Games and toys Questions

Hello! I'm new here and new to owning a dog (my husband is a dog person) and new to this breed! We have a 2 month old GSP puppy who came home this weekend and I am at a loss of things to offer her to do when she is not sleeping or in the garden running around. I see her wondering around sniffing everything and worry that she is seeing what is going to be the best thing to chew on! What toys etc. work well for this breed? She is not very interested in the ball we got for her. Also, as she is not interested in the ball I am not sure how to encourage her to run around the garden when I take her outside. She is not allowed on the street for another 10 days while we finish her vaccination program. Thanks!

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Congratulations on your new puppy - I look forward to seeing pictures of her!

I always found that empty plastic drink bottles were played with by my pups - good to chew on as well!

Kong or plastic bottle with some of her dry food in.
Old jeans/bedding/curtains cut into strips & weaved together to make tuggy toys.
Hidding some of her food around house/garden & let her sniff the food out.

Give her time to settle and get used to you and her new surroundings before worrying about her playing or running round the garden, not all puppies know how to play with toys but you can teach her to play and to want the toy.
To keep her busy you could get her a Kong, and stuff it with tasty things

Something to consider is finding a pet supply with a generous return policy. That way you can experiment with a few different toys at a time until you find out what your pup enjoys. Both of my dogs are very different with play. Sophie adores retrieving balls and sticks, and she loves squeaky toys, well she enjoys carrying them and then ripping out the squeakies. It's safe, she spits them out.

Callie has almost no interest in toys. He doesn't retrieve and the only game he enjoys is tug of war with Sophie or a human playmate. But his passion is empty plastic bottles. He'll all but stand on his head for a bottle to chew. Try the Kong toys or Nylabone. One thing though about treat dispensers of any type. Keep the receipt...some dogs can't figure them out. Sophie was helpless with the puzzle toys.

I agree with GsdSlave. While she has been with her breeder, she has had the other puppies to play with, and it will take her a while to adjust to being an only pup, and feel relaxed in her new surroundings. I would give her furry, and lightweight toys at this age. Even if she doesn't play with them, she can take them to bed and cuddle them.

Over the next few weeks you can introduce her to some puppy games such as Tuggy rope, (or fleece) - remember, pretend that she has won, or she will soon lose interest. Remember to swap a tasty treat for anything that she has claimed as her own, but should give up. As a Gundog, she should enjoy Find it, (hide a treat and let her search for it - remember, really easy at first - then start to make it a little harder), and Get it - run after a tennis ball, (don't expect a retrieve yet, but reward BIG, BIG, BIG, if you do get one).

Don't try to force her to play or she may become suspicious and shut down, but watch for any move she might make to try and involve you in her play, and be ready to respond straight away.