my dog is boring any ideas

My dog is boring. When he does get in a playful mood its for a maximum of 10 min. Other than that he just lays arround or on my lap. Hes a jack russell and I dont know whats wrong with him. Could he be depressed?
Any ideas on how to get him more hyper/fun? like catnip for dogs?
PLease help! Are there pet therapists?
-Dan

 

Hey Dan, well first of all, I'm not that much of an expert, but if he's just a pup, I know mine is like that. They are much like human babies, have their up times, and well soon after need their rest times. We've gotten Stroker some dog toys, and some he'll take to, and others he won't. It's kinda a trial and error, as with human babies, with finding the right kind of play toys they take to.If he is an older dog, I'm sure their habits change.(I have yet to find that out with mine!) So, I hope this may help a little. Take care, and good luck!

- Laura

 

maybe it is just lazy and doesn't want to play, but if you want to be safe take her to the vet and let him check her out to rule out medical problems.

 

I'd go to the vet. One of the few times Rocky was sick he would try to play and then fall alseep because he was so exhausted.

He may not be feeling well which could cause him to not want to play.

 

Young puppies can also end up with low blood sugar quickly...if this is just a pup you may need to feed him more often to keep that blood sugar level up...I'd take him to the vet and explain the behaviors etc...

 

You can give your dog some nutri- stat if it has low blood sugar also a little sugar in the water won't hurt it. but i would ask my vet first.

 

It could also be that is just his personality. Is this a change in behavior? A new dog? Is he a puppy?

 

From Dan to Dan
This does not sound right. I have never seen a jack just lay around unless they were sick. Even as pups they are very high strung. What’s the diet, they have to have a very high energy food. We add to our girls food and she runs like a bat out of h*** She well play tug for hours and chase after rabbits and birds all day. She loves to run and play in the snow with her coat and boots on that is. Even as a pup she would run till she hit a wall or a tree head on and only take a break till she got her bearing and would take off once more. Are you keeping him in your lap all the time or are you introducing him to the things around him. Jacks love to play, try hiding your hand under a blanket and slide it back and forth around and under him if he does not go for it you need to get to a vet. Toys – a buster cube, cool whip lid, tug ropes, balls we buy a can of tennis balls on sale no name brand. Plastic bones keep a lot of them on hand Jacks love to chew. Oh I all most forgot her favorite toy is a empty bottle of pop or water specially the 2 liter ones. Wait till you see the act they put on when they have a new toy.We call it killing the toy before she well chew on it. Keep in mind don’t let your bottle of pop sit alone it won’t be there when you get back. Keep and eye out for any drinks you leave near them they well take them and believe me a Jack on A coffee high well I won’t even begin to describe it to you. There are know high spots when you have a Jack they have legs made of springs.
Welcome to the world of a Jack better known as chaos.

2pyrs

 

Hes four and a few months ago i got him from the pound, hes arround four and he was a stray/runaway/drop off. He had a cold then his food made his urine form crystals and now hes on perscription food and such and hes ok now. He plays sometimes but other times hes just plain boring. I might try that sugar thing. Thanks everyone.
-Dan

 

2pyrs described the "typical" Jack, but of course every dog is an individual. Especially if he came from bad situations, he could be just resting up and trying to settle in. They say it takes 6 months to a year for a dog to really warm up to a new home, especially if they came from less-than-ideal circumstances. If he was punished in his old home(s) for being hyper, they may have scared it out of him.

Perhaps if you ever get a dog from the pound again, you should choose one with the personality you are looking for. Many people would be very pleased to have a small dog that likes to lie around, but some want a more playful animal. I am really concerned about you calling him "boring." It sounds like you don't like him. If that's the case, he will know it and it's not healthy for him. Are there others in your family who actually like the dog?

Try playing with him with toys. If he likes walks, take him for walks in different places. If you have a dog park that is safe for small dogs, take him there and maybe watching the other dogs will encourage him to join in the play. But take it slow and let him go at his own pace. You have no idea what this dog has been through in the 4 years before you got him.

Also, try training him. Get a book on clicker training and start teaching him things. He will eventually figure it out, but it may take some patience. Try Pat Miller's "Power of Positive Dog Training" to get you started. The good thing about clicker training is that it rewards a dog for thinking and offering you behaviors. If you stick with it, you will make him more creative. But you have to have patience in the beginning.

Shelter dogs come with all sorts of baggage. Love your little guy for what he is and help him to be what he can be.

 

Heck, I'd be overjoyed (not that I don't like Rocky, he can just get a little hyper sometimes).

It could very well be just his personality. My first dog was the type that would just lay around a relax all day. He was never really interested in a lot of toys.

I'd have to agree. My aunt has a Jack that she thinks was abused when she was younger.

For the first 6 months all she did was when my aunt went to play with her was to hide in the corner. Now she's the biggest bundle of energy you could ever find.

Now that she's over that, my aunt now has to deal with her tendency to snap at people when they try to play with her.

 

Ummmm, in re-reading your last post, I hope you are not serious about trying to feed him things that will make him more active. You could really make him sick that way. I also hope you aren't "torturing" him in your efforts to make him more lively. Dogs don't like teasing any more than humans do and it's mean.

 

Hi Hoaxoner, I would have him thouroughly checked out by a vet before going to a high sugar diet. While many small breed dogs are susceptable to low blood sugar, it is not nearly as likely with him being 4 years old. At four years of age, if they do not have a problem with low blood sugar and you give them high doses of sugar, you can cause them to become diabetic. There are a number of other things that can cause him to tire easily. Things as common as worms can cause them to have loss of energy. Also, psychological factors such as prior mistreatment or just plain boredom can cause the same symptoms. At four years of age he is moving into his more mature years where he will slow down naturally. Our four year old Chihuahua was getting the same way. Even with all the attention she got from us she was bored. We decided to get another Chihuahua puppy, not as a treatment for her, but just as another member of the family. After we got the new puppy (Merry), our older Chihuahua (Kimi) immediately took to mothering her and as Merry got into her puppy stage Kimi started becoming as playful as she was when she was a puppy.
First have him checked by a vet to rule out any medical problems. If there are no medical problems find someone who has a young puppy that he can spend time with to see if he needs some companionship. If he still lacks energy then you are most likely dealing with previous mistreatment and he will need a lot of TLC and understanding on your part that he may not ever be as playful as a puppy, but that will not stop him from being a great lifelong companion.

 

my dog is also on prescription food for crystals. There is virtually no meat in this food. You might want to try mixing some baked chicken in with a feeding every day. I do this on the advice of a holistic vet and it has helped Sadie a lot in her energy level.

 

You might also want to try a raw-based food, like Nature's Variety. Someone else who used to post here had a dog and a cat that both were prone to those crystals. She tried EVERYTHING and not even the prescription diets helped. She finally went to Nature's Variety and they both have been perfect ever since.