How much do you interact with dog through day?

[JoeCalFuckingZaghe]

So, I'm worried my dog is bored during the day. I'm currently in the process of setting up my own business WFH so I can't interact with him as much as I probably should be.

He gets 2 x 45m - 1hr walks a day. (Which I'm going to increase to 3 when the weather cools). He doesn't get to be off-lead on the walks as he has zero recall (we're working on it) but we do have a massive garden and he gets to do zoomies around the garden when we are back. He usually runs around like a madman for 5/10 mins and then flops on the floor when he's done.

He just never seems interested in toys or playing much. His favourite way of playing is wrestling but we don't like to do this as he mouths etx. He has balls, chews, ropes etc but shows little interest during the day. He will play with something when we're having our evening meal but I think by this time he is getting excited for his evening walk.

Mainly through the day he sleeps. I feel bad as he must be bored but I'm not sure what I can do. He doesn't want to play much with toys and it just ends up me going backwards and forwards throwing and retrieving things with him looking at me like I'm mad.

He's our first dog, I've had dogs always growing up and none and have been this lethargic / uninterested. He's not even a cuddly dog so having a good cuddle doesn't interest him either lol. I'm not sure if this is normal or he needs more stimulation?

[cantthinkofanythingwitty]

My dog is a rescue that never really shows interest in toys. He is happy with a tiny walk and then sleeps all day. He seems really happy with that, he has separation anxiety so all his joy comes from just having people around him to lie next to

[BiteyShark]

When mine is at home with me and I am WFH he sleeps a lot but I take him in the garden for 5 mins every now and again for a ball play.

If it's bad weather I swop ball play with 5 mins of trick training.

I can do this because he goes to daycare at least 3 times a week so having calmer days helps to balance that out.

On lead walks would not be enough for my dog on his more active days and he needed more stimulation on my WFH days when he was much younger.

[Feralkidsatthecampsite]

Give him a carrot op!!
Or a cabbage heart..
Our ddogs are proper veg fiends. A carrot keep them occupied for a few minutes!! Good for cleaning their teeth also!
Or slice one and practice catching /wait skills!

[GreyBow]

Mine likes to sleep a lot too. She always has to be in a room with other people, and she just curls up and dozed and occasionally licks my ankle or hand.

With social distancing and eating outside wherever possible, she's had a couple of days out with me recently and then just conked out afterwards for the next 20 hours 🙄

My dog had never played with toys. They are utterly beneath her. She looks at you as if you are utterly crazy if you throw a ball next her. She obviously has too much dignity to go scampering about to collect it. Socks however she will steak and guard as if her life depends on it.

[Apolloanddaphne]

I have an 8yo lab. She mostly just sleeps and never plays with toys. She perks up when the fridge opens and in the evening she likes to come and get a head scratch form my DD. Other than that we speak to her if we pass her and tell her to stop barking and the postman etc. Mostly she is just there doing her own doggy thing.

Here is a picture of her doing her favourite thing lying asleep in the shade just behind my chair.

[3teens2cats]

My dog would get over stimulated if he had someone trying to interact with him all day long. Typical day is something like cuddles on the sofa while we drink morning tea. Then out for a walk, off lead. Then he will potter about the house or garden wherever we are. Dh works from home so he might sit with him for a bit. Then he will take himself off somewhere quiet for a nap. Lunchtimes he will have a short play in the garden. Afternoon he normally has a bigger sleep, a few hours easily. He wakes up about 4pm and again is happy to potter about wherever we are or entertain himself with a toy. Usually one of the dc will play with him a bit. Evening walk (on lead) about 7 and then he snuggles up on the sofa with us for the evening.

[ginsparkles]

Ours is a rescue. We have had her 10 years. We work full time so is very used to being asleep all day. She comes for cuddles and a walk when we get in. She likes to be where I am when I'm home but doesn't want constant attention.

[JoeCalFuckingZaghe]

I'm glad he doesn't seem too abnormal then. He's only 9 months so I think he should be full of beans (and he is occasionally) but he doesn't show any frustrated or destructive behaviour like he is getting bored etc. He is a rescue who was found as a stray at around 4 months of age so no idea of his background but he does just love to mooch around in the garden and lay in the holes in the lawn (he hasn't dug them, the lawn is just uneven ahah) or on the slabs. Whenever we have taken him somewhere for the day he does absolutely wipe out in the car on the way home so I'm guess his energy levels are just naturally low.

[Feralkidsatthecampsite]

Imo at 9 months continuing to reinforce current good habits is a good idea.
Our dpuppy is 9 months. We have 1-1 time a few times daily. A few treats to catch, a few sits, paw, she still loves a ball so few throwing /catching. And obviously loads of cuddles!!
New trick is blackberry picking!

[Ohffs66]

Ddog has a cuddle on the sofa in the morning, then an off lead walk for about half an hour to an hour about 6.30am. With me and DH both WFH during the day she will wander in and out for a fuss, but spends most of the day mooching and napping. Sometimes if she seems a bit bored we will do some scentwork with her at lunchtime or give her something interesting to chew. She knows when 5pm is though.....around that time she will usually bring us a toy to indicate the day is over and she'd like to play please. When we first got her we were walking 2 or 3 times a day, but we've learned that she doesn't really need it, and actually finds on lead walks really stressful (she's dog reactive). Some days we don't walk at all if she seems tired.
She's much happier just hanging about the house, as long as she gets a regular pat/fuss/attention/snack.

One thing I would say about fetch / retrieving is that ours didn't do it at all when we first got her home from rescue, I would say it took about a year for us to teach her, she just didn't seem to know what to do so we assume it wasn't played with her when she was a pup. She loves it now though!

[goodwinter]

@cantthinkofanythingwitty

My dog is a rescue that never really shows interest in toys. He is happy with a tiny walk and then sleeps all day. He seems really happy with that, he has separation anxiety so all his joy comes from just having people around him to lie next to

Same, pretty much. Mine gets dry food and is fed exclusively through toys (his favourite is a DIY spinny bottle toy!) so that keeps him occupied quite a bit. He has 0 interest in toys if food doesn't come out of them. Other than that, he sleeps and cuddles all day!

[JoeCalFuckingZaghe]

One thing I would say about fetch / retrieving is that ours didn't do it at all when we first got her home from rescue, I would say it took about a year for us to teach her, she just didn't seem to know what to do so we assume it wasn't played with her when she was a pup. She loves it now though!
Ah that’s lush. We have been trying and he does do it sometimes. He is very much a dog that does what he wants 😂