Am I Really That Boring?
Hello:
8 week-old Donovan came home last Saturday and is doing great. He's a well-adjusted and self assured pup-- he barely cries at night and entertains himself with his toys. There's only one problem: he doesn't need me!
He has very little interest in playing with anyone but himself. I try to drag toys across the floor-- he lays down and looks at me. I give him ice to play with, he pushes it into the corner and ignores it. He tires of his toys quickly and we have to cycle them every day. He has Kongs, and a rainbow of chewies, stuffies, nylabones, etc. (Dont know if it's relevant, but he gets treats for good behavior, things like kibble, Vital, and carrot ends.)
He came from a big litter, and is used to having 12 brothers and sisters to run around with, but surprisingly doesn't seem anxious or depressed that they're gone. Just... bored.
We live in an apartment in a dog-filled complex, so there's no yard, and going outside without all his shots is out of the question. There are parks, beaches, etc, but I don't trust that dogs havent been through them either. I've brought several people over to begin his socialization... he loves visitors, but still gets bored with them just like he does with me.
Also, he's too young for daycare or playdates in the area-- and I'm already signed up for daycare when he turns 12 weeks. But until then?
I know a happy corgi is a tired, exercised-out corgi, but if he wont play with me or anyone else in the apartment, what do I do? I know he'll get over his aloofness eventually, but how do I wear him out before then?
:) Thanks for reading all the way through-- I'm stumped, and wasn't sure what information was relevant.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by bebe on
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I think you just need more time to bond with him. Hold him when you're watching tv, take him out with you when you do errands. I read that it's important to socialise the puppy as much as possible between 8 to 12 weeks. You can avoid the dog parks and petshops, but take him to visit your friends etc. he'll bond with you in no time :) He probly doesn't know how much fun humans can be, toss his toys around, arouse his interest!
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Carla on
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If you're energetic about it, he might get more involved. Get really rowdy and make lots of noise, it might get his attention. You could also try doing something with two people (yourself and another person) like kicking a ball back and forth or something. He might be more interested if the two of you are "absorbed" in what you’re doing and he's sitting on the sidelines watching - I know Casey would go berserk, wondering what all the fun was about and why she wasn't involved too!
He's still just getting used to you, so give him some time. I'm sure he'll come around.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Hi Haley. Don't worry too much about it yet. First of all, at 8 weeks his attention span is about 3 seconds long. He's also a bit shell-shocked about leaving the litter, no matter how well he is adapting. Everything and everyone he ever knew just disappeared! When you say last Saturday, do you mean just 4 days ago? If so, then he's still figuring things out in his own way.
The day we brought Jack home, I said to my husband "Well, he's cute as could be, but I don't think he's the sharpest tool in the shed." He was not real responsive when we'd clap, or call him, or run the other way. He just kept wandering away, distracted by this or that. He was a couple days under 10 weeks old.
Within a few days, I took back my first impression. He is, in fact, the smartest dog I've ever had the pleasure to be around (and I'm not just saying that because he's mine!). He's super responsive and quick and clever. He, too, was sort of independent and didn't seem worried in the least about leaving his litter, BUT it's still a big adjustment and I think their poor little brains sometimes shut down a bit and their real personalities don't always shine through in that first week or so. So, some of his "boredom" is his short little attention span, and some of it is probably his way of dealing with stress. He'll come around. Just be quietly confident around him, and try some different play styles. Some puppies like lots of laughing and hand clapping, while others respond better to quiet attention. And what he likes may change several times as he matures.
If you still have trouble getting him to engage after you've had him for a couple weeks, then you might want to call the breeder and get some suggestions from him/her as to how to proceed.
Good luck! He's adorable.
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Oh, and by the way, too many toys can overwhelm a little puppy. I would let him have (at any one time) one cuddly toy (if he doesn't destroy them, and at that age they usually don't), one harder chew, one rubbery chew, and one dangly toy he can shake (the dangly toy might double as the rubbery one). It's fine to have more toys for him, but cycle them in and out like you mentioned and don't give him too many to choose from at once, or he might choose none at all because of too many options.
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on
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dont worry, your are fine:) teddy was the same exact way! lol like beth said, he is just getting use to everything. first just try and bond with him, cuddle him on the couch, pet him, tell him hes a good boy, i would even take a soft brush and try brushing him. when we brought teddy home my husband thought he was really dumb..(i never thought so!) no matter what i did,including are other dog, to play and get his attention, he would just zone out lol. it will take time for u to make a really tight bond but once u do, its unreal how u know what there thinking and how much they love u. like when u r upset, he will be at your side in a heart beat and give u kisses:) but if u really wanna play with him, get super happy and energetic. find out what his favorite toy is. i am glad to hear that u r socializing. u dont have to take him to parks or anything but try and bring some kids over too
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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He's just getting used to you and his new environment...wait a few weeks and I bet he will be different! He is young and so he will need lots of rest/naps along with figuring out the world. Beth is correct that just a few toys at a time is a good idea. His personality may also be more of a laid back mellow corgi but he'll come around...maybe more than you want. Enjoy!
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Permalink Reply by Tauna and Kota on
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I would just focus on bonding at this point. I would just have maybe 1 or 2 toys out at a time for him to play with. I would try to have him near you as much as you can. He is in a new place learning new things and doesn't have his mother for confidence or any more training right now. Playtime is also bonding. I agree with the previous poster about the 3 second attention span. There are so many new things and no old things, that he is probably just trying to figure out what/who is his teacher and confidence re-enforcer. The sooner he learns that you are awesome and loving and that he can go to you when he is scared and when he wants to play, then he will me more interactive with you in different play situations and want to interact with you more. Cuddle with him as much as you can. When he wanders off to some other area... Go get him and cuddle him and ask what he is doing. I constantly talked to my puppies like it was another person. That makes them get used to you faster. It's definitely a good idea to start brushing him and touching his feet. This way he will totally be used to you brushing him and cutting his nails and such. Do those things a few times a day for short periods until he gets a little older. Then do it maybe once a day for a little while longer... They learn playing from their litter mates. At 8 weeks they were just getting into the playing without hurting each other, and learning to really interact with each other. He doesn't have them to interact with anymore and he is probably trying to figure out how to play with you and the other things in his environment. Give it a little more time and you will be bestest buddies in no time. Hope this helped.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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He is still an infant! They don't do much at first but it will pass. When the switch goes you will have a wild toddler that may wear you out. Although he could be that rare mild mannered corgi that doesn't try to test everything, in which case you should be thankful.
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Permalink Reply by Avyon on
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Hahah this is so true! It's like a switch in their head. Then you wonder how your house got destroyed in a matter of hours!
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Permalink Reply by CorGeek on
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:D Thank you. I thought it was just me. For the first two weeks home Oliver mostly slept and had no interest in playing with me. I was convinced that I was boring. But he was just getting acclimated. Give Donovan a little time. :)
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Permalink Reply by shelley power on
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hahahahahave to laugh at all the responses!! So true, although all of mine were older when brought home, only one was a social butterfly. Missy the rescue who was abandoned.. go figure. she is still the most eager to please. But the other two were simply allowed to "den" and come out at their own time.. It is like a switch .. we simply leashed and quietly took out for potty time and then let them go back to "safety zone" until they acclimated to new surroundings. Their natural curiousity usually wins over, but for one of mine took almost a month!! And he was from a wonderful home , but out in the middle of nowhere so all he knew was the people family who bred him and his siblings..... he came around . He is still a bit stoic, but he is also the one who naturally brings all the shy ones out of their shell, with no human involvement! We all watch in amazement as he gets the velcro dogs away from their moms at the dogpark LOLOL He is like a bad penny, greets goes away comes back goes away but doesnt give up and soon enough the shy dog is off and playing with him ! So funny
He seems to know just how to do it.. maybe being with littermates till 6 months, maybe we left him come out of his shell without too much pestering,, but he has deffinately become the teacher of shy dogs.
I guess I agree with all said here. and even as I say we dont think like dogs enough, the human part of me thinks , I have been taken away from everything I know and have no idea how to interact with all this new stuff.....
He is very young, and may not have been handled or socialized at the breeders... give him time...
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OH and BTW Its not YOU!!!! hahaha we all think that!!!! 8 weeks is way young and the big new world is so overwhelming hahahahahaahah
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