NO play

Hello We have now had Blake 14 weeks. He is about 3 years old. He is doing very well but I can't get him to play (other than tug with me) I have a rubber ring, balls, big squeaky thing but he has no interest in any of them. I have even tried rubbing food on them so they smell good, he might lick the toy for a moment but thats about it.
How do i get my Dog to play?
Help please
(The only thing he goes mad for is balloons But he can't have them all the time)

Hi

Here's a good little article about building excitement for a toy:

http://www.clickerdogs.com/createamotivatingtoy.htm

Hope it helps!

ETA: You want to get his chase instinct going if you want him to play fetch. Try tying a smallish fluffy toy to some string then the other end of the length of string tie to a stick (like a cat toy) and play with him like you would a cat. Keep the soft toy on the floor and moving like a prey animal. As soon as he catches it offer him a game of tug right away (if you don't want him to shred the soft toy!)

To get your dog excited, you have to get really excited yourself and act like a bit of a wally

A laser pointer may also work for something for him to chase after.

Do he have some chew toys ?, maybe a stag bar would help to get him interested in other things. Have you tried filling a Kong for him ? Peanutbutter is a good thing to put in a Kong then stuff with his dinner.

You could also try a flirt pole just to get his excitement levels up. Dempsey isn't really a 'player' either. He'll chase sticks & play tug, but that's really about it. He does love fluffy toys, but he can't have them for more than a minute because he tears them to shreds & swallows the bits!

Lexi doesn't play, she never has. As a pup the only thing she did was sleep hah. She would play tug with my other dog and very rarely if i get her really excited she will play but other than that shes not very playey.

Dempsey is always happy to play with a cat........

(Cats aren't too happy, though! > )

Maybe he is just not a playful dog. He has a kong which i started to give him when i went to work, but he would not touch it until i got home. But its more active toys that he could chase or even fetch that i was looking for. I have now started running round the garden like a loony and he will chase me about a bit wanting the toy. So i will see if this works lol If not at least the neighbors will have had a good laugh. Blake is that laid back he does not even chase the cats.

might just not be a playing dog, buster very rarely plays with his toys or chews unless we get one and start playing with him, but even then it's only tug of war or chasing each other around. he's never been interested in fetch and if you leave him with a toy as soon as we stop playing with it so does he

I wondered if it was something I was doing wrong or something from his past as he is a rescue. Glad to hear he is not the only one that does not play a lot makes me feel better that he is ok and its normal.
I was also wondering how long he should be walked for sometimes he does not seem to want to go out or not go too far. The 4 days i am at work i walk him in the morning for about 40 mins and again in the evening for about 45/60mins. The days I am not at work we tend to go out for one walk in the woods or beach for an hour or more.

Does this sound ok? Thanks

3 walks a day really , we try and do a couple at 30-45 mins each (daughter before and after school) with Tilly and a longer 1 in the middle of the day either me or the OH depending if I am at home , then we do a couple of hours at the weekend.
Little disjointed for us a t the moment though as Tommy is too young for big walks so tend to do a few laps with Tilly and then pick Tommy up as well

no sorry 2 a day when i am at work one before for about 40mins and one in the evening for a bit longer.

Days off one walk but a longer one in the middle. I think two is quite enough for him as he is lazy but he is left quite a wile the days i work so feel 2 are needed x

Helenhb wrote:no sorry 2 a day when i am at work one before for about 40mins and one in the evening for a bit longer.

Days off one walk but a longer one in the middle. I think two is quite enough for him as he is lazy but he is left quite a wile the days i work so feel 2 are needed x

If your work only allows him to have 2 walks a day then thats how it has to be , I am confused by your comment over your days off though ?? Does he have garden access regularly as well ???

Have you tried hiding things like treats and toys for him to find in the garden or the house ? Mental stimulation is also very important for him as this will tire him out too.

When we are home he can go in and out of the garden when ever he likes and will come out with us in the car to my Mums or just for a day out walks etc. The 4 days I work he is shut in the house and seems to spend most of his time up on my bed and looking out of the window. One of the days my Mum and Dad come over at lunchtime and are at mine the rest of the day. The other 3 days my eldest daughter is home at 3 and will then let him out play with him or just be about. x

I have the same "no play" situation with my girl she is a 3yr old and l got her from a rescue. When l say no play, l mean nothing lol, However, anything small fury and alive crosses her path and she will chase forever. I have tried everything - Balls on a rope - running and draging toys on more rope - getting her excited - toys stuffed with smelly treats - but still NOTHING . So, l dont really worry about it anymore (whats the point) she will do anything for food "SUPRISE" so l have found a reasonable size hill that l stand at the top and l throw the treats down the hill and she chases it down smells it out and run's back to the top again. Three or fore hill reps and she its wiped out and happy

LOL Very loud thanks Steve-staff from Lancaster (my last name) Yes i also think why bother but food he will sniff out from anywhere so in flat norfolk i just need to find a hill x But he does love chasing the children on the beach xx