Mrs_Jimi Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Tifa is totally uninterested in playing. anything. at all............she just lays on the floor. she'll chew her bones if we give her one. but that's it. i've tried getting her to go after a tennis ball, maybe tug-o-war with a booda rope, even bought her one of those wooly baby looking things........nothing. even slightly blowing in her face which normally drives dogs nuts.....no reaction. any suggestions? i mean, she's only a year old shouldn't she wanna play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedismom Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Do you think Tifa was perhaps not played with where she came from? Perhaps she needs some help learning how. There is a thread on this page on teaching a dog to fetch that you might try. Does she seem lethargic? You said that she just wants to lay around. Have you ruled out a medical reason? Not all dogs want to play with toys but a one yr. old BC usually has a little more energy than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrayburn Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Jedismom made a good point. Dogs from sterile environments sometimes don't learn to play and have to be taught. That said, my dog growing up NEVER played. He turned on to work cattle or go for a walk and really couldn't have cared less about anything else. He never chased a stick or tennis ball or played with a squeaky toy. He was totally work oriented from day one and play just wasn't his thing. Does she like to walk or is she lethargic then too? Also, how long have you had her? I seem to remember that you got her fairly recently, right? Some dogs take time to transition - my Ben didn't "turn on" until he had been with me for well over a month. If she is dealing with some transition or health problems (after coming out of a shelter environment), she could still be worn out from that. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninso Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 If I recall correctly, you just got this dog a couple weeks ago. Is that right? Most dogs go through an adjustment period after coming into a new family and need some time to show their true colors--this may last several months. I adopted my dog at just under 2 years old and it took several weeks to get him to play with me. At first, the only thing he would do was play chase around the yard--wouldn't play with toys of any kind. I slowly got him to play with sticks, by praising him for picking them up and then chasing him around with them. This then turned into games of fetch. One day I tried a frisbee and that instantly became the love of his life. He still (6 months later) will not touch a ball, won't tug, doesn't "wrestle," doesn't play with other dogs, and doesn't play with any toys except the frisbee. He also doesn't like to play inside the house at all. He's a pretty mellow guy, although every once in awhile he will get a little crazy stalking and pouncing on his bones like a cat. I would say just give her some time and try different toys and games. She may turn out to be really playful in a little while, or she may be more serious like my boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_Jimi Posted May 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 yes we just got her a little over 2 wks ago. i dont know if they played with her or not at the farm where i got her. she does like going out for her walks, and she loves chewing her bones. other than that, nada....there was one night she seemed a bit frisky and went after a tennis ball, but only that one night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pammyd Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 poor girl give her time Ben dosent really play in the house or the garden at all, he will work (clicker, agility) but thats it he learnt to fetch eventually from watching the other dogs and he does play in the park What about a treat ball or something - might interact with it if it has food in it?? But I wouldnt worry she hardly knows you yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krambambuli Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 We got Sky when she was around 1 year old and she didn't seem to know toys or be interested in playing -- even after she had been with us for a while. We just kept trying and then all of a sudden she decided it looked like fun. Sometimes we were just playing with the toys ourselves (yeah, we are dorks). Squeaky toys finally got her interest, and she loves tug-of-war. She then went into an almost manic play phase, every toy need to be destroyed, if possible. And now that she has really settled down into her life with us, she sometimes likes to play and sometimes not. She loves her toys but doesn't chew them up anymore. She is not really into tennis balls, though she has her moments. We often get this look that says: "Go ahead, throw the toy and fetch it yourself, I'll sit here and watch." It might just be your dog's personality, or you have not given it enough time, or you might have to show her how to play. If she is content, I wouldn't worry about it. Andrea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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