Puppy won't play by himself

jellybuttonss · 03-13-2008, 06:24 PM

Hello all!

How do you get a puppy to play with his toys by himself? If I put my 10 week lab in his crate/pen he would whine and give me his sad puppy look - no matter what toys I give him, he would not play with them! He would whine and then doze off. I would ignore him and NOPE he still wouldn't play with his toys! He also ignores his frozen puppy kong! I assure you, I shower him with lots of playtime and attention when I am available and he's never in his crate for more than 3 hours at a time - even at nighttime he gets out every 3 hrs for potty.

But if I sit next to the crate or I jump into the pen with him, he's fine! No whining! He would be perfectly content and play with his toys by himself as I sit there and watch.

I guess it's just cause he's still young and craves the attnetion? I am just worried that when I crate him at work, he would just whine and sleep all day... But I guess that's normal? I guess I just need reassurance.. I love my Cali to death! =)

Durbkat · 03-13-2008, 06:37 PM

Generally puppies that young don't really know how to play by themselves. Mine didn't till he was alittle bit older.

AkiraleShiba · 03-13-2008, 07:14 PM

Well lab are not known to be an independent breed.

Puppies really need attention to feel safe. They look up to you as their protector, of course you have to find your balance between protection and independence.

Filou would only play and chew his bones only if he was lying on our feet

FilleBelle · 03-13-2008, 09:13 PM

I always tend to think that sleep is a goal when a dog is in its crate! When I am not specifically interacting with him (ie throwing a toy, getting out the leash, opening the food, sitting on the floor next to his pillow), Alvin is always asleep.

While puppies are, obviously, for playing with

it may not be in your best interest to always be attempting to get Cali to do something. I just have this image in my mind of the puppy growing up into a dog who is always looking for something to do and is unhappy just chillin' and taking a nap.

TooneyDogs · 03-13-2008, 09:20 PM

Mom would teach the pup how to 'play'...how to chase it, pounce on it, shake it, kill it. We're not very good at teaching that skill though until the pup is older.
Good observation about being close...when you're close he feels secure and then shows some interest in the toys as he's no longer worried about being separated from you.
Praise him for playing with the toys..toss them, shake them, make them interesting and they will become more and more of a plaything over the years.

briteday · 03-14-2008, 12:42 AM

He's just a baby and separated from his litter and everything that he thought was real. He comes home with you, mom-dog is gone, littermates (the only playmates he's known) are gone, food isn't as easy to get as it was when mom-dog was around and nursing him, you're trying to get him to potty outside (mom-dog used to just clean it up no matter where it was or when), and food in a bowl? what's this??? "Where's my mom????"

So...just keep your pup close to you, managing the playtime and rest time.

shewolf4 · 03-14-2008, 08:41 AM

I like to put a old fashioned wind up clock wrapped in a towel in the crate to imitate moms heartbeat and I keep a radio going most times anyway so there is some noise at least during the day. Also when I get them used to the crate, I put it where they can see me most the time, I talk to them so they get used to us and what our household is about. Its a shock to them to be pulled away, so I try to give them the security in the crate, but at the same time let them know they are part of the family and get to see most or not everything thats going on. I never had a problem this way and the pups are very relaxed. One thing I try not to do is give so much time and attention that they now expect it and get separation anxiety when we have to cut back when they're older. ours get allot of attention, dont get me wrong, but when I dont give all the attention , they dont go crazy, but find some toy and entertain themselves until I call the individual name and we have one on one time to do a job around here. Also I have a crate inside and one outside so when we work with the horses, they get to see it, learn, but are safe. Add to that that we have hawks out here and smaller dogs like to get picked up for a snack- I rather play it safe then be sorry
At 10 weeks we already start to "train" and walk, play- get them used to a variety of things, but keep in mind that we have the country setting that most people here dont have. And we teach them to just "chill" and watch the action- thats important too