Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hello,
My boy has almost done a complete 180 in his play habits. There is a dog park near me that he would drag me to multiple times a day to play fetch until my arm was like jello, now I throw the ball and he is completely bored after a few times. I would give him multiple looks, not just toss the ball the same every time. Anyone else's DS do this?

My guy had a bout of not caring to run down the ball like a crazed madman. It passed. I think it was last year...if it was last year, he was five. I, like you, posted a thread about it. As I recall, others claimed they'd experienced the same at times.

How old is he?

What else are you doing with him besides ball?

Raven,

He came from NADSR and the vet thinks he was 1.5 when I got him about 6 mos ago. Although, I have noticed his chin has gotten grey in that time, maybe he is older?

I have multiple walking paths through the woods that I take him on. I try to go different ways each time. His other hobbies include shredding stuffed animal toys and playing endless anounts of tug of war with a giant rope toy. I try and take him out with me on the weekends to get him exposed to new people and places / socialized.

Will1492 wrote:Although, I have noticed his chin has gotten grey in that time, maybe he is older?

That might be white, not grey. Hilde has a little strip of white on her chin that I hadn't noticed until we had her for quite a while (she's 2 1/2 now). Either it showed up along the way or I'm just not that perceptive, but it seems to go with the white flying squirrel on her chest and her toes.

Thor had a bit of white around his mouth when we got him, then suddenly there was more, and at an early age. Other owners have reported the same thing.

Are you doing anything for mental stimulation? Search, tracking, object identification, jobs/chores, etc. They thrive on this type of stuff and can tire them out as much as a physical exertion. It's amazing what they are capable of doing--and how freakin' fast they learn.

Not sure about the grey, sadie started to grey around 2. She had some white on her chin but her upper lips started to get grey hairs first.

How is he otherwise about other types of play? Is he ouchy at times?

ditto what has been said about gray/white on chin: my Xander - who has a decent-sized white splotch on his chest - i think has developed a lot of white on his chin that i THINK is newish - because it keeps surprising me - but maybe i did not notice it before [ i wonder if i'm going crazy when i think about his white chin ]. he turns 2 this month.

they change and go though spells, but turning TWO is the really big change until old age hits. age of 2 is like getting out of college and striking out on their own. in reality, it is when they arrive at sexual and social maturity and the super-sudden onset of a new personality can be head-spinning for us human bystanders. so, you'll just have to wait and see what new dog emerges from his current internal turmoil. in the meantime, the change in ball-play attitude is nothing to worry about.

[ i would add, my old TraceDog lost interest in dog parks around the age of 2, having been crazed about them before. none of my current dogs has ever even seen a dog park, so can only speak to the one long ago.]

I agree that 2 is the magic number, although Sadie is 4 and Im still waiting LOL. I must say, the soup pot isnt coming out as much as it used to !