Playing alone

[Summer Magic]

Hi, All

Do your dogs play with their toys alone? I mean when they are in the house will they pick up a toy and play with it all by themselves?

My friend's dogs, my daughter's dogs and several others I know of will pick up a toy and play with it alone. Magic has never exhibited this behavior. I would like her to be able to entertain herself once in a while when I am on the phone or the computer but she doesn't ever use her toys without me or my mom interacting with her. Is there some way I can teach her to play by herself. Not that I want to replace our play time, it just seems so sad that the toys lay on the floor and she ignores them unless we instigate the play time with her first.

[Sheryl]

You know, Harley doesn't play by himself either, except his kong to get the food out (I give him that so he is occupied while I am away). The other dogs I had with my husband played with their toys, and I too am kinda sad that Harley doesn't.

[Mario Niepel]

Sammy sometimes does. He loves squeeky toys, so these can keep him entertained for a while. Also, sometimes he goes into his shake and kill mode when he grabs a soft toy.

However, I doubt that he plays much when we are not home.

Our late Jake, on the other hand, he grabbed toys all the time when we were not home. One time we found him and all of his toys on our bed... so he must have picked up every single one of the toys (there were about 20) and carried them one by one to the bed, where no doubt he sat over them like a dragon hoarding treasure. :) I still miss the big guy-- he just did so many cute things.

[Peggy Jensen]

My Mickey does not play with his toys alone very often, once in awhile he will pick them up and bring them to me to play with. He does very rarely, attack the big teddy bear (that was mine) and tries to kill him. If anyone has some ideas on playthings that may keep him occupied for a little while, I feel SO GUILTY when he just sits around. He has a couple toys that were supposed to give him something to do - like the little birds in the bird house that he can take out and the one with bees, but he doesn't seem interested in those at all.

[Melissa Brunoehler]

Hi Peggy~

Here are some ideas http://www.sitstay.com/store/toys/toysa.shtml#TYP56



My Mickey does not play with his toys alone very often, once in awhile he will pick them up and bring them to me to play with. He does very rarely, attack the big teddy bear (that was mine) and tries to kill him. If anyone has some ideas on playthings that may keep him occupied for a little while, I feel SO GUILTY when he just sits around. He has a couple toys that were supposed to give him something to do - like the little birds in the bird house that he can take out and the one with bees, but he doesn't seem interested in those at all.

[Luciann]

my two chis will play with their toys alone and with me as well.. i will go home and find toys out in the yard, in the bed and all over the house....

i have 3 toy boxes for my two and they are all full of stuff that they can play with as well as one that has assorted rawhide and pigs ears in

[Carrie Ahl]

Our little girl (also named Magic :-P ) loves to play with her toys by herself! Especially when she is feeling silly and revved up.

She is a high-energy dog, so sometimes even after our daily 4 mile walks, she has steam to burn off. She will grab toys out of her toy box (particularly squeaky ones) and run laps around the house, throwing the toys in the air as she goes. She does this even if no-one is downstairs with her at the time.She also likes to play ball by herself, she'll throw the ball in the air and try to catch it. (she usually misses :rolleyes: ). She occasionally has tried to throw a toy or two at one of the cats but they make ugly faces and swear at her so she's given that up.... :cat:

She has a sturdy, high wicker basket for a toy box, and she has just recently learned that it is easier to knock it over and "liberate" all her toys at once then to reach inside and grab them out individually.! We often come home to find the living room littered with dead toys and the Queen of the Battle passed out on the couch, snoring.! She is at least 2 years old so it's not a puppy thing, just a goofball one.

[Chris Smith]

Nalu will use his interactive toys by himself - the ball that dispenses kibble or treats or a stuffed kong. He will also chew on the heavy braided ropes or real beef bones on his own.

He almost never plays with his toys (balls, frisbees, rubber bones) by himself and always wants me to throw them for him and play fetch or tug.

He would play with a stuffed animal or soft toy by himself but to him that means ripping it to shreds within 5 minutes of getting it so he doesn't get those toys anymore.

[Andre Mendizabal]

It depends on the toy. Nala will play by herself with her interactive and chew toys (ropes and bones), however, with no other or for that long time either. Balls have to be thrown at her, as well as stuffed animals and noise toys... She rather play with company than alone, that's why she gets bored really fast when she's playing by herself.

[Summer Magic]

Magic also has her interactive toys, a kong and a busy ball but alas, they too lay on the floor and are ignored until I pick one of them up and roll it or give it a flip with my toe, then she'll get interested in it otherwise they just lay on the floor. I do feed her in the busy ball, she seems to like to eat out of it instead of her bowl in the kitchen.

[Kristy Hayden]

My Xena will play with her toys by herself, but she also plays with her food throwing it up in the air and running after it. Darcy, not so much, I dont think I have noticed her ever playing by herself its either with us or with Xena that she plays with.

[Amber]

Precious will play with her toys by herself. It's really cute! If my mom and I are busy or if she is really hyped up, she will grab one of her toys and throw it up in the air and catch it. She'll run all around the house doing it. She'll even get her ball and throw it all us to play fetch...or play fetch by herself, which is really fun to watch! lol

Sally, on the other hand, is just learning how to play with toys. There is one toy that she will play with as long as I initiate and one toy that she will play with as long as I am not in the room (she's really shy...bordering on painfully submissive).