My dog is not interested in toys

[ManuelaGiammusso]

Hi there, my german shepard has joined the family as An adult. I don't think anybody had ever played with him. I'm struggling to find a game we can do together. He is not interested in Toys (which makes It difficult to procede with the brain training) and his behaviour is unfocused and herradic. What do you suggest to make him interested in Toys?

Thank you

 

[Adrienne]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums!

There are many brain games that do not involve toys, can you provide more details on what games you have tried so far and what type of toys you have tried? 

Also, how old is your German shepherd? 

How long have you had him?

Has your dog seen the veterinarian since you got him?

Can you please explain more in detail his unfocused and erratic behavior? When do you notice this behavior?

 

 

[ManuelaGiammusso]

Hi Adrienne, thank you for your quick reply. 🤗

He is 2 Years old (so the old owner thinks) He has been with me for 6 months. Unfortunately though I haven't been able to focus on him as Much as I'd like. 

I live in the contry side and Giorgio (the german shepard) has run away from his old owner and decided to stay with me a new months after another male dog (Ubaldo) did the same; both attracted by my remake dog (Cecia). Ubaldo is a small mixed dog who had been mistreated and beaten up by people and dogs so he is anxious and defensive and Giorgio (german shepard) has attacked him. Now I keep them separeted and the situation is not ideal as I don't get to spend relaxed time with either of them. Giorgio is jealous as he sees Ubaldo indoors, and everytime he passes by he barks and stands on the Door and Ubaldo is starting ti ignore him.

Sorry I went a bit off topic...but anyway I decided to get your beautiful course because I wanted to get closer with both the boys and hopefully feeling comfortable enough to try to put them together.

Giorgio seems like a clumpsy huge pup, he has no focus and no boundaries. I noticed that he doesn't know how to express affection, he jumps to bring his face close to mine. Whenever he is frustrated he runs and barks within the enclosure and then comes back.

Your course is helping me to get him focused and hippie, but I'm stuck with the "drop" as he doesn't want to take anything that isn't food. 

I've tried with a rope, playing Also with the female, pulling It and launching it. I've tried with a ball, a stick, a stuffed toy...nothing seems to work, i've Played hide and seek with him, he always find me, he seems to like that but when I try with a toy he Loses interest.

 

Thank you very much i'm enjoying this course a lot.

 

[JMFS]

Some dogs simply aren't interested in toys - I have one of those.  He Loves the brain games, though.  I'll even toss his food into the yard for a couple days after it's been mowed so he can "hunt" his food.  German Shepherds have a strong prey drive, which is probably why he seems to enjoy "hide and seek," and you can use that to your advantage.  I watched a lady at the dog park with her two GSDs and even with all those distractions they waited on one side of the park while she went to the other side to hide balls.  When she came back she released them with a command and they ran over to the hiding area to find their balls.  They came back and gave her the balls so she could do it again.  GSDs are truly amazing dogs!

Even though Giorgio doesn't show interest in toys you may be able to find something he'd be happy finding and you can build his skill from there.

The information you gave off topic seems more pressing to me than disinterest in toys, though.  To me it sounds like he wasn't properly socialized with humans or dogs, but the good news is that you can work with him on that.

I am interested to see the suggestions Adrienne has.  🙂

[ManuelaGiammusso]

Thank you for your reply.

Yes definetely that is a very important issue, but It's a whole different topic i with to address to Adrienne in more details. 

At the Moment I had "the toy"with Giorgio simply for the Brain training path from Adrienne, I've just undertaken.

Thank you for your suggestions I will keep up with hide and seek

Cheers 👋

[Adrienne]

Thanks for the extra details!

The good news is that you can practice drop with just about anything your dog grabs. So if he is eager to take food, you can try to practice with some type of food that is quite large, safe and your dog in unable to eat or gulp down quickly. For instance, one of my favorite foods I like to practice drops is a big chunk of dry bread. This is hard to eat all at once and even if in worse case scenario, he would end up eating some, it's bland and won't cause big issues.  On top of this, it offers a good starting point as it's perceived as lower value to many dogs.

Of course, to get the dog to drop, you have to use something that is perceived higher in value than bread such as a treat that is meat-based. Studies have shown that most dogs tend to find meat more valuable. Once he gets the concept, you can then practice your drops its when out in the yard  if you happen to notice your dog spontaneously grabs a stick or something else he shouldn't have like  the remote control, your slippers etc. Of course, never place items/foods that can pose a danger to your dog purposely on the floor to practice with!

His lack of focus is likely due to his lack of training. Eye contact is important as it opens the lines of communication. The Airplane game and Look into my Eyes game can be helpful here. 

For the other issues, feel free to create a new thread on that topic with more details (the more the better).