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73 Posts
Hi,
I recently adopted a 1 year old Lab/Bloodhound from a shelter and I'm having the hardest time getting him to play. A friend of mine who works with a rescue told me that it's common for rescue/shelter dogs to not know how to play, and they must be taught. So I'm trying to teach my guy how to play with his toys, and it doesn't seem to be catching on.
I try to show him a ball, and when he gets it in his mouth I reward with a treat. When he starts tugging on a rope toy with me I reward for that too. But after about a minute of light play he just stops and stares at me. I can't seem to rile him up into play, but he stares like he really wants me to do something.
I'm not sure how to make him interested in playing. He does like to play sometimes, and I want to be able to give him that mental stimulation, but inciting him to play is difficult. Is there any way to get him super excited about playtime?
I recently adopted a 1 year old Lab/Bloodhound from a shelter and I'm having the hardest time getting him to play. A friend of mine who works with a rescue told me that it's common for rescue/shelter dogs to not know how to play, and they must be taught. So I'm trying to teach my guy how to play with his toys, and it doesn't seem to be catching on.
I try to show him a ball, and when he gets it in his mouth I reward with a treat. When he starts tugging on a rope toy with me I reward for that too. But after about a minute of light play he just stops and stares at me. I can't seem to rile him up into play, but he stares like he really wants me to do something.
I'm not sure how to make him interested in playing. He does like to play sometimes, and I want to be able to give him that mental stimulation, but inciting him to play is difficult. Is there any way to get him super excited about playtime?