Our dog can’t play! I have recently taken on a second male Shih Tzu, Frodo. He is a dear little chap, very affectionate, very sociable and absolutely adores my husband & me and our existing dog. Frodo had no idea how to walk on a lead, climb stairs or enjoy a cuddle on the sofa when we got him little over a month ago so has been on a very steep learning curve. One thing we have made no progress with is that Frodo has no idea how to play; in fact if he does pick up a toy while running or chasing with the other dog he then creeps away and flinches so I would assume he has been actively discouraged from playing in the past. We have tried ignoring him to see if he will play when he feels unobserved and we have tried very quietly praising him when he does show interest but every time he flinches as if expecting to be told off. Frodo clearly has playful instincts and the only thing he will do is to throw his bed around. I’ve tried giving him a toy to indicate it’s ok for him to have it but he puts it down and moves away as if chastised. Our other boy is very playful and spends hours with his toys and Frodo will join in the running around but doesn’t seem to know why. We would love any advice or tips your readers might have to help us help Frodo to learn to play.
Claire Gosney
Hi, if you wave an object from side to side it usually sets off a dog's prey drive which is the instinct they modify when playing. You could also use treats to reward Frodo when he takes the toy in his mouth. If you use something he really likes like kabana (a deli sausage) it will motivate him more. I have also put peanut butter on toys to encourage play. I have worked with dogs with no willingness to play and, as you've observed, it's usually from neglect or abuse. He might eventually pick up some tips on playing from your other dog. Sue
ReplyDeleteHi Claire,
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest trying to encourage Frodo to play by using clicker training. The nice thing about clicker training is that it will introduce toy play with new (positive) associations.
Start off by just clicking then giving him a treat for a few short sessions, don't ask anything of him at this point as you just want him to associate the click with something nice, the treat.
You can then click and gently throw a treat over to him whenever he interacts with a toy. Use the clicker to reward all toy play until Frodo starts to associate it with positive things, eventually the play should become rewarding in itself.
In the early stages it is probably best not to use any verbal praise as it seems to worry him but once he is more comfortable around toys then you could try building it up.
It may also help to use interactive toys such as Kongs as this is self-rewarding, he should enjoy playing with it because there is food involved and no scary consequences.
I hope this is of some help.
Ali Evans
Brighton Dog Training
www.brightondogtraining.com
You say that it's been only a month so firstly don't worry about time frame. You'll be surprised what he will learn in his own good time. Having another dog around will be a great help.
ReplyDeleteEven if you don't want to follow the training techniques I would suggest reading the Dog Whisperer by Jan Fennell. The story of how Barmie was transformed from a shell of a dog to an active member of the family will give a good insight.
He's clearly come a long way in a short time and has landed on his feet at last, he'll get there.
Thank you to everyone. I'm giving the clicker training a go and will see how that progresses and I've ordered The Dog Whisperer so hopefully I'll be able to bring him on. And Messy Pawz, I've found that Doggy hot dogs will almost encourage Frodo to do anything so will try using (bits of) them as the reward!
ReplyDeleteThanks again. Claire (& Frodo) xx