Lost Interest In Toys

[Guest DecorMNM]

Hello community!

I adopted my sweet Sprocket about 3 months ago. Within about a week he had discovered squeaky toys. This thrilled me to no end, seeing him play and have fun. Mostly because he has some pretty intense anxiety issues that I was informed of prior to adopting him. During the time we've been together, he has made great strides in overcoming his anxiety. So in an attempt to further strengthen our relationship, and at the advice of my friend (who happens to be Sprocket's vet, and an experienced greyhound owner), I've enrolled him in obedience classes. He is doing well, though I know he likely won't ever sit, not that it matters to me either way. But I'm worried that, possibly, the stress of the class (1 hr, 1 day/week for 5 weeks) may have made him reluctant to play with his toys. I don't recall an exact correlation between the start of class and the stoppage of play, but he no longer plays with his toys, or me, like he did in the beginning. Is this just a phase, or what? I just want my boy to be happy. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Guest chickenpotpie]

probably a phase. Lucky doesn't play with toys like she used to. she has her favorites of course, but she dosent play with them unless she's bored (in other words, when she thinks I'm not paying enough attention to her )

 

IMO its nothing to worry about.

 

Your dog is new and still changing. I wouldn't worry about him not playing with you or viewing you different, especially considering you're doing obedience classes. Trust me, your relationship will change even more as you and he become closer, and thats a good thing IMO.

 

Give yourself (and the pup) time. and enjoy the journey!

Edited January 28, 2016 by chickenpotpie

[Hubcitypam]

Don't overanalyze. Dogs can be obsessed with new things then get bored.

 

Honestly, very few of my greys have been toy oriented (and in most cases that involved carrying them from one place to another) but some are.

 

Can't see hour one hour once a week in obedience could cause toy aversion. Obedience with a good trainer is a positive thing and bonds dog and owner. BTW - greyhounds can sit. Some sit with their legs thrown out sideways like a dachshund and Buck used to sit in the yard on his own with his back legs thrown on either side of his fronts like a rocking chair. My second greyhound actually won an "award" for best sit in his all breed obedience class.

[Guest FordRacingRon]

Here is the thing no one has said that someone always says........................the dog you brought home will not be the dog you end up with. To this end all I am saying is, the dog will change and it is sort of fun to watch and see them grow.

 

My girl, Princess Leia, is almost 13. I can't count on ten fingers the changes she has gone through,,, I saw major, then slight changes in her behavior.

 

She lasted about a year with toys, The dreadful screaming monkey was the apex of her playing. You could hear that darn thing going all day. Then one day,,all toys of all kind, she stopped just like that.

 

My girl will only sit in the backseat of my car. To look out the back window.

 

One thing she really loved when she was young, was visits with other greys as she is an only dog. She would go nuts playing.

[kudzu]

What training method are you using?

[Guest DecorMNM]

Thank you all for calming my fears.

@kudzu , We are using click & treat training. He is responding very well, even in the classroom setting. I couldn't be happier with our progress, and him as a pup. He's spectacular.

[kudzu]

OK. Just making sure there wasn't any punishment involved. If he is really enjoying the training, treating it like a game, then perhaps that's enough to fulfill his need to play.

[Guest DecorMNM]

@kudzu, that's a theory I hadn't considered. It's entirely possible that's the case. Thank you!

[greysmom]

If you're keeping up with your homework on the off days, he might be tired both physically and mentally. His toy interest will likely come and go, and it's really nothing to worry about. Also, if your dog is young - under 4 years old - he may still be going through some of the ending of his puppy phases, which all dogs go through, not just greyhounds.

[smurfette]

My boy Paddy is a very playful dog with all his stuffies but he plays less when we had some other mentally exhausting entertainment, like meeting his greyhound friends (it's always a whole day because of the distance we live apart), meeting with his group (just some friends and their dogs having fun obedience, agility or distance work) and even long walks in unknown territory.

[GeorgeofNE]

It's a myth that greyhounds can't or "won't" sit.

 

My George was incredibly resistant to training, but I taught him to sit in three days. My Buck learned it really quickly. Their butts don't actually touch the ground, but they assume the position, so to speak. Never forget you adopted a DOG, and while he can run faster than the rest, and may prefer to lie down to sitting, he can do it.

[SilversMom]

I rotate the toys. I remove some old ones and then Give him a "new one" that has been put away. To him it is a new toy and he plays with it. But then my boy has 20 or 25 toys. Val

[racindog]

From a working dog handler's POV I would say perhaps your assessment is correct. He could very easily be stressed by the classes and this DEFINITELY can kill drive in some dogs-ESPECIALLY if there is ANY corrections of any kind. You would not believe (or maybe you would now!) how sensitive some dogs can be-particularly to their handlers emotional state. Always stay happy and positive with him. He don't need corrections. He already wants to do what you want and make you happy. Your job is to figure out how to communicate that to him without stressing him. Any failures are your fault not his. Not trying to be rude but that is one of the hardest parts of handling dogs- any problems are the result of the handler-not the dog. I would bet you would be amazed at what his capabilities are once you get in sync with him. See you're already learning so much about him! Enjoy the ride! One other tip that may help you....dogs want what they "can't have." If he has a boat load of toys always available there is no need to have play drive to get one to play with. First, test him and find his most favorite toy(s). Then put it up. Don't let him have it except for when YOU want to play. After playing put it up again. See if that makes a diff. Some dogs really don't have toy drive and do better with food but since he was playing well earlier I am figuring he prolly likes to play with them. Most of my many hounds I have had did as well.

[Guest DecorMNM]

He just turned 2, so there is still some puppy in him for sure. And we are doing our homework, but nothing more than 10 or so minutes a day. I don't want to stress him or over do it.

I can tell that he's sensitive, and I've been very careful with that as well. He doesn't get in trouble, because he's just such a good boy! But also because, thanks to this site and the months of reading I've been doing, I know that when he's done something wrong (eating a shoe) it's my fault (for leaving it out).

I like the idea of rotating/hiding the toys. We'll try that and see if it works. I'm already spoiling him, so this is a natural progression. Haha!

Thank you all, so much, for your help, advice, and wisdom. I'm certain that this charmer won't be my last greyhound.

[Guest FordRacingRon]

He just turned 2, so there is still some puppy in him for sure. And we are doing our homework, but nothing more than 10 or so minutes a day. I don't want to stress him or over do it.

I can tell that he's sensitive, and I've been very careful with that as well. He doesn't get in trouble, because he's just such a good boy! But also because, thanks to this site and the months of reading I've been doing, I know that when he's done something wrong (eating a shoe) it's my fault (for leaving it out).

I like the idea of rotating/hiding the toys. We'll try that and see if it works. I'm already spoiling him, so this is a natural progression. Haha!

Thank you all, so much, for your help, advice, and wisdom. I'm certain that this charmer won't be my last greyhound.

Our wakeup call was coming home and the trash from the kitchen can made a perfect trail right to Leia's bed where she was sound asleep. Then our lights came on,,we are dealing with an about 2-3 year old child. Prepare our house that way! But I have an amazingly dog when it comes to curiosity. She really never is interested in exploring things int he house. Of course she has lived here since she was 2 1/2 so in over 10 years, the trash deal was it.

 

Leia was our first dog and we had no clue what to do. We hired a private trainer and she did an excellent job of teaching us about dogs. The one thing that I think was most important was working on recall commands. In our 10+ years with her it had to be used twice and worked bot times. Leia too was trained with a clicker and positive reinforcement and she loved it,but when she was young she was very food driven. I think clickers and treats were the way to go in our case.

[Batmom]

Could just be his brain is full, as others have mentioned. Sounds like all is going well .