Dear Alecia, I adopted a three-year-old Maltese about a month ago. Ever since I got her, she has not left my side. All she wants to do is be on my lap. I try to play with her with all kinds of different toys and spent alot on them and she will not play. How do I get her to play? We walk everyday and she loves it; she’s not very lazy she just doesn’t ever want to play. I don’t know how to get her to play. Please help me! – Brooke
Dear Brooke,
Congratulations on your newest family member. As the saying goes, “everyone is an individual,” even a dog. A month is not a very long time for a 3-year-old dog to get adjusted to a new home.
If she was given up for adoption or worse abandoned she could have some issues with feeling like you might leave her too. So my suggestion would be to give her some more time and allow her to just be, give her some space to figure out that you are her forever home, that you are not going to leave her and that she can feel safe.
Allow her to play when she chooses and to show you the ways in which she enjoys playing. While that is happening take some really quality walks together to bond. Dogs often bond while out walking and hunting together.
Also, she may not be a player. When I adopted my dachshund, it took almost 6 months before he let go of his past enough to let me see his playful side. So just hang in there, put yourself in her paws and be patient, she will come around and be the best play date you have ever had.
Paws Up!
Alecia
Alecia Evans, PDT, MA
Alecia Evans is the inventor of The Walk In Sync™ Humane Dog Walking and Training System with her exclusive 5 Minute Manners Makeovers using the Walk In Sync™ Harness and Accu-Grip Leash, along with her Walk In Sync™ 3 Easy Steps to teach any human/dog duos to Walk In Sync in just minutes.
The former host of the award-winning GrassRoots Aspen TV Series, The Whole Animal-An Alternative Approach to Animal Care, Alecia takes a natural approach to dog training and health care. Her work has been featured on Fox and Friends, The Sandra Glosser Show, NY 1, and in Aspen Magazine, DogTipper.com, The New York Daily News and Woof Report.
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