this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023
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How can I teach my dog to entertain herself? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by SgtSilverLining@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/dogs@lemmy.world
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I recently adopted an adult dog. She's sweet, affectionate, and well behaved. But it seems like the only thing she cares about is scritches! She's either sleeping or shoving her head into your hands for attention. She doesn't care about toys, or food, or anything else I give her. I can't teach her games since the only thing she wants is to please me. Any time I can't pet her, she sleeps just until I'm available again - she's great with a crate so I don't think it's separation anxiety.

So is there any way I can teach her to entertain herself? I worry that encouraging this codependency will lead to her feeling unfulfilled.

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[–] _danny@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Is there any possibility to get another animal? My parents dog and my dog are very much little attention whores, but get them in a room together and they'll play with each other all day long.

You can also try making sure she has a good 30-60 minutes of good 'bonding' time each day. Play with her favorite toys until she is completely tired out. Fetch is a great game for this, give her plenty of praise when she returns with the toy and she will keep at it as long as you can. You can also try mental stimulation through teaching her tricks or games, always keep her learning new stuff. I find that my dog is much more comfortable being by herself if she is both physically and mentally tired. Use her drive to please, training is all about using their natural motivation to your advantage.

Even though you think separation anxiety isn't at play yet, it may be a good idea to look into some of that type of training too, since she could be much more susceptible.