The other day I found myself reading about Zhu Zhu pets and it actually ended with me and the good lady reminiscing about our previous Dog Sam. Quite a few years ago we were living in the south of England and one boxing day morning we went for a walk in the local park. To our surprise there was a pet Gerbil running around the place looking rather surprised at where he had ended up. To this day I don’t know how he got there but we did the decent thing and set the Dog on him (joking). No, we took him home and ended up paying for a Gerbil house and the usual stuff that Gerbils love. Balls that roll around the floor and that kind of thing.
Now this gerbil was a crazed thing. Whenever we let him out to get some exercise in the living room he went bonkers. He would run around for hours and it was difficult to get him back inside. We had to keep Sam out of the room because he was absolutely obsessed with Tiny Tim (hey, it was Christmas time when we found him okay). Sam would scratch the door like a thing possessed, trying to gain access to his newest furry friend.
Even when the Gerbil was in his cage, placed high up out of his way, he would sit for hours just hoping it would somehow come out to play. I have absolutely no doubt that he would have consumed Tiny Tim in an instant given half the chance.
Jump forward a few years. We now have three Dogs, hence the name of this Dog Blog, and they are country Dogs through and through. If something runs they will chase it, if they can catch something of a reasonable size I have little doubt that they will kill it and probably eat it. You may think that your Dog is different but do you really think it sees a difference between a small furry animal and the cuddly toys it likes to shake to bits or the rope toy that it throws about the place? It’s all pretty much the same to them.
Anyway, we were talking about these Zhu Zhu pet hamsters that I had written about and would they actually be any good as a way to begin training the Dogs to stay controlled when things are running about the place. Here they are by the way. You can click them to buy them or the Zhu Zhu accesories if you are already being nagged about them. NOTE: These are actually selling very well from my article and so as to not leave out the UK buyers (where I come from), I have set up an Amazon UK store. You can buy Go Go Hamsters
Kids are going absolutely bonkers for these this year and they are set to be the number one gift this Christmas. I wonder if something like this could be used to train Dogs not to chase after real pets that you may have or are considering. Zhu Zhu hamsters for sale can be turned on and off. You could begin with them turned off and train the Dogs to not attack them. This should be fairly straightforward as they are much more likely to behave when it is just a furry thing on the floor.
Once they are on and running around the place in a manic manner I am sure that it would be a different story entirely. But, would I be able to train the Dogs not to attack these hamsters? I think so. At least if I used a Zhu Zhu pet to help train them to not chase everything that moves if something went wrong it would not be a real loss to the hamster community.
If any children are reading this then please note that I will never harm a Zhu Zhu hamster and I am just speculating. Absolutely no hamsters were or will be harmed in the training of my three pesky pooches. Honest.
Anyway, what do you think. A good idea or am I asking for the wrath of Zhu Zhu pet hamster lovers everywhere? By the way, I think I might buy one anyway. They look like fun. Am I allowed, or am I too old?
I think dogs can learn anything. Cats, nothing they don’t want to know.
Jan,
Sigh, that is only too true. I just wish ours would stop making so much noise whenever he wants feeding. It really is starting to grate on my nerves.
Ha. I don’t know. I think those hamsters would probably work for training some dogs. I laughed when you said “so we did the only decent thing and set the dog on him”!
Ace caught a baby bunny in his mouth this spring. He dropped it when I said “NO!” It looked like he hadn’t even punctured the bunny, and the bunny then ran for its life! I think Ace was surprised he’d caught it.
I had hamsters growing up and although I never left my golden retriever unsupervised around them, she never hurt them. I would even hold them right up to her nose (dumb, right?). Most dogs I know would probably take advantage of this and take one big chomp. My cats could also have a bit of fun with a hamster…
Yes I think this could work with most dogs…. our dog’s useless though and doesn’t even see rabbits in front of him!
Our dog’s a purebred longhaired German Shephard with an “attack anyone or any moving thing she sees” instinct, so she’s aggressive towards most things besides the immediate family. I think these toys would be dismantled within a day in this household…They’re still fun though!
Lindsay,
I wish I had that much trust in ours. Our Dogs would go deaf if they managed to snag a rabbit. Weirdly they seem to be freaked by snakes though. Yesterday the Cat caught one about a metre long outside the house and the Dogs would go nowhere near him even after he started eating it. Gross but at least he didn´t whine for tea for a change.
Hi Jan,
And I bet there are quite a few about. We just got back from a 4 hour walk today (it´s the good lady´s birthday so a day off from work). The Dogs went crazy chasing Goats but are now all sleeping and it should be a quiet evening.
Hello Mr Zhu Zhu,
I think it will be true for lots of Dogs but I wonder if they could help in training by not turning them on. The Dogs SHOULD be able to control themselves a little better then.
Ha! My cat can’t catch anything. He caught a fly and it buzzed in his paws, startled him, and he let it go.
My cat, a 4 year old ragdoll, sleeps most of the time these days. The only thing she is good at catching is spiders. Good thing is she is very friendly with my dog, who always tries to sleep with her.
Lindsay,
And he dares to call himself a Cat. Criminal.
Hi Sand,
Our Dogs love the Cat too (unfortunately). Now I know he would get the Zhu Zhu hamsters no problem.
I am afraid your dog will chew it and dead. We don’t know what is inside the Zhu Zhu Pets stuff. Those electronic thing might be dangerous or might be explode like handphone being charged.. .
Zhu Zhu pet hamsters are not only kids friendly but might be dogs friendly as well.
Number1 Chistmas gift? That’s crazy lol. I suppose though if Furby made it so can these guys.
MM,
It is a bit crazy but the kids do seem to love them. The Mindflex Game is number 2 at the moment though and rising fast. Moving a ball via telekinesis is going to beat the zhu zhu pets in the end I think. What next I wonder?
These contain the equivalent of lead paint – a chemical that can harm your dog if ingested. I would not want one around my cats for the unsafe levels of antimony contained on the fur and nose. Please keep them away from pets!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34305092/
Thnaks!
Marcia
It has been proven that the zhu zhu pets are safe and that the test that said they were not was completely wrong. They comply with all laws. I would be more worried about the Dogs eating the batteries than anything else.
zhu zhu hamsters worked wonders to keep my german shepard laying down at a stay command with distractions.
Lol. I would never of thought of that! I think my little dog would run away from one and my big dog would eat it!
I can see how they’re popular with kids. Using them for dog training? I’d like to see that 😉