[bxbabe109]

Hello! I have a seven year old neutered male Shetland Sheepdog that refuses to play or excerise other than going for a walk. When I take him outside to play fetch, he'd rather snuggle up under me than play. . This is concerning me because he is overweight, but his doctor says he is not arthritic.

[Rich2805]

Ill b keen to see what people say for this. We have two dogs at home. A Huntaway And a pitbull x. And the huntway loves to play fetch, weve had him since he was a pup. and hes 1yr old now. But the pit is more interested in sniffin around for food? Maybe because she was brought up rough before I took her in?? Weve only owned her for 2weeks and she is the same age. We got told eventually after seeing how our other dog plays she might catch on.

[RonE]

Well I see the problem immediately from his photo - Butch has been vertically compressed!

Have you had the dog since he was a pup? Some dogs, if they weren't socialized while young, never really care about toys or other dogs, but may be extremely affectionate toward humans.

Walking, sniffing and exploring are the favorite activities of many/most dogs and, honestly, better for the owner than standing in one spot and throwing a ball all day.

[Laurelin]

I have two shelties- one srthritic and overweight, but she plays and one who we got at a year old who has no idea how to play. He can't play with the other dogs, toys, people, or anything. I don't know why, and we've yet to figure it out. Just thought I'd throw that out there. He's a weird guy.

[bxbabe109]

I rescued him when he was eleven months old, I really don't know much about his time before that, but I do know that the puppy mill he was born in kept him in kennels for a long time.

[threedognite]

I have a Sheltie mix and she is the exact same way. She is the sweetest and most well behaved dog I have ever owned but all she wants to do is lay around. She is a little over weight also. She does like to go for walks and I have considered putting her on a diet but want to speak to my vet first.
There are just some dogs that have no interest in playing. Maggie doesn't like toys either but she loves chewies. She will on occasion, play with my other dogs but not for long. Just keep walking your dog and love him as he is!

[sheltiemom]

The dog I dogsit for does not play. It's like he doesn't understand what to do with a toy, or just has no interest. He does like to walk, run and swim though. Has your sheltie tried swimming?