Abraham was not food motivated AT ALL in the beginning, either. It took a solid year for him to care about treats. And he was never really interested in eating until I switched them to raw food at about 18 months of age. Now he's just about the biggest pig you could imagine. He acts like he's never been fed. So, give him some time. Remember, right now your dog is the equivalent to a six-month-old baby. Don't expect too much until he starts to mature. And I wouldn't encourage wrestling or tug-of-war. He's gonna be over 100lbs when he's done growing. Best to have him placid and gentle.
Also, rawhide isn't a good "treat". Mine get no rawhide or pig ears. The rawhide is really hard on their digestion system and the pig ears...my vet told me a story about a couple that had been giving them to theirs. The dog started acting weird so they took it in. Turns out the pig ears had sharp edges and had torn the pups tummy. Bad times. Mine get bones like Milk Bones or Vita Bones, when it's a special occasion I get marrow bones from the butcher and give them those. Relax and enjoy being his human.
Yeah, as far as toys go, save your money and buy/scavenge these things: - Sticks - Raw bones from the butcher (the bigger the better. When I can find them, I get the whole joint.) - Old torn up rags - Cardboard (not that I advocate this one, but dogs love to shred paper) And there you go. They won't like anything as much as they like ^ that stuff. Well, except manure or dead fish. But those kinda suck, from a human perspective.
My parents have lab, and it's favorite day in the whole world is Christmas because it gets to shred the wrapping paper as we open presents.
My Aunt's dachshund used to have epic battles with empty 12 pack boxes. It would hit the floor and he'd be going bonkers.
The only thing "bad" that Buddy has done was to get into the kitchen trash and pull out a Styrofoam tray that had a steak on it. I came in and he was licking the Styrofoam. Other than that, he has never gotten into the trash or done anything bad. I was told that he used to run around with feral dogs behind some store, so I think his perception of fun is a little different than a puppy who grew up with people. I think it will just take time for him to adjust, and to even get used to dry food. I want to take him to the dog park that is nearby but I want to wait until after he is neutered (next Wed). He is more prone now to getting excited about things than before, but his default is still "lay at my feet, don't move a muscle," which I still attribute to his breed.
This is my cat, Sprite: She happens to be the prettiest cat in the world. Very friendly, too. I've got bitches cutegasming like crazy on Facebook because of her. When she dies, I'm going to scoop out her eyes and keep them in a jar to see if they retain their magical properties. That's sound science, right?
I'm going to an orientation this Saturday afternoon at my local Humane Society to become a volunteer. I love dogs very much, but unfortunately I cannot keep one where I currently live. So, the next best option is to spend my weekends with dogs who don't have a place to call "home." While I'm sure I'll have questions answered and procedures explained to me on Saturday, I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience working in shelters and could offer extra advice. What should I expect about the temperament of the dogs, given the rough backgrounds most of them have? What are some of the best things I could do to improve their living situation? Basically, what are some things I should be particularly mindful of as I go through with this?
I recommend NOT volunteering at a dog shelter in the middle of nowhere in Costa Rica with an insane Austrian woman who keeps thirty of the 160 dogs she helps in her house, who then takes the side of the dog that attacks the shit out of you so your legs don't stop bleeding for days and then refuses to acknowledge you or let you into her house so you're trapped in the little guest house without food for two days until you finally figure out how to call a cab when you don't speak Spanish to take you back to the nearest town a half an hour away. But that was just my experience. If the shelter is in the States, I'm sure the "bad dogs" won't be just wandering around and you can let them get a feel for you first and accept you before you're in the same room as them.
I have no experience working at a shelter, but from what I saw at the Oahu SPCA where I adopted Buddy, the volunteers really love on the pets. I went over there 3 times (ridiculous that you have to stop in because they never answer their phone...rant for another time) and there were always 3 or 4 people there taking the dogs on walks and helping out. Really, that's all you can do. You can interact with the animals and make them not as bored, but there will probably be a lot of cleaning to do that will limit your face time. You might also consider donating specific items that are needed at the shelter. I know ours has a list online of various things they need like blankets, collars, leashes, cleaning supplies, etc. Good luck, and don't get too attached to any of them....you might end up taking one home.
A question for the dog owners: What do you feed your pet? When we got Buddy, I just went to the PX and picked up something (Iams Naturals). He wasn't eating much when we first got him and I think he even lost weight. Then he was neutered and he wouldn't touch his food. I got him eating again by giving him a can of sardines, some cheese, and some deli turkey. The next day I mixed in a can of tuna with his regular dry food to get him to eat. After mixing in tuna for a couple meals, his appetite was much improved. In fact, he eats everything I put out for him now. I started reading reviews of the product I purchased and it is very mixed. Some owners reported that the food made their dogs sick, some dogs seemed to like it a lot. I know all dog foods are not created equal. But I also don't want to go broke trying to feed him the most expensive dog food that there is. Also, I've heard about a kind of raw food diet for dogs, which makes sense, since, you know, giant pieces of dog food aren't typically found running around the forest. Does anyone have experience with that?
Boom. Long story short: there was never a kibble my dogs ever liked, even if I drenched it in gravy with chunks of turkey. Cue the raw food: cheaper than any 'high quailty' dog food you can buy ($90/mo for both dogs combined). No perservatives. No crap. Nothing they don't need, everything they do. I'm a huuuge fan. I have recently found a butcher who will supply the meat AND grind my veggies AND mix it all together AND portion it AND freeze it (I used to do it all myself), all for $0.15/lb more than what I was paying for the meat alone. It's funny, because the butcher specializes in grass-fed organic meat. So essentially my dogs get 75% organic, grass fed chicken (meat, bones and organs), 25% fresh veggies and fruits plus high end supplements. I wish someone would make ME eat as well as I feed my dogs.
DCC is obviously a hero to her dogs, but some of us just aren't ready/willing to commit to the raw dog food lifestyle. If this is you, check out http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/. It has a comprehensive list and rates each food on a 5-star scale with full descriptions of all the ingredients, what they do, and how/why they might be controversial or not recommended for doggie consumption. For example, Iams Healthy Naturals is 3 out of 5 stars. Not terrible, but not so hot either. We feed the bassador the standard Kirkland premium dry dog food. Reason #872 I just love Costco: it's rated 4 out of 5 stars and is only $30 for 40 lbs. I will not rate taste/consumption because this dog is part labrador and therefore will inhale literally anything edible and some things that are not. However, I will say that we get constant compliments from people, including our vet, on his shiny coat, he is nice and regular in his bathroom habits, and he has been super healthy the whole time we've owned him.