I just adopted a 2.5 year old Australian Shepherd 2 weeks ago. She is the sweetest and most gentle dog but she just lays around and sleeps all day in her crate. I take her for long walks in the morning and early evening but beyond that, she doesn't do anything. She's never had toys or treats until now and when I try to get her to play with a toy she looks confused and uninterested. She also gets scared of the squeaker on toys. I want her to have some mental stimulation but she's just not that motivated and is fearful of a lot of basic things. The one thing I got her to chew were these turkey tendon chews but they dont last long and only do so much. She comes from a breeder who I don't think took good care of her. When I brought her home, she had an earinfection in both ears and fleas. She felt really dirty and the breeder said she never had treats or toys so didn't know what those were. It seems like she was just used for breeding and slept outside in a kennel her whole life… they didn't keep her because she was producing oversized puppies. I'm trying to ease her into the home and so far have been seeing small improvements with her getting more used to the home and routine, but I can't seem to get her to play at all. Even with other dogs, she just runs away… Any advice here? Has anyone successfully taught their dog how to play?
submitted by /u/beatplusmelody
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