Games to increase the confidence and playfulness of my pup

[Guest Anonymous]

My 7 month old german shepard mix is a very mellow dog. it seems to me that at his age he would be running around like a two year old human, full of energy and always wanting to play. That is how my girlfriends dogs are and the are older, around 2. he does get a lot of exercise(walks) and therfore enjoys napping but shouldnt he be more wild and playfull?

He seems very shy and ive mentioned before on this forum that he is very attached to me,with some confidence issues. my family and i would like to play with our new pup but he seems to have very little interest any balls, chew toys, rope toys, etc. Even a ball filled with treats doent really spark play interest. A friend of mine has a german shepard that loves to wrestle. my brother and i try to roll around with my dog but i think we may be intimidating him more than anything.

What are some games that my mellow and confidence lacking dog will buy into? Are there some exercises that will build his confidence? we have enroled in obidience traing through the city but it will be about a month before it starts. Until that time what can i do for my dog to keep him happy in his new house and build confidence--or should i let him be mellow and be glad he isnt tearing up the house?

Thank for any suggestions, Derek

[Shannon_C]

Hi Derek.
Your dog is probably warn out if he is being exercised a lot, therfore he will just want to rest and sleep. Might I just say that at 7 months old, your German Shepherd should be having more gentle walks as the breed is prone to hip dysplasia if exercised to much, and you are wise not to wrestle with your dog as this can cause aggressive behaviour later on. How old is your dog ?

Shannon
Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

[Shannon_C]

Hi Derek.
Your dog is probably warn out if he is being exercised a lot, therfore he will just want to rest and sleep. Might I just say that at 7 months old, your German Shepherd should be having more gentle walks as the breed is prone to hip dysplasia if exercised to much, and you are wise not to wrestle with your dog as this can cause aggressive behaviour later on. How old is your dog ?

Shannon
Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

[Guest Anonymous]

Well, I dont agree with some of what Shannon said (no offense Shannon, sounds like you know your stuff). I think a good long walk at a regular pace is great for pups and they should still want to play. Pups usually dont nap if they have a chance to play, regardless of how worn out they are. I also dont think wrestling with your dog will make him aggressive.
I think your pup has seperation anxiety. You said he favors you? How does he act when its just you with him? Try playing with him alone. Get a toy and start playing with it. Act like you are gonna throw it to him but keep ahold of it, try to get him interested.
Have your brother start doing it too. If he does have seperation anxiety you will want to continually socialize him.
BUT, he may just be one of those lazy laid back dog that prefers a walk a day over playing fetch.

[Guest Anonymous]

basic obediance boosts confidence, but it builds--and strengthens--a bond between the two of you. However, obediance does help seperation anxiety dogs. Try teaching him first "the basics" then teaching him more tricks. Some people try for a new trick every week, or every month. When I ran out of cutesy tricks, I started teaching them 'helpful' things. (things that made caring for them easier)

[Shannon_C]

Do you know that large breeds are prone to hip dypslasia, and (therefore should only be having a gentle walk twice a day up to a year old, and lots of play in the garden). To much exercise can cause this condition. It sounds to me that you allow your pups to become exhausted before you allow them to rest. This is harmful, when a pup begins to show tiredness, he should rest...not when he becomes exhausted.
Can I ask a question ?
When you feed your dogs, how long is it before you exercise them after there meal ?

[Shannon_C]

Also you mentioned that the dog wont become aggressive if it does wrestling with his owners, what if a child wants to play and the dog tries to wrestle with it. (THE DOG WILL HAVE TO BE DESTROYED THEN).
Would you want to wrestle with a Bullmastiff. I think not....Get your priorities right, these are the kind of things that people do with there dogs to cause attacks on people.

[Guest Anonymous]

I wrestle with my APBT all the time. He knows to be gentle with people. All it takes is training. Also, he wrestles with my niece with no problems (dont ever leave a child alone with any dog!!) Its all in the training.
I walk my dogs then feed them once at night. This is what most people do with performance animals. If you feed a performance dog more than once a day he will come in overweight. Also, you arent supposed to exercise your dog after you feed them but before you feed them.
Also, puppies need LOTS of exercise. I dont overdo it. I know what Im doing. Ive been doing it for more than 15 years and probably have had much more experience than you have.
try to remember not all the information you read is correct. Most of it is all a matter of opinion!!
why get defensive because I dont agree with you?

[Shannon_C]

I guess everyone does have there own oppinions and im not getting offensive just giving out a point about wrestling with dogs, it is not a good idea even with training. So many dogs are destroyed because of this and it needs to be stopped. You can do as you please with your dogs but please dont tell me that you dont agree with what i say....i do know what i am talking about, i do a lot of research over the net about what causes dog fights etc. Your right about not exercising straight after there meal, but they must not eat just before either....
they should be fed at least one hour before and after exercise to prevent bloat.

What breed of dogs do you have as you only feed them once a day at night ?.....mine get fed once in the morning and last thing at night and never gain weight even when being exercised.

Shannon

[Guest Anonymous]

I have to agree with Shannon... As an owner of 2 GSD's and many years of hands on experience with the breed or derivitaves of she IS correct in saying that a GSD or mix under the age of 1 should NOT be overly excersised. And wrestling with your dog is never a good idea. It can teach bad habits that can lead to the demise of a beloved family pet. The laws are not kind to dog owners, as I think we all know, and it is our responsibility to do our part to protect everyone (especially our animals) from becoming another front page media sensation.
As far as your issue with play drive, there seem to be alot of variables to consider. Was your puppy playful when you first got it? Was there some type of trauma that you may be unaware of? If your dog seems intimidated by "play fighting" than I would suggest stopping, as it can cause more damage than good . Does your dog like a particular food? Some dogs are food driven. Not so much as putting a treat in a toy, as I my experience has not been so good with these types of toys. ( More frustrating than fun for the dog) . There are many great books out there on raising puppies and how to build drive in dog. Good luck

[Guest Anonymous]

Shannon_C napisał(a):

Do you know that large breeds are prone to hip dypslasia, and (therefore should only be having a gentle walk twice a day up to a year old, and lots of play in the garden). To much exercise can cause this condition. It sounds to me that you allow your pups to become exhausted before you allow them to rest. This is harmful, when a pup begins to show tiredness, he should rest...not when he becomes exhausted.
Can I ask a question ?
When you feed your dogs, how long is it before you exercise them after there meal ?

Hip dysplasia is a GENETICALLY transmitted disease. Exercise DOES NOT cause this disease. If a dog is genetically predisposed for hip dysplasia (meaning ancestors have this disease), then exercise may aggravate the disease. Saying exercise causes it, is not correct.

[Guest Anonymous]

Anonymous napisał(a):

My 7 month old german shepard mix is a very mellow dog. it seems to me that at his age he would be running around like a two year old human, full of energy and always wanting to play. That is how my girlfriends dogs are and the are older, around 2. he does get a lot of exercise(walks) and therfore enjoys napping but shouldnt he be more wild and playfull?

He seems very shy and ive mentioned before on this forum that he is very attached to me,with some confidence issues. my family and i would like to play with our new pup but he seems to have very little interest any balls, chew toys, rope toys, etc. Even a ball filled with treats doent really spark play interest. A friend of mine has a german shepard that loves to wrestle. my brother and i try to roll around with my dog but i think we may be intimidating him more than anything.

What are some games that my mellow and confidence lacking dog will buy into? Are there some exercises that will build his confidence? we have enroled in obidience traing through the city but it will be about a month before it starts. Until that time what can i do for my dog to keep him happy in his new house and build confidence--or should i let him be mellow and be glad he isnt tearing up the house?

Thank for any suggestions, Derek

Derek,
I have a few questions.
Has your dog always been laid back or shy?

Is he ever excited, full of energy, wanting to play (before exercise)?

You say he is 7 months old, is he kept on a regular deworming program?

Are you in an area where you must keep him on heart worm preventative? IF so, is he on a heartworm preventative?

At what age did you get him?

Did he act shy with his littermates?

Just curious, you say he is GSD-mix, what is the mix?

Do you have Lyme disease in your area?

Lastly, when was his last vet check-up?

[Guest Anonymous]

sashagirl napisał(a):

Tic Doc. I doubt you will get a response to this as the original post was posted in February. :)

:oops: Whoopsy, didn't EVEN look at the date --- duh! Thanks for not embarrassing me too much..... :oops: :oops: :wink:

[Guest Anonymous]

sashagirl napisał(a):

It's easy to confuse when somebody opens the post back up. The only reason I noticed is because Shannon with the Bullmastiff picture above left the forum a while ago. That is why I checked the dates to see if she had come back... :wink:

Well, who opened this barn door! :lol: