My staffie doesnt want to play :( Please help me...

Good day to all, I would like to ask You for help and sorry for my english

I have 10 months old Staffie, she is wonderful dog, but she doesnt want to play with toys etc...
I have tried everything -> frisbee, balls and searching... but she doesnt want to do anything... she runs for frisbee, then she wants to tug of war with it, but after a while she becomes apathic and just walks, sniffs and eats grass. I try to be positive (positive motivation), playing with her, but only tug of war with other dogs makes her happy... This is very hard for me, as not every dog wants to play tug of war with her, she is full of energy then, she barks at home, she wants out, but walking outside wont make her less energetic I dont know what to do, I train her well, but I cant find a game to make her less energetic. My girlfriend has Labrador, he runs for every ball all the time, so after 20mins of throwing he is tired and can sleep... But with my staffie its not possible I need to study a lot right now and I cant find a way to tire her... even I am 3 hours outside. Please, help me somehow I love my dog and I want her to be happy, then Ill be happy too. Have a nice day. Juno

Hello & welcome to the forum.

I know what you mean, my own dog isn't very energetic! He doesn't chase balls or frisbees, just sticks. Even then they have to be very big sticks or he isn't interested!

Have you thought about getting a Boomer Ball?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Company-Animals-Boomer-Ball-10-inch/dp/B004W7802C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339752379&sr=8-1

They can chase them around, but they can't actually pick them up, so they present more of a challenge to them.

Hi there and welcome.

It really is a case of finding what works for your dog. Like Caryll's dog, mine isn't at all interested in balls, but he loves sticks. Other dogs prefer a flirtpole. Some benefit more from mental stimulation, scent games and the like.

It'll require a bit of trial and error, but you'll eventually find something that your dog loves that will help tire her out. Good luck!

Hi and welcome from us

How long do you walk her for and at what pace?

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

May I ask what you feed her, how much and how often ???

Hi and welcome from me, Millie and Bella

I feed her with Acana Grasslands (grainfree) and feeding circa 300g per day (and using some salmon 85% crunches for training) and walk with her for 2 hours. We go into the woods, sometimes I run with her and so on... Thank You for warm welcome! Thank You to all!

Juno wrote:I walk with her for 2 hours. We go into the woods, sometimes I run with her and so on

Is this all in one walk, or do you split it into 2 or 3 walks?

Hello and welcome to the forum from me and the kids

Caryll wrote:Hello & welcome to the forum.

I know what you mean, my own dog isn't very energetic! He doesn't chase balls or frisbees, just sticks. Even then they have to be very big sticks or he isn't interested!

Have you thought about getting a Boomer Ball?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Company-Animals-Boomer-Ball-10-inch/dp/B004W7802C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339752379&sr=8-1

They can chase them around, but they can't actually pick them up, so they present more of a challenge to them.

Tilly isn't a fun playful dog with her toys and doesn't show too much interest, she loves to kill sticks, chase a ball and not bring it back so we tried a Boomer ball, absolutely no response whatsoever Rolled it around the floor (at xmas) ) and nothing , she would look at me as if to say "you go fetch it" . And then when the nice weather came I dug it out for the garden and guess what , she absolutely loves it , she won't leave it alone, but only in the garden ??, as Caryll says it is a challenge as she can't fit it in her mouth and if she could she would chase it around the garden for ages just barking at it. To be honest I don't know who gets more pleasure, her playing with it or me watching her .

Mine was about 3 years old before he decided to play with a ball. But it still doesnt hold his attention for long. He enjoys chasing the light from a torch up the garden in the dark but this can be a bit noisy.
Last year I bought an educational toy from a dog welfare auction site - a pyramid which you put training treats into. This keeps him occupied for hours (or until his big brother Bo the harrier hound takes it away from him). He really loves squeeky toys but that loves all of 3 seconds as once they cease to squeek he loses interest

Welcome from us and Suki. Have you tried doing two or three seperate walks of about 45 minutes each? Also mental stimulation like training or searching for treats should help

Hi & welcome to the forum

My dog very rarely plays with toys unless i make it a really high energy fun game and i go mad with her. Some dogs are content to get the ball thrown all day long but staffies like games with a bit more fun and mental work.

Maybe have a look at this - http://www.clickerdogs.com/createamotivatingtoy.htm

It's a good little article about how to build excitement for a toy, might help

I wonder if your girl would like playing flirt pole.
Half hour of hard flirt pole fun and she would be shattered

My lot love this game.

Thank You very much for Your replies!!!