Playing is an essential behavior for animal welfare, in fact, it is recommended that a dog can enjoy a daily session of rewarding games with its owner. In this article on our site we will mention different causes that cause the absence of play, as well as tipsto promote motivation.
Discover below why your dog doesn't want to play and what you should do, assessing your specific case and your dog's needs. You can not lose this!
The importance of play behavior in dogs
Before 20 days of life, the puppy begins to show the first play sequences with his siblings and with his mother. Later, during the socialization period, he continues to learn through play the basics of canine social behavior, essential for him to know how to relate correctly in the future.
We also find in the game a form of stimulation that allows us to start it in the learningof different exercises and activities, such as collecting toys, for example. And a great way to establish behaviors that we like.
Therefore, play behaviors usually indicate animal welfare and, conversely, the lack of play suggests that something is not goes well. It can be due to stress, an unstimulating environment, or the withdrawn use of punishment, for example.
Why doesn't a dog want to play?
Understanding canine language correctly and learning to recognize game behaviors, such as the classic game position, will be very important when it comes to understanding why a dog doesn't want to play.
Organic causes are the first to rule out when trying to correctly identify the problem. A illness, viral or joint, for example, can cause the dog to lose interest in the game. How can we know if a dog is sick? The most effective way is, without a doubt, to go to the veterinarian. Through a blood test and the evaluation of hormonal problems we can rule out that it is a pathology.
Dogs prematurely adopted tend not to show excessive play behaviors, on the contrary, those who have received aexcessive stimulation may show hyperactivity, lack of bite inhibition during play or stress, among others.
As we have mentioned, there are also other causes that can cause a lack of interest in playing. If you see your dog not wanting to eat, listless, dull, sad or with a strange attitude, he may be suffering from the following problems:
- Anxiety and stress
- Lack of game learning
- Excessive use of punishment
- Problems in socialization
- Poor environment
- Depression
- Lack of walks
- Lack of exercise
- Etc.
What to do if my dog doesn't want to play? How to motivate him?
Once a possible pathology has been ruled out and after assessing that the dog's environment and daily routine are adequate, it will be important to know some tricks to motivate a dog to play. We explain some of them below:
- Socialize with other dogs: The best way to encourage a dog to play is through social contact. Go to a nearby pipi-can or meet up with a friend or family member who also has a dog to encourage him to interact and, therefore, to show play behaviors. Those dogs that suffer from behavior problems or lack of learning will not integrate positively and will have to use other methods.
- Use of toys: in the market we can find countless toys for dogs. Balls, strings, and fresbees are the most popular, but there are many more. It is advisable to acquire several so that the dog can choose, in this way we will know which are the ones that most attract him. In addition, intelligence toys or food vending toys usually provide an added extra, food, which at the same time stimulates the dog to play, motivates him and reinforces him in a positive way.
Finally we remind you that it is important to learn to correctly assess the dog's needs when trying to motivate him to play. It is common for excessively small dogs, sick dogs or elderly dogs to not want to play constantly, keep that in mind.
