Slushie Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 I have just got a new dog, 14 month old female staffy cross who loves to play with my 3 yr old male staffy, but has no concept of playing with toys. She is scared of squeaky toys, petrified of balls (actually flinches) and isnt into the soft toys. I am going to test out the kong (as there is one burried in the back yard somewhere!) but how do I teach her that toys are ok and fun. She is very easy to train with food... Any pointers will be appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 Our rescue dog had no interest in toys to start- but now loves them and pulls all of them out of the toy box at once Give it some time and experiment, put food in toys, move the toys on a string to make them seem interesting, try different types of toys etc. Does your other dog play with toys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slushie Posted July 27, 2007 Author Share Posted July 27, 2007 The male staffy plays with his squeaky toys - he loves them, and she ran away when he was playing with them - didnt like the noise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 (edited) When I adopted my girl (who has sadly .... years on, now passed), she really hated the 'squeak' in toys. So I used to use the squeaky bit and put them under my doona cover. Served to help me get her out of the habit of getting up on my water bed when I wasn't looking. Kal wasn't, and never became, toy oriented. She enjoyed tasty food treats, but I was her primary motivator. Edited July 27, 2007 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry's Mum Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Perry was not at all interested in toys when I got her - she had never been exposed to them having spent her first year chained to a log in a farm yard. Someone advised me to play with toys in front of her so that they were my toys not hers and to make a big fuss of these toys. It worked, natural nosiness got the better of her and gradually I let her have them for a short time, getting longer and longer. She has now become ball obsessed and she likes her two little teddies - rescue ted and football ted - who get tossed in the air and also get taken to bed with her but she hates squeaky toys and won't play with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 If she watches you play with toys with your other dog that may increase her interest in toys. Give her some time to settle in a bit too. My girl Bella would not play tug with a person, only dogs until she watched a Border Collie play tug at an agiltiy trial and from that moment on she started playing tug with me LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah L Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 I have just got a new dog, 14 month old female staffy cross who loves to play with my 3 yr old male staffy, but has no concept of playing with toys.She is scared of squeaky toys, petrified of balls (actually flinches) and isnt into the soft toys. I am going to test out the kong (as there is one burried in the back yard somewhere!) but how do I teach her that toys are ok and fun The kong stuffed with food is a good idea but maybe not around your other dog as it may cause problems. I would take away the squeaky toys for now so that she can watch you play with your other dog and see how much fun it is. Letting her settle in is a good idea to. Thought the idea of you playing with the toys and letting her see was a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidoney Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 I had a rescue foster that would not play with a toy if it was near me - too worried, very submissive, very timid. I got a tuggy on a long line and had that move around in front of her, which stimulated her chase instinct and was less overwhelming as the toy was away from me. She got braver and braver about toys and ended up tugging anything at any proximity, running after balls, etc. (oh and was a natural at lure coursing). She also lost most of her timidity. This was for a dog that did have a high desire to chase moving objects (but never had a chance to use it, or was too timid to use it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaddy's Mummy Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 This is really interesting, when I adopted my border collie he was really scared of the leash when we tried to walk him. He eventually got used to it, with us coaxing him and playing with him when he had the leash on. Now when he sees it, its a task to stop him from jumping and barking and getting way too excited. Oh yeh, he feels ripped off is he gets a ball without a squeek! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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