Cocker spaniel puppy not interested in toys

[itsmellslikepopcarn]

Hello, me again! 11 week old cocker spaniel puppy, doing great in his bed, training and eating well, but shows very little interest in toys which is making it difficult to keep him entertained. Instead he’s spending a lot of time sniffing around the house (leading me to think he constantly needs a wee when he doesn’t) and getting into mischief.

He has soft toys, rope toys, chew toys, licky mats, sniffer mats, Kongs, balls, and i only offer a few at a time. He isn’t interested at all unless food is involved! Is there anyway I can get him more interested in his toys? I always sit down to play with him and get involved but he isn’t bothered 90% of the time.

He's a spaniel so get him to use his nose.

Hide treats around the house or in toys like a kong wobbler.

Instead he’s spending a lot of time sniffing around the house.

He is a spaniel this is the best thing ever. He will be sniffing for the next 15 years so you make it work in your favour

Hide his food around the house, Make it easy to start with, then hide in under furniture, in corners, in cardboard boxes, in the garden, in the grass etc.

He will be happy, and feel fab as sniffing will release all the happy hormones and tire him out physically and mentally.

Try a rabbit skin toy from tug-e-nuff most dogs find the irresistible

Spaniels are used as sniffer dogs all over the world for a reason

Use his love of food and scent drive to your advantage - hide his meals around the house or garden and make him sniff them out. Put his food in a snuffle mat or kong. Do mini training sessions and use his meals as his reward.

This, I have cocker spaniel pup he's nearly 5 months he's not that interested in toys , he likes to sniff so I hide treats he likes carry a fuzzy ball thing and he has a rustle toy he enjoys and a plastic chew thing I put cheese or pate on he's not arsed about the ton of toys I've bought him.

Mine likes his kong and a lick mat.

Need a picture first to give you the most informative answer

I have a cocker. She’s almost 2. They are dogs that sniff a lot. They need brain stimulation above everything else.

hide bits of food around the house and let them sniff it out.

my girls favourite game is when I use the tiny training treats, some bits of cheese, bits of ham etc and scatter it all over the garden. She spend a good half an hour sniffing it all out.

Remember their attention spans are short at that age so games are short and sweet.

I also have a 5 month old cocker puppy. Just wondering - how do you hide food in the kong toy? We have the red kind of conical one. He loves it but I just can't figure out how to get food to stay in it. What do ai out in? I thought bits of his food, but they just fall out...

Also, when you say to hide his food around the house, do you mean his actual meal/food bow or just bits of his food (he's on Purina dry food).

Any other cocker spaniel tips gratefully received! Ours is male, lovely, playful but we're still struggling with 100% reliable house training (1 accident every 2 days or so), and nibbling - he gets carried away playing and gnaws a bit. OK for me and DH but not so great for the kids... Thanks!

My cocker spaniel is 12 now and he still has every single one of his toys from when he was a pup. Most of them in his toy box completely unused. He absolutely loves cardboard boxes, egg cartons with treats in them, toilet roll tubes folded over at the ends with a bit of cheese in and games of ‘find it’ though. If you get the chance, take your pup to sniffer dog training. Mine loved it and I learnt some useful games to play with him.

I either roll some food in squeeze y cheese or peanut butter and stuff it on top of the other food in the kong. He will lick it then bounce the kong to get it out.

@amyboo the toilet training will come do you tell him off or just wipe It up? If he nips give him something else to gnaw on and try and get the children to do the same, keep treats near vu and get him to find it if he nips ..the kids, and try and get the kids to keep calm if they are "owing" or making a bit of a fuss. That will excite the dog.

Also just stop the game when he gets over excited.

Excellent advice thanks so much!

We don't tell him off when he has an accident - just clean it up and put him outside incase there's more! He's mostly there but doesn't seem to like going outside when it's raining - so not proving so great this weekend!!

Mine sprinkles sometimes rather than full pees now I have to justput him In the garden when it's raining he hates it but will do the toilet eventually.

I think I have the same Kong. I coat the food (just her normal dry food) in plain yoghurt, stuff it in and put it in the freezer for a couple hours. Or, I just run some water through the stuffed Kong for a minute and then put that in the freezer so it all sticks together. To keep it upside down in the freezer I place it in a cup.

My cocker spaniel didn't seem to know what to do with toys at first. She kind of grew into them over a few months. But as a sniffy dog, she really just enjoys anything where a toy or treat is hidden. The main thing we did to entertain her in the early days was training activities that used up her brain energy.