stwilliams Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 i think that i am not doing something right with abby(9months old now)! we go out to play fetch she will play when we are together alone outside when sarah my wife or her puppy freinds in the backyard come out she loses all intrest in playing same thing happens when our newphews come over ( they are he at our house at least once a week and stay the night.)... when she is in the mood to play she will play hard is there something that i can do to keep her more intrested in playing when the others are a around? because i would like to start getting into fisbree with other dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 I would say she's distracted. Dal gets distracted esp by Maddie plus there are times Dal just doesn't want to. He will go a few times and then walk off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwilliams Posted July 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 do you think there is anything that i can do to make her less distracted and get here involed ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 She is a puppy. Puppies are distracted very easily. Also, not every dog is into fetching -- I have a friend whose 4 yr. old BC does NOT play fetch! At all! Anytime! But, I wouldn't worry too much. Continue to play throw and retrieve with Abby. Please remember, a dog of her age should not be doing jumps into the air anyway, because of risk of injury to her joints. Throw balls and frisbees low and long. Rolling a rubber throwing disc along the ground for her to catch and retrieve is a good exercise and may develop her interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 Some BCs don't like to fetch. Some do and some don't. My older dog would rather play tug than any other game, so we compromise and when I throw the frisbee (very durable fabric one), I play tug with her when she brings it back. My two won't really play with my husband because he just stands there and throws ball. When I am the one playing, I dance all around and cheer them on. The game is VERY exciting when I play it. My neighbors think I am crazy. Allie + Tess & Kipp http://weebordercollie.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwilliams Posted July 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 I guess the thing is that my family compares abby against daisy my sisters 3 year old aust. shepard and keep wondering why abby does not do the same things that daisy does. me personality hope that abby does catch on to it sometime in the future... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 Originally posted by stwilliams:I guess the thing is that my family compares abby against daisy my sisters 3 year old aust. shepard and keep wondering why abby does not do the same things that daisy does. Oh, I know it's hard but try not to compare her to your sister's dog. It's like comparing babies. Each is unique and develops at his or her own pace. Just cuz one baby walks sooner than another, doesn't mean he's going to be the faster runner when they grow up. It's true that some dogs, even BC's, simply don't enjoy fetch. However, it sounds like Abby does like to retrieve -- she just gets distracted at times. Keep playing with her when she is not distracted and my guess is as she matures she will like fetch more and more until she prefers to do that rather than some of the things she wanders off to do now. Make sure to keep it fun. She really is still a kid and it should all be fun for her now. Also go easy with the Frisbee so she doesn't injure her young bones or joints with too wild of leaps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sadie's law Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 My 4 pups just turned 7 months old. When I play one-on-one with them, they will fetch a couple times, then just run after the ball or frisbee but not return with it. Am I expecting too much for their age? Max (19 mos. old), just wants to retrieve the other dog going after the toy, never the toy itself. The pups' mom "Sadie," whom I lost in February, loved to fetch anything, anytime. I want so badly for any of these little guys to play like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Originally posted by Sadie's law:My 4 pups just turned 7 months old. When I play one-on-one with them, they will fetch a couple times, then just run after the ball or frisbee but not return with it. Am I expecting too much for their age? What do they do when they have the ball? Run around? Want you to chase them? Lie down and play with it? How hot is it right now? Quinn is a fetching maniac but he self-limits our play sessions when it is hot and humid. If he lies down, I take that as the cue for a break or end to the game. Sadie sounds like Quinn. He came to me fetching at 9 weeks. Still, I've needed to "fine tune" his retrieve from time to time. When he would run past me or not want to return, I put him on a very long line, so I could step on it and then gather him in to me. The hardest habit to break was when Quinn would launch himself into me at warp speed when he returned the toy. That became very painful (for me -- he seemed to think it was hysterical). So depending on what they are doing, you may just need to help them better understand what you want and/or prevent them from doing what you don't want. Plus, of course make it very very fun to do what you want them to be doing. What does Max do when you play with him alone? As much of a loon as Quinn is over fetch, when he is with other dogs he still often defers to them and just lopes along with them while they retrieve the toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flrpwr52 Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Be careful what you wish for. My two BC's won't let me get anything done outside. I am having to constantly throw a frisbee or a ball for them. After a while they will go off and play but it's not long and they are back to play with me. Abby is still young and easily distracted. Until she gets a little older I hope you are keeping the frisbee low and not having her jump for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Originally posted by flrpwr52:Be careful what you wish for. My two BC's won't let me get anything done outside. I am having to constantly throw a frisbee or a ball for them. After a while they will go off and play but it's not long and they are back to play with me. Quinn would be the same way. I keep his fetch toys all out of reach (well for the most part, sometimes he's able to snag one). So he needs to settle for standing by the door leading from the garage to the backyard where all the toys are stored. He stands there and stares at the toys, then at me, then back at the toys. Sometimes he will run to me, then back to the toy stash. I generally hold pretty firm about only playing 1 or 2 games a day. Sometimes 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flrpwr52 Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 I do have their toys in the garage but they sit and stare at me with those big brown eyes and I can't help myself. I cave in every time. If it's going to be a busy day outside I will play with them and then tell them "enough" and they do back off. But that's not to say they don't try to get a little more play time out of me. My days are built around my girls and they know it. We are always doing something together. I couldn't have it any other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlkgolf Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 This is interesting as we have a almost 5 month old border collie named Darby. She loves to playing Frisbee ( yes I keep the throws low to the ground so as to not injure her). She enthusiastically retrives yet she will seldom return it to me. What she typically does is come back to within about 20-25 feet stop and release and get back in position. On Saturday she returned it right to me 5 straight time. I rewarded her and praised her then after 5 successes she went back to what appears a game of who is in control! Any one have any ideas how to get her to return it to me or another thrower? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Originally posted by tlkgolf:Any one have any ideas how to get her to return it to me or another thrower? I put Quinn on a long line and gently reeled him in to return the toy. By the way, a great tip from Susan Garrett for getting them to release the toy whent they get to you, is to hold their collar with one hand and the toy with the other, putting in enough slack so they can't tug. That's boring and they release so they can go back to something fun. A hand on Quinn's collar is now his cue to let go whether we're playing tug or fetch or a combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlkgolf Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Really have no problem with Darby releasing just getting her to bring it back all the way. Thanks, we have to get through this heat spell to really start working on her frisbee skills. To hot for man and beast here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flrpwr52 Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 What worked for me was to turn my back on them if they didn't bring the toy to me. I would not walk to get it and in no time they figured it out. If they wanted to play they had to deliver the toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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