On/Off Loss Of Ball Drive...Anyone Else?

[Raven]

I'm not talking IPO retrieve or anything, just fetch and bring for exercise. Thor could do it all day, however, the last few months he's often not interested. He seems more interested in tug in the house. Could be heat-related, though he was never really one to shy from that. From what I can see, his gums haven't changed and teeth seem okay. He'll be six; not old. With the few agility pieces we have, he now prefers those to a ball. (And he was a wild-eyed, crazy-maniac for anything thrown!)

Anyone else experience an on/off loss of interest? I'm not worried, just curious if others have seen this in their dogs.

[johninny]

when TraceDog got to that age, he would fetch just so much and then take the object in question away from me. this usually meant running like hell up the stairs from the beach with me calling him to come back to no avail. this was done with great flair on his part, clearly with the intent of emphasizing a point. leaving the beach like that was a dramatic statement, since otherwise he was happy to stay there for hours.
he never lost interest in tug and could not be beat.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

I can only comment as H went through something similiar when he was younger. And I'm on my phone so I apologize in advance for any misspellings or horrible grammar or nonsense things. When H was younger he had zero interest in the ball. Plenty of prey drive but once he figured out it was a ball he'd walk away. Even baiting with treats didn't work. So I put up the ball for a few months. Recently I've been working it back in, trying to figure out a good reward for him for sport, and he's crazy about the ball now. But he will stop retrieving if I use one ball for too long. He plays with probably 7 different balls of all shapes, textures, colors, weights, and sounds, and while he has his go too favorites he also has a rotation I've noticed.

I've noticed a similar disinterest in his chew things. He loves bully sticks but he'll go through phases where he just gives up on them or walks away. I think it's an overuse thing; I switch out the chew and he's good. Maybe Thor is bored? If all medical reasons are ruled out and there's no injuries, try tugging for a few weeks then throw the ball. Or buy a totally new, never seen, not like anything he has ball and test it.

[Dutchringgirl]

thats odd, Thalie has not lost her interest in ball or tug. She will though do what TraceDog would do, we will play for a while, then she will take the ball away and go lay down, and no matter how much I call her, she wont come back until she is ready.

[Raven]

He has tons of different balls and toys that go through rotation, too. And like I said, tug still solidly holds his interest.

I was thinking yesterday that despite the fact we do different things on/off all through the day...they are the same things. I haven't really added much in the way of new tasks/jobs/tricks or new heel work routines for a while (which also means he's not learning anything new). I'm thinking that's it.

I guess it's time to teach the boy to do the dishes, make the bed, start dinner, read....

[johninny]

Sharon, it did not occur to me before. you're not suspecting [ and have no reason to suspect ] anything physical are you? he still runs like crazy when he wants to without hesitation?

[Raven]

No, there doesn't appear to be a physical reason, outwardly anyway---though the husband flipped out a little last night recalling our last DS and her increasing reluctance/avoidance to do some things (running, jumping, getting in the truck, etc.), which was due to her pelvis and spine being chewed up by cancer, unbeknownst to us. But the odds of that are great.

The husband got him going outside yesterday, running like a maniac, but it was from a game the two of them play. No interest in balls. I pulled out a ball he hasn't seen in at least a year...he got excited at the sight of it and prepared himself for it to get thrown down the hall, but when I took him and the ball outside, he just watched it fly down to the woods. The husband tossed it around outside later; it held Thor's interest for about four throws.

Though he's always been keen on mental stim, he seems more interested in mental stimulation than physical, and rather than being "more clingy" on some days, he's "more clingy" most of the time. He knows so many things, it's a challenge trying to think of new things to teach him, especially things that he could do on a regular basis.

[johninny]

based on what you just reported, especially the 'clingy' part, i personally would do an ultrasound exam out of an abundance of caution. Thor sounds so very much like TraceDog, and if something was ever wrong, the physical signs would be slim, none, subtle, as his determination was without bounds, but he would seek comfort in being close to me, because he trusted me to do the right thing. also, at the extremes [ twice ], he sensed the worst and wanted to emphasize his love and trust in me just as a parting parent would.

you are probably right that there is nothing to worry about, but listening to TD in this extreme way [ in 2 hours after returning from a business trip ] bought TD and me another 4 great years together. even after taking him to the hospital at midnight and after a full physical exam, the team at the finest hospital in ny insisted nothing was wrong with him - and he was clearly full of joy and energy - but i said something was seriously wrong based on hints that were subtle in the extreme but that would not have happened if something were not terribly wrong - hints that were just out of character.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

Sharon how old is Thor again? It may be a combo of something (minority) wrong and needing more mental stimulation. Like if he's in pain he may be trying to keep himself busy. H will do something to hurt himself and then insist on running around like a demon trying to do everything but shows no other signs of pain rather than a sudden need to be busy. Or he could be asking to learn even more things. I know you do a lot of really creative stuff with him as it is! Maybe pull inspiration from some of the doggie sports, or doggie relay races, or like some sort of hide-and-seek?

[Raven]

John, he has a vet appointment coming up for his rabies. Hopefully, I won't have anything to discuss come then. (I know how that conversation will go if I do.)

Kira, Thor will be six. Yeah, I need inspiration. Something out of the box. We've done more object searches than usual the last couple of days, and he clearly still enjoys them (envision a bluuuuuuuur of brindled ass-cheeks tearing off when he's released).

This is kind of funny--and at first, I thought this was the issue: okay, you all kind of know what a bull-dozing brute my boy is...so it was funny to learn that he suddenly viewed the morning dew with great disdain. After the dew dried, he would run, but not until. That started early this spring. He would run after it showered...but the morning dew? No, thank you. (Started calling him "Foo-foo" and "Sissy-pants." ) Then it just evolved into his not wanting to run down balls.

He's in the living room right now raising holy hell with his father. Boys....

I did a little research, if that's what you'd call it, and apparently it happens sometimes.

And another thing that occurred to me recently is I have been having either bad days or not-good days (health) though I keep plugging away, and I've wondered if he's reacting to that. In the past, he's been very intuitive/responsive to such matters.

Thanks, everyone, for your replies and thoughts and concerns. You're all --you own DSs-- but you're great folks.