Or, they prefer the “keep away” game once they have possession of the toy. He will occasionally join in when tossing a toy but that’s a rare occasion. A dog only has so much prey drive that it can unleash at one time. The ONLY time my border collie won't play fetch with me is when he is somehow discomforted. You’ll build confidence together as you resolve matters one at a time. I think it has made her associate play with yummy things. If not, you may need to break it down even more by tossing the toy closer (some dogs you have to start with just a few inches!). I have heard of some Huskies enjoying fetch, but I imagine their breed loves running most of all. And this (motivation to do “x” ) is about nature, you can’t nurture around it necessarily. . She’s still an energetic, young spirited dog but when you toss a toy to her she will play with it for less than a minute and then she’s over it lol. , It sounds like she’s having a good time playing by herself and sometimes with your JRT. ? She does seem to be housebroken but has had a few accidents, but we are figuring out ways to help her avoid that. 9. Sometimes you can tap into what a dog’s breed was bred to do in order to trigger some interest. My pitty loves any and all sorts of toys, whereas my pointer has never taken any interest in them. Whether it’s introducing the parts of the game in segments or trying a new version of the game, there’s a way to go from “My dog won’t fetch” to “My dog loves fetch.” Breaking Down Fetch Refusal. That’s not a complaint. The only enthusiam he shows is for his food (or my cat’s food) or mostly when my son comes home. His breeder has had many dogs disinterested in play and Riley’s grandmother is one of them, where as his dad loves to play and is the only male dog that loves when the new puppies are born so he can play with them. It makes sense if you think she might be part hound too, since they love to explore and follow scents. 6. My Karli is a 10 yr old Chihuahua. Gradually increase the distance of how far your dog has to go to put the toy in your hand. Riley isn’t much interested in too many games, although he loves hide & seek and kibble toss; if food is involved he’s in! You could also put one inside a cardboard box to make a puzzle out of getting the hoof out. However, she will kind of wrestle and play fight with my Jack Russell on occasion. Like the vigilant guard dog who keeps an eye on every chick in the barnyard. I haven’t met a Tibetan Terrier in person before, but they are gorgeous dogs. It could be PTSD, or perhaps they missed the critical “play stage” of development by being placed in a shelter? You want them to be successful so they find it fun! Dog won’t play fetch. I am not sure if this is a) just who she is b) mirrors our lifestyle (we are very active outdoors and relaxed indoors, c) she is still adjusting to her new home environment or a combination…. Anytime your dog goes to look, touch, or pick up the ball praise and reward (if you use a clicker, great! They do like to retrieve though so balls and kongs are favorites. Posted by 2 days ago. He is quiet, gets along with everyone and occasionally will wag his tale when it’s time for a walk, and that’s about it. Control the game. And even then, it’s just laying down and nibbling them. I would love to try skijoring if I had a Husky or maybe rollerblading or biking while they run along side. The process will be much quicker!). Hi, Elizabeth! So we know at least during this phase of a dog’s life that they like to play. Give your boy a hug from me and Haley and good luck with the training, socializing and the playing!? I don’t believe for a second all dogs are created equal, and all dogs can do “x” well (be it play, trained, etc) despite all having some genes for these things, but the question is drive. These are great tips! It’s interesting that Riley’s breeder mentioned many of their dogs aren’t that into playing. Thanks for your comment, Connie. You’ll have to let us know if you figure out what’s happening.. One will always copy the other and completely stop what they are doing. I’ve heard some people say that Huskies would rather run and romp around with other dogs than play in the traditional sense, so I bet she’ll love the dog park or group play area when you visit. I’m not sure if she was just too shy & frightened at first or if she didn’t know how to play, but I’m so happy she loves to play now. Harley came to live with us at age 2 and really didnt have experience with toys that we could tell. It might take some observation and a little creative thinking on your part, but if you discover what makes him happy, you might be able to expand it into a type of play. She is super well behaved, and when we go on walks (twice a day!) Thanks again for sharing about your dogs! I’ve always been told by English Shepherd breeders that there will be one or two “house dogs” (watch, do chores – low motivation) and the rest will be “farm/herding dogs” (play, herd, do chores – high motivation). A Game of Tug is the Best Training Reward I’ve Found, Do Dogs Barter? Maybe try shaking things up to see if Charlie or Daisy can help give you a clue about what they might be thinking. We got Daisy when Charlie was about a year old he absolutely loves her. The bad news, is it can take a while if you have a dog that is not toy driven at all. 10 Tips for Helping Your Dog Learn How to Play, “Do You Have a Dog That Doesn’t Like to Play?”. I really appreciate finding people with very similar situations as well as your responses and suggestions! I believe she has been beaten with a stick … a lot. All the dog has to do is choose a moving statue instead. He loves to hike and ride in the car. Thanks Susie, You’re so right, Susie! It will take a lot of patience and conditioning from the owner to make this game a true success. In fact, some people have a dog so they can go outside, get some fresh air and play fetch. When someone tells me their adult dog doesn’t like to play, I often wonder about the old nurture vs. nature debate. A month ago we found a beautiful 4 year old female from a rescue organization. I get asked a lot how to get a dog to fetch by clients that want to use it as an easy way to exercise, or need a retrieve for obedience trials. Now THATS a game a GSD could get into! She may just be very shy but if she’s still sleeping all the time, it might be a good idea to have her checked by your vet to make sure there’s not a reason for her to be so inactive. He will play with a keychain or a leaf the size of a quarter as much as he will with a tennis ball. Most people play fetch for a LOOOONG LOOOONG time. He is a very sweet, low-key, low maintenance fellow! Before she came, I bought a squeaky cuddle toy and a tug toy to at least have a couple of things she could play with – she’s touched neither – and her foster brought along another squeaker and some hooves. What Should You Do When Your Dog Growls at Someone? If she sees rabbits, squirrels and even birds she very happily wants to chase them. Great tips, I’m lucky and my gang loves to play in some form or another. I even offered her a Kong with peanut butter in it but she calmly licked out most of the peanut butter and actually left some in the Kong when she was done with it. That was a about 3 years ago. Both were puppies when we got them. Is the fun of doing agility itself what keeps Ethel motivated? Maybe check to see if anyone offers nose-work training in your area. She’s not big on fetch, but she loves tug, chase, wrestling and shake & kill! If you want a happy home life with your dog, the human needs to follow your tips about “breed” and find the type of play that will satisfy the dogs “drive”. The contrast between play styles and interest in playing is fascinating. That’s an interesting point, Pamela. Or if your dog won’t fetch at all, then this is the article for you. Now she’s a toy loving pup and can’t wait to play w/ us and our other dog! Thanks for stopping by today, Elizabeth. Brave Puppy Is So Determined To Run. Have the toy and your dog right in front of you. I so want to see her taking advantage of our big fenced yard but, she sticks to me like glue. She has next to no motivation there, looks at me like I’m crazy or something, and when she does play (tug a little etc) it lasts for maybe 30 seconds before she does something else she prefers to do. I am trying to learn more about my dog’s utter disinterest in play. I know it’s somewhat common for rescue dogs to not know how to play which makes me think it’s more about nurture than nature. After being in a crate for the first four years of his life and not being exposed to playing with toys or other dogs, it’s possible that he might not be interested in playing. Your new pup sounds like a sweetheart and I’m sure she still needs some time to relax and adjust to her new home. Both mine love to play, but when it comes to rewards, such as for agility, my oldest, Earl, much prefers food. But we are sure the humans would be more than willing to play a game of fetch with him. You have to lock up tennis balls to keep your dog from constantly bugging you to play fetch. He’s a fine dog and very timid and nice, but he won’t play. Hi Grace, Congratulations on your new family member! There’s such a huge variety of dog toys: Balls of all shapes and sizes, squeaky toys, hard and soft rubber toys, stuffed toys, tug toys, treat-dispensing toys, throwing toys, etc. She was initially rescued 8 mos. Is it nurture or nature? I hadn’t thought about types of play for hunting dogs and if they would still enjoy forms of play that are also much like the work or training that they do. I have two dogs. The good news is, you can teach your dog to retrieve. ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky! Mort on the other hand had 20% play tendency that I could nurture up to 110%! She will sit for cheese but that’s about it on the commands. I have an 11/12 year old Maltese that will run and play with a toy but the minute you try to engage her, she stops wanting to play. She likes that best. Your sweet GS/Corgi girl sounds pretty well adjusted to me and I’m sure she’s happy to have her new loving, family. To work on this, you are going to do something called “backchaining” – start with the end behavior that you want and work backwards until you have a full behavior. The breed or mix of breeds of your dog will give you a clue as to what type of play style they might enjoy the most. It was the first time she showed interest in any sort of play. While she is a sweetheart and loves to cuddle and give kisses, we haven’t found exactly what she might like to play with just yet. Since this topic alone could be an entire article, we will just touch on this briefly. She doesn’t care for chew bones, however full size carrots are the bomb in her eyes. My son adopted an 8 year old shepherd mix, Rudy. So if you want your dog to enjoy playing fetch you'll want to start by … About four months ago we adopted a rescue who they think is between one and a half to two years old. Almost any dog can be taught to fetch and just about every dog will quickly learn to love it. Charlie is the true retriever, loves to fetch! It very well could be that she adapts to what you’re doing when you’re at home relaxing. And many dogs, including many retrievers I have owned, and including some of the most well-bred retrievers in the world, were not like this as puppies. I wonder if play might look so strange for some dogs that we humans don’t recognize it. ? It sounds like he’s doing really well so far, considering his early life. It sounds like Chloe and Riley get along very well together and respect each other’s personalities. I wonder if it’s true that Harley didn’t have a lot of toys or opportunities to play before he came to live with you. Have you tried throwing two balls at the same time, maybe slightly apart from each other. You’re wonderful for rescuing her! All he does is eat, sleep and poop (and pee). She played with her sibling *all* the time (died 8 weeks ago) but bcz she always had another dog in the house to play with she was never interested in playing its humans. My niece also rescued a miniature schnauzer that was a puppy mill dog and she didn’t have any interest in playing either. (heartworm, puppies too young, dental disease). Ethel, being young, is into everything, and much in the middle! It’s understandable that older dogs or dogs that are ill may lose interest in playing, but the idea of a dog that doesn’t like toys or playing is foreign to me. Here's a quick trick that works every time: use 2 balls! I will have to try these tips with the dogs at my parents’ house. I remember you saying that Jack and Maggie like to play “Find It” with treats in the yard, so even though they might not play much with toys, I’m sure they have a great time doing their own thing and going on those fun walks, of course. Gotta say though. Some dogs won’t play with a toy unless you are engaged too. They are masters of reading our body language and they look for our play signals. It is expensive to buy a ton of different types of toys, so you could try using some things around the house, like putting some treats in cardboard boxes to see if she likes ripping into them or playing Find It with treats you hide in different places around a room. I know I made mistakes in the last few weeks and I have no other pets or kids for her to play with but I wan rtf her happy can you give me advice? She LOVES the hooves, but hasn’t touched any of the other toys. Because of her background, it might take a little more patience and coaxing to see if she likes to play, but as you can tell from the other comments here, some dogs just aren’t into toys or playing that much and that’s perfectly fine too. When I adopt a dog who never learned, I accept it and just love the dog all I can. http://chasingdogtales.com/teach-dog-play-find/. some dogs wont play fetch but may prefer a game of tug instead, your pup may be slightly insecure that may be why he wont go very far from you. It’s interesting how different drives and motivations come into play. I’m curious to hear how the dogs respond and if Jade will enjoy playing in different ways. Let’s say you want your dog to pick up the ball and put it in your hand. It can often be more difficult to train a hunting dog to play fetch. That’s just who she is. I don’t think the issue is so much that she doesn’t play, and moreso that she doesn’t have the attention span to focus on a toy. If your dog is more food motivated than toy, reward them with treats when they interact with the toy – this associates toys with your dog’s favorite thing, food. That doesn’t mean they won’t and it certainly doesn’t mean they can’t. Reward your dog from interaction with the toy. He likes to play after dinner and sometimes after a walk and if we have guests over, he’ll drag out all the contents of his toy box and parade around with them. However, not all dogs naturally fetch. I’m not sure why, but I’m thinking that he never knew how. And he definitely does that terrier shake and kill with his stuffed toys. I’ve always thought that maybe Dax could have been miss treated or even had a birth defect. Trying hiding them to see if she might enjoy nosework or bury them in a toy box to see if she’s a digger. Sure you could *train* them to play, but teaching them to *enjoy* play is completely up to them (whether it’s something they want to do more than something else they could do). She is a retriever but if you throw a ball or a toy duck she just looks at it. hi I have a problem, my dog is 7 year old lab, we got him when he was five from a friend who could no longer keep him, he LOVED toys before we got him, but he REFUSES toys (other then raw hide) I just can’t get him to play, I play bow go “grff!” As a play bark, and other play signals but he looks up at me gives me a look like “WHAT are you doing?” HELP. I have heard it from a bunch of people know, with anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months before they settle in. I got a German Shorthaired Pointer thats reached her golden years, but believe me, hasn’t slowed her down, in contrast with my more mild mannered pitbull. Remember, you want your dog to be successful so he likes the game. What do you do when your dog loves to play with a ball, but he won't give the ball up in a game of catch? Very shy, has just been introduced to grass. He was used as stud only, now neutered. We have 4 yr old rescue heeler. 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