Play time

[MichiH]

I have bought so many toys to play with Pepper she isn’t too interested these days. She loves to play with a ball, but if I take it to an open space she’s meh with it and rather sniff. She’s content on sniffing the entire time and will come play with the ball and me for a little…

I thought the chuck it would be amazing, nope, she could care less. She will play lacrosse if I have my boys to play with us. She’ll run back and forth each time we toss the ball.

She will do scent work with me at the house and loves it never wants to stop. But back again to sniffing lol which is fine, I just want to play like we used to.

Anyone else have a sniff obsessed Doberman?

 

[JanS]

Anyone else have a sniff obsessed Doberman?

Well I'm trying to teach them that, but yes I think most dogs are sniff obsessed since the nose can tell them so much.

Neither one of our dogs play with toys outside and Olive seldom plays with them inside either. Our prior dogs loved things like the flirt pole, jolly ball and things like that.

 

[Gpcoguy]

 

[Gpcoguy]

Rose loves her chuck it ball

 

[MichiH]

Well I'm trying to teach them that, but yes I think most dogs are sniff obsessed since the nose can tell them so much.

Neither one of our dogs play with toys outside and Olive seldom plays with them inside either. Our prior dogs loved things like the flirt pole, jolly ball and things like that.

I think since we started scent work she’s now obsessed. Lol
Whoops

For instance we just played fetch she lasted ten mins then off to sniff. Happy with that!

Inside same not into toys only a benebobe at night time to relax. Or her darn squeaky ball she’ll chomp on it.

 

[Ravenbird]

Rose loves her chuck it ball

She's also showing intense nose work too since she has to find it with her nose. I do this with Asha but don't have a chuck-it so I can't get it nearly that far. Rose is impressive with her hunt drive!

 

[Gpcoguy]

It depends on what she's after. Chuck it ball, all day long. We scared up a jack rabbit yesterday and she barely made an effort to go after it. Go figure

 

[Ravenbird]

I think since we started scent work she’s now obsessed. Lol
Whoops

That'll work to your advantage if you're planning to trial!

we just played fetch she lasted ten mins then off to sniff. Happy with that!

Inside same not into toys only a benebobe at night time to relax. Or her darn squeaky ball she’ll chomp on it.

Anything you want to make teamwork with her, put those things away when you're done. Quit fetch with her before she does! Quit when she's at the most wanting point. "OK, no mas" is my word that we're done. Interactive toys in the house go in a closed container. Benebones, chewy things that don't involve you are fine. But interactive toys will raise you up another level in her eyes because "this thing only happens when YOU make it happen".

 

[Ravenbird]

It depends on what she's after. Chuck it ball, all day long. We scared up a jack rabbit yesterday and she barely made an effort to go after it. Go figure

Just what I was saying about things that involve the human: They learn that doing things with you is the most fun. Asha might take off after a rabbit, but has no interest in catching it.

 

[jazzies mum]

Not quite what you mean as in full on playing, but I try to hide from Jazz on our walks. If she gets really involved with sniffing or looking hard at something I try to slide behind a tree, rock or drop below foliage. When she realises I've gone the game is to find me and when she does I get very happy and have her stay beside me while I get up off the ground if I ducked. She delights in this but it gets harder to dodge away as she keeps a really good eye on me these days. It's fun but it's also great training!

 

[Ravenbird]

Not quite what you mean as in full on playing, but I try to hide from Jazz on our walks. If she gets really involved with sniffing or looking hard at something I try to slide behind a tree, rock or drop below foliage. When she realises I've gone the game is to find me and when she does I get very happy and have her stay beside me while I get up off the ground if I ducked. She delights in this but it gets harder to dodge away as she keeps a really good eye on me these days. It's fun but it's also great training!

I do that too and Asha does just how you describe Jazz! And you're right, the older they get the closer eye they keep on us so it's harder to duck behind a tree before they see you making the move.

 

[MichiH]

Not quite what you mean as in full on playing, but I try to hide from Jazz on our walks. If she gets really involved with sniffing or looking hard at something I try to slide behind a tree, rock or drop below foliage. When she realises I've gone the game is to find me and when she does I get very happy and have her stay beside me while I get up off the ground if I ducked. She delights in this but it gets harder to dodge away as she keeps a really good eye on me these days. It's fun but it's also great training!

Good idea! She does love to “find me” and will stop what she is doing to do that.

 

[Ravenbird]

Good idea! She does love to “find me” and will stop what she is doing to do that.

LOL, that reminded me of when I use to hide from her at her supper time. Asha would go into the kitchen and start demand barking that it was time to eat. This game started because Asha was telling ME when she wanted to be fed instead of me tell her it was time. I'd be in the living room and if when she ran to the kitchen and began to demand-bark, I'd run down the hall and hide in another room. She'd run all over the house trying to find me. Sometimes she'd find me right away and sometimes she'd miss seeing me several times and have to make multiple rounds. It sounds mean, but Asha actually loves the challenge and would be crazy-happy to find me. When I first started doing it she often found me because I'd start giggling it was so funny. I'd just be standing behind an open door and she'd run into the room and out again without seeing me.

 

[MichiH]

LOL, that reminded me of when I use to hide from her at her supper time. Asha would go into the kitchen and start demand barking that it was time to eat. This game started because Asha was telling ME when she wanted to be fed instead of me tell her it was time. I'd be in the living room and if when she ran to the kitchen and began to demand-bark, I'd run down the hall and hide in another room. She'd run all over the house trying to find me. Sometimes she'd find me right away and sometimes she'd miss seeing me several times and have to make multiple rounds. It sounds mean, but Asha actually loves the challenge and would be crazy-happy to find me. When I first started doing it she often found me because I'd start giggling it was so funny. I'd just be standing behind an open door and she'd run into the room and out again without seeing me.

That is too funny! I love this game! I’ll be doing it tonight l! As last night she was in my room before her dinner time, I let her out of her crate and my door was closed.
I sat on my bed to relax a little and homegirl lost her mind lol. Just like you said with Asha demand barking dinner. She came to my bed side and started cobbing my comforter and high pitch barking at me to sass me. And then that low whine sass - like mommmm now!

I said nope not how you get dinner and ignored her, but like you said the giggling it was hard not to!

My boys even said what I’m the would was going on upstairs?!

 

[Ddski5]

I really enjoy playing hide and seek with Freyja. She goes absolutely nuts and I find it a lot of fun too.

Your issue is very interesting. You teaching her scent work has increased her excitement for sniffing and caused fetch take back seat. She likes sniffing a lot more than playing ball.

I like what @Ravenbird was saying about ending an activity by saying “no mas”. When ever I do training or tired of playing ball or have no more treats to give during dremel nail time, Freyja wants more….so I clearly state and in a cleaning motion of wiping my hands, I say “all done no more” I do this twice and then walk off. Freyja now understands the activity is over and time to move on and she gets it.

You can teach pepper this command when you are finish scent work. No pilfering around sniffing, activity is done.

Moving into the future, you are at the fields and she wants to sniff…you do your hands in a cleaning motion and say scent work is finished- all done…time to play ball. I believe this will work and she will understand…problem is that you are diminishing her eagerness to do something more fun in her mind and trying to get her excited about something that is less fun….

I know something that will absolutely work but it’s not a very good approach….completely take scent work out and engaging her in it for a while. Her yearning to do something with you will grow and if all you do is fetch, then that’s all she will know.

I had this issue with Ragnar. His drive to tug rope grew significantly more than to run/fetch a ball. All he wanted to do was to tug rope, which to me was not as fun as ball and plus it was way more hard work fighting against that beast. The only way I could get his drive back up and have fun with the ball was to take the tug rope out of the picture for a while.