Should my 12 week old male puppy play? - Page 1

 Hi,

I am a little concerned about my 12 week old male pup. He is happy enough, tail wagging, coming when called, eating etc but he shows absolutely no interest in playing with a ball, stuffed toy etc. My husband was hoping to try schutzhund with him but I wonder if it is too early or if he will ever develop the drive to do it. My 12 month old female has a low prey drive also but she responds well to obedience training. 

My male puppy could pass as a sloth. He doesnt run or play unless it is with our female. Should he be playing/biting by this age? 

Thanks
Nicole

I cannto actually say anything but here is a video of a 12 week old puppy biting etc:

You should be seperating the two dogs. Do not give him the option of only playing with your other dog, he should want to play with you. Dogs will bond closely with each other and leave you out of the picture.

Then again, some dogs develop differently or he may just have low drives.

Could you post a pedigree?

Melissa

What did the breeder say?  Different lines will behave differently as puppies.  Just because a GSD puppy isn't hanging in the air onto a scrap at 12 weeks or going crazy over a tug doesn't mean they won't excell at SchH someday! Not every dog is going to be like the one in the video, it's a nice pup, I think they're doing too a little much pulling on the pup and not enough winning.  You don't need to have a young puppy biting a full tug, does your puppy chase a tennis ball?  Make a flirt pole, I used this toy http://www.allk-9.com/the-robit-toy-p-36.html

Pedigree does matter. If the puppy is from serious high drive dogs known to produce same, maybe the puppy is sick? If the puppy is from backyard bred dogs through generations of backyard bred dogs, I wouldn't really expect much in the way of drive.
Pedigree may not determine drive, but it may give clues as to the behavior.

If I were your trainer, I would tell you to seperate the dogs and make yourself the most fun part of your puppy's day.

Melissa

Doberdodle's right.


I had a female who didn't turn on till she was over a year old. Up till that point absolutely NO interest in chasing a ball, NO interest in playing tug. She turned a year old; and it was like that part of her brain just kicked into gear. Now, if you saw her focus on a tug, ball, (or the sleeve,) you'd never guess she used to be completely disinterested in playing with me or toys when she was young.

What you have at 12 weeks still doesn't indicate what you'll have in a few months. Don't push your pup, just enjoy him. If he's not into playing, get outside and bond with him anyhow. Do some very light obedience. Take him on walks and outings. At the very least you'll have a very well socialized pet, and at the best, you'll have a dog who turns into a great Sch dog, and is completely unphased by different surroundings.

Did you buy from showlines ? Post a pedigree so I can see what you got. Show line dogs, dogs that "choose" when they want to play at 12 weeks are what we classify as shitters. 

Did you buy from showlines ? Post a pedigree so I can see what you got. Show line dogs, dogs that "choose" when they want to play at 12 weeks are what we classify as shitters. Send it back if your husband want to do Sch, it is just going to make everything screwed up.

No drive for the ball blows chunks when you go to train it. Take it from me, it is a nightmare.