[Brandismom]

Poor Brandi has never been taught how to play with toys. She is interested in them if I hold them but will not interact with me and the toy. It's as though she isn't sure she is allowed to do that. She doesn't know what to do with a ball or what a woobie is for other than to take up space in her crate. I'd like to teach her that toys can be fun and I do miss the ball play that Magic and I enjoyed every day. Can any of you come up with a good plan to help her to understand that toys are fun.

I've been trying to interact with her with a woobie but she seems more interested in my hand than the toy in it. I did get her to pick up a ball yesterday by rolling it between her front legs and letting it rest against her chest. She didn't send it my way tho, and I had to retrieve it. As soon as I moved she got up and moved away from me. I'm thinking that two weeks isn't long enough for her to be totally comfortable here and she needs more time to trust us.

[Curbside Prophet]

Have you tried a treat dispensing toy like a twist-n-treat, a buster ball, or Kong? If she's food motivated these types of toys may peak her interest. Another thing you can try is to play with the toy like a dog would, and just let her watch. Get on all fours, do a play bow, and toss the toy around like a dog at play would. I've found that if I make a panting sound too, this really gets Elsa interested in play, because dogs make that sound when playing. I'd say do this everyday for short intervals and if after a month or so, if she's still not motivated, then it's probably not her thing. Does she get opportunities to romp around with other dogs?