My Dog Doesn't Know How to PLAY

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Just my 2 cents' worth: there are actually doggie classes (at least where I am, in SoCal) where a trainer will help socialize your dog--but I would agree, if not knowing how to play is the only shadow in your dog's life, then I wouldn't worry too much--he's got you, and that's his world.

Many years ago we rescued a puppy from the shelter when she was 8 weeks (they said 10, but she wasn't), and her only problem was having apparently been receiving harsh treatment from some male human being--she was always wary of males she didn't know. But up until she was 5 months old she wes a perfectly normal dog, interacting with us, learning quickly, chewing everything in sight, etc. Then things changed--because she got parvo. I mentioned her on this forum a while back. Thanks to quick, intense vet treatment she survived, but with certain quirks. She became more timid and anxious, and she simply refused to play with other dogs, for the rest of her life, which was 12 otherwise great years. Later we reasoned that the parvo hit her at exactly the time when the major socialization adjustment happens in puppies, and since we had to keep her isolated for 3 months after that, she just never learned to be an adult dog with other dogs. But she had a wonderful life with us--the only downside was that we'd wanted a second dog, but we couldn't bear to ruin her life by introducing another dog. For a year we had a relative and his dog living with us, and our poor dog hid in the walk-in closet for the duration, and hardly ever stayed in the same room with the other dog, let alone played with her, so we know how serious her phobia was.

In contrast, our present pooch loves other dogs, and loves to play chase! She's also a rescue, and we were actually wondering if she'd ever bond with us! But she has, big time.

[Dashdog]

Originally Posted by LookinForMayberry

Everyone is different, and that goes for dogs, too. Sounds like you've found a way to get him started. Maybe he just doesn't care much for other dogs. If he wasn't around them to play when he was younger, or punished for being too rambuctuous -- never mind, we are talking about a basset mix. What was I thinking.

Bassets are solemn creatures. I don't think they know they are dogs. I'm actually surprised you get him to run around at all.

I did not know that Bassets are solemn creatures. I guess someone forgot to tell Leroy that . Leroy is a bassett that comes to the dog park and he LOVES to play with the other dogs. If there are toys there he goes crazy trying to get the others to play tug with him. If no toys then he just plays with the others and if they will not play with him he barks at them which then makes his owner upset. There have been times that multiple dogs have gotten a bit rough and a dog pile has resulted ( never any injuries though) and when the owners pull the dogs off there is Leroy on the bottom of the pile and he always sits up tail wagging and this look on his face that says " that was fun, lets do it again". He is one of my favorite dogs to watch as he is so playful. He is about 2 yrs old.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by LookinForMayberry

Everyone is different, and that goes for dogs, too. Sounds like you've found a way to get him started. Maybe he just doesn't care much for other dogs. If he wasn't around them to play when he was younger, or punished for being too rambuctuous -- never mind, we are talking about a basset mix. What was I thinking.

Bassets are solemn creatures. I don't think they know they are dogs. I'm actually surprised you get him to run around at all.

I could not agree more. Every dog has a unique personality, regardless of breed. Any dog can be taught to play, including bassets. As they get older they tend to play less, but even older dogs can be very playful with the right encouragement.

I had a puppy who would play bite me all the time, but every time she did my other older dog would come over and growl at her, as if in admonishment. After about her first year, that puppy stopped play biting altogether. Her idea of "play" evolved into just playing fetch, and no matter how much I enticed her to play bite, she wouldn't. Even after I had to put my older dog down.

When she turned four years old I got another puppy, and she would be forced to play with the puppy by the puppy (puppies can be relentless), but she continued to refuse to play bite me for about another year. Now that she is seven years old and my other dog is now three, all three of us play every day. She will bite one of my hands, while my other dog bites my other hand. To the untrained eye I'm sure it looks like I'm being mauled by two dogs, especially when they can be heard growling as they bite. But it is all in good fun. Neither dog bites me hard enough to break skin, and if it starts getting too rough, I just say "OK, enough" and they both stop biting me immediately and begin licking me to death.

It took a lot of coaxing on my part to get my older dog to play bite again, but it was worth it to see her act like a puppy again. I could not have done it without my other younger dog, however. She saw me playing with him and did not want to be left out of the fun.

[NJDevil]

You said he pounces forward when you try to grab his front feet, so what if you do this when another playful pup is around? First, perhaps your dog needs to see you playing with another dog. Then I would keep trying to grab his feet and when he pounces, that's sure to get the pup excited. Does your dog wag his tail when all this is going on? When your dog does anything remotely playful, be sure to praise him and try to motivate him with words in a playful tone.

[misfitz]

Your beagle/bassett sounds a lot like my Sheltie/Shiba (I think) girl. Not sure about your dog, but from observing my Sienna, I surmise that she was raised by cats. She's just not all that social with dogs, she will sniff and wag her tail, but much like your dog she won't chase or play, and seems slightly offended by the suggestion. I've taken her to the dog park, and I think I have more fun than she does.

She does, however, play happily with one of my cats in the backyard. They chase and wrestle. She could care less about dogs we meet on walks, but she wants to make friends with every single cat...the cats are usually not so sure about that.

Perhaps your boy was raised around cats? Or had mostly human interactions, and thinks he's people?

Sienna will also do the 'puppy crazies' or as we call it 'zoomies.' (She's 4 years old, btw.) Play to her is: I throw a toy. Sienna zooms towards it, pounces on it, and runs in circles around me, throwing in a bark here and there for good measure. If I throw a ball, she looks at me like I've just done something horribly offensive.

I don't have any advice about training a dog to play, but maybe you can find another activity he finds rewarding. For his breed mix, I'd suggest tracking. Sienna loves obedience. She'd honestly rather learn tricks and things than run and play. I'd bet your boy would LOVE learning to track. And I'm sure he's happy in his own way.