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Can I teach my dog to play with toys?
My 2 yr old rescue has more toys than a toddler, but she isn't interested in playing with them. We wrestle gently daily, but she doesn't care about bones, balls, squeaky toys, tug-of-war, nothing. Is she "missing out," or is that just her personality?
Asked by
Libby
on Feb 3rd 2011
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in Behavior & Training
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It looks like you've only had her since last May? Sometimes rescue dogs can take a really long time to fully "settle in." I had Zack for almost a year (maybe longer) before he would even look at non-food toys. Have you tried a Kong or a toy that has food in it? Zack played with those (just enough to get the food out) for a long time before anything else.
Zack still doesn't play with toys often - and never gets the toys out by himself to play - but he does chase them, sometimes. Other than food toys, he ONLY likes stuffed toys - he completely ignores everything else. And he only plays for 5-10 minutes at a time.
Some dogs just don't like toys - they enjoy other activities instead. Maybe your dog is in that category. It's nothing to worry about. But I would still give it more time, maybe she'll decide to start playing with them. If she seems happy otherwise, don't worry about it.
Zack answered on Feb 3rd.
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When we adopted Tweeker, he didn't play with or without toys. I don't think he knew how to play.
Be paitent, keep some fun toys avalible and encourage the toys, have them around when you give the dog treats or love. You could even teach your dog that toys are good by offering yummy treats when she interacts with a toy.
As long as your giving her plenty of love, and training, don't worry about the toys, she's not missing out, and she could come around.
Tweeker (got his wings May 08)
answered on 2/4/11.
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Some dogs are just not interested in toys. I have had dogs that never cared about toys at all. They just have other things that they may enjoy instead. There is nothing wrong with your dog.
Dunkin
answered on 2/4/11.
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