StarFox Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 Well I a problem...well not a problem but more of a question. Zebra won't play. He won't fetch, or chase anything. See Zebra is an inside dog and I take him outside a few times a day so he can get his exersize/play. I try and take him on walks as much as I can but since it's been so hot latly 90+ degreese, I don't want to take him on our walks (they are about 30 mins long). Zebra tends to get overheated easily, probably because he has so much fur! But here is the problem, I take him outside, I bring about 2 or 3 toys with us, a tennis ball, and squeek toy or two. I toss the around, roll them on the grownd, throw them back and forth with my brother and zebra ignores us!! All Zebra does is sit on the grass or walks around. Now I don't mind that too much..but when he gets back in the house he acts either hyper or depressed. :( I know i can't make him play but he just dosn't seem happy anymore...I want to play with him and have him run around like he did when he was a puppy but he dosn't anymore. He is only 1 year old!! He should still have some of his "puppy-ness" in him, right??? SO here is my question- Does anyone have any suggestions for play outside? (we don't have a fenced in yard, and it's not very big :( :x ) Is there any thing I can do to stimulate his mind so he dosn't seem board all the time?? Besides training? Oh one last thing- When Zebra is inside the house he wants to go out. And when we are outside he wants to come back in! What is with this weird dog!!! :roll: Quote
Rosebud Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 :wink: Sounds like he wants to play but it's just to hot and he knows he can't play inside. Would you parents let you play tug with him in the house? I play tug with Sally & Rocket inside and they do real good. You have to let them do the pulling or you could hurt their mouths/teeth. Another suggestion would be to get one of those hard plastic kiddie pools for him. :angel: Quote
PamelaJ Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 i have noticed that my dogs have gotten a lot more lazy since it's gotten warm...i worried about them same as you... i would find Saxo in the bathroom sacked out on the floor and Sorsha's place was under the couch...the bathroom floor is ceramic tile (cool on his little belly) and we have hardwood floors throughout the rest of the house so i guess under the couch is nice and cool too... the puppy pool is a great idea...he'll probably feel a lot more active if he isn't miserable with the heat, and i bet you'll see a lot more activity out of him come fall... Quote
imported_Cassie Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 Heres what I do in the Summer with my 3 Newfoundlands, and Rottweiler...I get up at 5:00 am in the morning and take them for a walk...its cool at that time and they can get all that morning energy out of their system...if this sounds crazy then wait until dusk when it cools down and take Zebra out then. My Newf's and Rottie sleep the day away and look forward to their dawn & dusk walks in the summer (the only bad thing about dusk are the mosquito's, so if you have a problem with heart worm, probably not a good idea) do you live near water? if so swimming is a wonderful form of exercise, I have access to the ocean and plenty of lakes and brooks which I take my dogs to daily....although my Newf's won't swim, my Rottie will fetch sticks thrown in the water...and its cool, especially by the ocean there is al...my Newf's wade to keep cool. Indoor activities, it helps that my dogs have each other to play with...I love playing hide & seek with my dogs, I don't play tug of war with any of my dogs...where my Rottie has a tendancy to be dominant I don't take the chance... I'll try to think of more things to do, what breeds, or breed is Zebra? some times you can find things that interest individual breeds.... Quote
mydogroxy Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 maybe he just doesn't want to play with those toys! if i bring roxy outside, with one of her "inside" toys, she will completely ignore it. even if its her favorite stuffed squirrel, which now looks like roadkill. balls, tug rope, frisbee, anything that comes from inside, she won't play with outside. she will go absolutely nuts though, for a good broom stick or tree branch. so maybe try bringing new playthings when you go out, maybe that would help. Quote
mouseatthebusstop Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 mine do not play with toys outside only in the house. age does not matter some dogs play with toys all their life :) Quote
Peng1zrule Posted June 17, 2003 Posted June 17, 2003 At a year old, I think there should be some puppyness, but not a lot...except for calliope, (who's two this month) none of mine have puppy playfullness. They rarely even wrestle anymore =(. The heat outside may be what's causing Zebra to not play. I can get mine to play with me a little (most of mine have been abused and are terribly afraid of hurting me) by play-growling and shaking a toy with limbs on it. By limbs, I mean arms and legs...I grab the body, shake it, and play growl. If I have to, I'll play bow. Almost always works. I can also change a confrontation between two of my dogs from tense to playful by playgrowling...it's weird, but it works. Quote
courtnek Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 it's probably just the heat. My malamute mix wouldnt do anything in the summer except lay on the couch under the air conditioner ( no lie!) let the first snowfall come though, and he was up and running and screaming around the yard. He just couldnt take the heat. see if he acts different once it cools off a little.... Quote
JackieMaya Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 It's been 80 humid degrees here, so my two hairy girls are pretty laid back now that it's hot too. They'll run after a squirrel, but then they come right back and lie in the shade. They aren't eating as much either because of the heat. When they come in, they like to lie on the hardwood or concrete floors to keep cool, and I keep the air conditioning on too (for them AND for me). One game that they both like to play inside is "hide under the blanket." I'll throw a blanket over them and they'll get goofy and play. And if I put the blanket on me, covering my head, that gets them going too. Here is what my girls look like most of the time during the summer. Now I have an umbrella on the table so that it has more shade. Quote
StarFox Posted June 18, 2003 Author Posted June 18, 2003 Ohh thanks for all the good tips! :P And it must be the heat because all Zebra does all day is lie in front of the A/C (just like your dog courtnek! :lol: ). Actually I was thinking that a pool would be a good idea...but it seems that the big craze this year is inflatable pools. Umm my dog and an inflatable pool just wouldn't mix very well :o :roll: . So this friday i'm gunna go to ToysRus to see if they have the hard plastic kind. Cassie your crazy! :wink: You get up at 5 in the morning?!?! I can bearly get up at 5 in the afternoon! :lol: I'm just not a morning person. :oops: JackieMaya- Maybe I'll try to "hide" under a blanket and see what Zebra does...who knows maybe he'll like it. :P But maybe I should just shave him. Ya know give him a hair cut like a chinese crested!!! (j/k!) :lol: Quote
courtnek Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 shaving is not good, the fur actually protects them from the heat. instead, have him "thinned" - get the vet to cut out the undercoat, leaving the top coat intact. They need the top coat to deflect the heat and protect them, but they dont need the undercoat. I had Jarvis (the malamute) thinned every summer, because it took so long for the undercoat to fall out on its own... Once thinned, and with a plastic baby pool, he'll be in seventh heaven!! once thinned, the undercoat grows in stronger and protects them in the winter. If you dont have "winter" where you are, you can have the undercoat thinned every six months.... Quote
courtnek Posted June 19, 2003 Posted June 19, 2003 I can also change a confrontation between two of my dogs from tense to playful by playgrowling...it's weird, but it works. as it should!! they see you as Alpha, you said KNOCK IT OFF in their language, and they understood. This is actually how they should behave. If they've PO'd the Alpha, that's what will happen.... :D Quote
Sparks mom Posted June 19, 2003 Posted June 19, 2003 I turn in sprinkler for Spark to play in..also have the baby pool... If it is raining and we can't go out... Hide and Seek is a good game in door...All of my Goldens have loved it..^Mulligan and Tucker^ would team up to find me...When they find you,you can tell they know what they are playing... I also hide treats...like a easter egg hunt Quote
Rosebud Posted June 19, 2003 Posted June 19, 2003 :D :D Starfox - Sally :o ate :o my pool last year, she tore a hole the size of my fist where the blow-up plug is. Sally & Rocket like to play at night after the sun goes down, but now I really have to play close attention to what they are actually doing since Rocket has developed a taste for frogs. :angel: Quote
StarFox Posted June 20, 2003 Author Posted June 20, 2003 Rosebud-She ate your pool?!?!?! :o What kind of pool was it? Zebra loves to go outside when it's dark, but unfortunitly I can't take him on walks when its late, I don;t live in the best of neighborhoods. Quote
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