1 year old has NO interest in chasing a ball????

[Robert165]

Robert,

Do you plan to hunt this dog? If not, it's not such a bad sign. If so, you have a problem. Chasing a ball or training dummy, or certainly a bird should have been going on since he was 8-10 weeks old. Have you had him on real birds at all?



I've been a pro trainer for over 36 years, and if you were bringing me this dog these are questions I would be asking you.

EvanG

i am not a hunter.... most of my neighboors are but not me. i just want a dog to play with.

[doubledip1]

Give it time. Luna didn't care about balls until she was 5 months old, which is 3 months after we got her.

[Tanya]

give him time to settle in. It takes awhile for a new dog to settle in a new environment. He may or may not have had the opportunity to really play before (no idea what his situation was before). Or maybe he was playful, but is just a tad overwhelmed by the changes (even if he seem otherwise fine).

as he settles in, try different kinds of toys. different types of balls, squeaky balls are very popular and different types toys (frisbe, weird shape, bigger tugging balls and such).

praise when he goes for toys. keep it light, keep it short. leave him wanting more.

[Meeps83]

Maverick prefers to fetch one of those kong balls with the tennis ball inside KONG Jumbler Ball Dog Toy, Large/X-Large (Color Varies)

[SunDance]

My three males never had any interest in fetching....but that was what my female lived for.

Now...with these two honorary Labs....my male is a fetching fool and his mama is indifferent.

Some dogs...even retrievers...just aren't interested.

[Chuckles]

I have a chocolate lab too and he has never been interested in fetch. I've tried for 3 years--he just isn't interested unless I show him a treat and then he walks to get it . Some dogs, even retrievers, have no interest in balls or retrievers. He loves playing with other dogs at the park chasing, tug-o-war and will even chase a ball then to get the other dogs to chase him.

[ZoeysMommy]

Not all dogs enjoy a game of fetch. Being a retriever means nothing at all. My 5 year old female lab only enjoys fetching in water. On land she is indifferent. My corgi is a fetching machine. Its really an individual dog thing not a breed specific behavior

[EvanG]

i am not a hunter.... most of my neighboors are but not me. i just want a dog to play with.

Good luck.

EvanG

[happy_blackbird]

Just throwing in our experience (haha). Our last lab, Stella, was a ball freak to the point where we had to keep them in the garage and teach her that there would never be balls in the house because she had a very difficult time turning off that compulsive need to fetch one (which also displayed with frisbees, sticks, stuffed toys, or pretty much anything else you could hurl across a room). Our new, 20 week old puppy? Eh, not so much. If she's really excited, she'll play with one by herself, but really shows no interest in fetching at all. I'm not sure if we will go the field trial route with her, but if we did, she would need better training than I know how to give.

Basic fetch is something you can encourage with treats by associating the ball with a treat, then shaping his behavior with treats (he sniffs the ball, give a treat. he picks the ball up, give a treat. he brings it to you, give a treat), but I agree with everyone else. That first 24 hours is not indicative of anything yet to come. He is probably overwhelmed with all the new stimuli in his very new environment. A new home is a lot to adjust to, but over time, his natural personality and inclinations will emerge. Congratulations on your new boy!

[Snowshoe]

It's been several days now, some dogs need a week or so to transition to a new home, but are there any changes? It is nice to have a toy or ball you can use to motivate your dog even if only training for good manners to be a nice polite pet. Maybe this link would be of interest?

How to Create a Motivating Toy

Another thought, are you sure he is healthy? VEt checked? Does he seem to have the normal energy of a one year old? Was he well and properly fed before you got him?