Dog Community

Beagle not interested in toys

Posted : 2/2/2007 12:43:34 AM

Everything I read about Beagles states that they LOVE toys, but Oscar seems to have no interest in toys at all! I've bought him a Kong (only interested if there are treats inside, but if he can't get it out quickly, he loses interest), a ball (he doesn't seem to be interested in playing fetch), raw-hide bone (barely any interest), a stuffed sheep that meeps (nothing at all - just looks at it when I squeak it), and a rope with a piece of bone on it (barely any interest).

It seems like all Oscar wants to do is to take naps (either curled up next to someone or on his doggie bed by my bed), take walks (my retired dad stays home and I walk him every morning and night, so he goes on at least 3 walks a day), and eat (the only chew toy he likes are small pieces of rawhide - either compressed or wrapped in meat - so he can eat it all up in 5 minutes).

Oscar IS recovering from a hip surgery (FHO), and he is on antibiotics and pain medication. But I don't remember him being much more playful before the operation (granted he only spend a week with me before he needed to get his hip fixed, and he barely knew me then). Does this sound normal? Should I try to get him another toy? I just want to make sure he's not bored and that he has interesting things to do. BTW... He did have a thorough checkup (with full blood panel) a couple weeks back, and he's healthy.

Raja19

Posted : 2/2/2007 3:31:36 AM

How old is Oscar? I think sometimes it just depends on the dog, growing up we had (have) a chow mix, we got her whne she a year old, and she never once chased or played with toys or tennis balls. She just wasn't interested. And the Kong only one of my dogs actually will sit down and play with it, the others give up in a few minutes.
I would have said maybe he has something wrong with his teeth, causing him to not want to chew toys or treats, but you said he just had a checkup, and they probably would have found something if that was the case.
It could be that pain meds are making him a bit more sleepy, but I think most likely Oscar just isn't a toy dog. You could try a few more toys but if he still shows no intrest I wouldn't worry about it.
And it seems like he wouldn't be bored, he gets 3 walks a day and your Dad is home most of the day, btw Oscar is very cute!!

mudpuppy

Posted : 2/2/2007 9:51:22 AM

it might just be pain and the need to recover. But, if he likes to eat, go to Cleanrun.com and look at their selection of "food stuffable" toys. You can awaken a dog's interest in toys by starting out playing with one of these toys-- dog plays briefly with toy, is rewarded by getting the food inside it, gradually extend amount of time dog plays before getting the food, and then try other toys and see if you can get the play behavior to transfer over.

agilebasenji

Posted : 2/2/2007 10:18:01 AM

I was going to say what mudpuppy just said. I had lots of success with those jackpot cleanrun toys. I actually clicker trained my basenji to play tug. Clicker training is a great way to go with hounds!

How old is your dog? I've found many dogs just aren't interested in toys if they are adults and didn't have a lot of continuous interaction with toys and humans.

rwbeagles

Posted : 2/2/2007 10:39:03 AM

Hmm... I can't say I'd call Beagles a "toy interested' breed really. They like food, walks, other dogs, their owners, food, walks, food..you know?

Treat dispensing toys might be great but not if they make your dog fat....Beagles get fat quite easily. Esp on a bum hip...extra weight is bad.

Most Beagles do not enjoy retrieving all that much....and I find either that or prey drive to be interwoven with interest in toys. I have one out of my 3 that will fetch...and she LOVES toys. The other's will half heartedly play but MUCH prefer to be nose down...outside...sniffing...digging...running...doing Beagly stuff like that. Have you tried stuffed toys? some like to destroy those.

If he is content then I'd really just enjoy it and give him the rest he seems to like....do the walking, and interact with him and love on him. I don't think a dog "needs" toys to feel fulfilled...not a working hound type anyhow. Perhaps you can look into Tracking, or find another dog friend for him...Beagles usually LOVE the company of other dogs and running with them.

dogslife

Posted : 2/2/2007 10:57:06 AM

The things I remember about our beagles are exactly like RWbeagles said. The only toy I remember was a tin foil ball that came off some dessert my mother used to buy. Because it smelled like food, it was a favorite! Companion beagles and even other dogs that were friendly in the neighborhood were ok pals. Other favorites were neighbor cookouts(before leash laws). Since beagles are mostly "hams" for food, they will do anything to entertain and get it. Obesity is certainly the danger there!

Oscar is cute, and people names do seem most appropriate for beagles somehow.

jones

Posted : 2/2/2007 11:04:32 AM

I think if napping, walking, and eating are what Oscar loves to do, then don't worry about him being bored! Beagles are social dogs, and Oscar's job in life may be just to be his human's buddy. As long as you keep up the walking so he stays fit I wouldn't worry about him having things to do... when a dog is bored you know it - they dig, they bark, they chew up the house, etc.

Benedict

Posted : 2/2/2007 11:10:17 AM

Ditto to what everyone else has said - if he is unhappy or bored, his behaviour will show that. He may still be recovering and adjusting, and you may find that in a few weeks he's a different dog. Or this may just be the way Oscar is. A lot of people on this board would be happy to have a dog that chilled out! LOL.

If you do want to play to his Beagle instincts, you could try leaving "trails" of treats around the house and showing him how to track and find them. [

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Kate

Katie

Posted : 2/2/2007 11:30:09 AM

How old was Oscar when you adopted him? We adopted our Casey girl (RIP) when she was 5 years old. No one had ever taken the time to play with her before, and she never really learned to like toys or bones. She'd play tug with us maybe once a week, if we were lucky.

Brian

Posted : 2/2/2007 12:37:40 PM

Thank you everyone for your feedback! Regarding Oscar's age - the vet estimates that he's probably 2 years old. I posted the story of how I ended up adopting him in a seperate thread in the introduction forum, but in short, he was a stray found by a friend of a friend. When I adopted him three weeks back, he was walking with a limp, and the vet found that both of hips were damaged - most likely he was hit by a car. So a week or so ago he got a FHO to correct the damage and alleviate his pain.

Since day one he's been the chillest dog. I don't know how much it's because he is still getting to know us or that he's recovering. But he's totally different from any dogs I've ever had (I had a husky and a rot-mix when I was young - they were all so high energy). He really seems content to just lounge around and occasionally get petted and cuddled. I don't know what his history is like, and maybe he was neglected, but I am going to take everyone's advice here and just let him do his thing and just observe. I just want to make sure he's happy.

For everyone who said Oscar is cute - Oscar says "thank woo"!

houndlove

Posted : 2/2/2007 2:31:49 PM

Yeah, I've got hounds too and they have not a single toy that does not involve food being stuffed into it in some way. Any other toy they either take 5 minutes to chew up and destroy and then ignore, or they go straight to the ignoring part. I feed the mostly out of toys, rarely out of their bowls. That's a good way to employ food-stuffable toys without the weight gain. Just take their daily ration of kibble and use that. If you soak kibble in water for a bit, it gets nice and soft to stuff into a kong and freeze.

Raw bones from the butcher are awesome, though! The best toy there is. Cheap as all get out, and long lasting if you get the right sorts, and the dog thinks he's died and gone to heaven.

mondayblues

Posted : 2/2/2007 9:42:07 PM

Oscar sounds exactly like my dog. (She was also a stray found limping, most likely hit by a car, like yours.) She isn't all that interested in toys either and is very mellow. Sometimes she will paw at a tennis ball or chew on a stuffed toy (for about three seconds), but that is pretty much it. You could try teaching Oscar "Find it" -- he's a Beagle, so I'm sure he'd have lots of fun with this game. My own dog loves this game, and it also lets us work on her down/stay.

Brian

Posted : 2/2/2007 11:24:23 PM

Mondayblues - I can't wait till Oscar's stitches come out. I want to enroll him in obedience training, but I also want to play Beagle games with him. I am sure he'd love any sort of "find it" or scent games.