How do I teach my dog to play?

[ems_911_canada]

She is a 4 year old "show" dog (I just got her) and has no idea how to play. She is amazing and has a wonderful temperment. She loves her belly rubbed but has no idea how to play even tug-of-war (I've tried rubbing her favorite treat all over her toy but she just licks it) Doesn't chase balls etc. HELP...any ideas? I just want her to enjoy the "good life"...

[MyoPia]

pat it

[101_l_gm]

celetape a treat to a ball and make her fetch it so she can have it

[androgyny]

I think she's enjoying pretty much everything you do to her, dogs get almost attracted to anything that moves, and her "play" is being able to show off, I think, one of my dogs don't know how to bark and bite people, he only knows how to eat, sleep, drink, play, chase stuff for 5 min. then gives up and hump, he's lazy and I love him that way,

[angel8258]

she is enjoying "the good life" just take her for walks and keep rubbing her belly if thats all she likes then thats her if you know what i mean. she has been a show dog so she more than likely been trained not to play. you sound like you found a brilliant dog there. just enjoy her for what she is

[dehaitest4344]

You can't really teach a dog how to play. Observe what she likes doing then maybe make a game out of that.Teaching her to play is not the same as teaching her to fetch.

[animallover1607]

well youve got to rough it up and then get a toy out and play with it and once youve finnished give it a treat to let it know that it has done a good job

[Les0553]

Some dogs, because of previous lifestyle or neglect, etc, don't know how to play like their new caretakers would like them to. Sometimes they are content to not play at all and just want your affection and sometimes they have never played a day in their lives and just don't know what you want them to do. Dogs like to please their people and will do what is necessary to make you happy if they know what you expect them to do. You can teach a dog to do tricks, fetch, play tug-of-war, etc and this will translate into teaching them how to play and have fun with you once they know what to expect but you also have to learn from them. You must figure out what triggers that puppy like play instinct in them and do things that they enjoy. If you would like to learn some methods to get inside your dogs head and get her playing with you, here is an article that should help you with that titled, "How to encourage a dog to play with toys - 6 ways to get your best friend playing" the link is below.

[Memphis_Belle]

I have found it's a case of trial and error!What one dog loves, another will look at and yawn in boredom...One of my dogs loved frisbess, but would not chase a ball. Another loved a football with a rope through the middle, but would usually sit there hugging it, rather than play with it, but she was happy!Another likes plush toys, especially a dog that barks and a duck that quacks. There are also activity toys which you can hide treats inside like a Kong or Velcro toys that pull apart.Dogs can enjoy a great quality of life without really enjoying toys. My youngest Dobe likes agility (apart from the tunnel) so we have a very mini course in the back garden.You will find something that your dog likes, but it can take time!

[Hallie4228]

Some dogs just really into playing. The best way to "teach" it to play is to allow her to observe another dog playing, or two dogs playing together. Sometimes there are things you can't quite teach as well as other dogs.My sister's dog only plays for a maximum of five minutes. His average play time is 2 minutes. I'm serious. Literally. He also does the same thing with food-covered-toys, where he just licks it.My dog, the brother of my sister's dog, could play for an hour before he falls over in exhaustion. :PThere could be another issue - when the puppy was raised it had no toys around and thus she doesn't know what toys are for. This was the issue for our dogs, but I was able to "teach" my dog how to play after a few days.My dog hates rubber toys - he only likes the fluffy squeaky ones; he also hates hard balls like tennis balls. There are 99cents colored soft-chewing, soft-squeaking balls at Petsmart. The softer the better for my dog. Bring your dog to the store with you and see if you can evoke any small reaction from her with a toy. This works for choosing toys for my dog.Try moving the toy like a prey to arrouse her predator drive - I once got so good at mimicking prey movements with a toy that my sister's dog actually played for 9 whole minutes. That's the longest EVER. I was so proud of my prey-mimicking skills! :PBut remember - some dogs just don't like playing.