls allowing her to follow it.