If The Dog Doesn’t Want To Play, It May Be Your Fault

This title may surprise you, but as we have said many times , dogs have feelings like us and respond positively when we are nice to them and negatively when we are not. If you have ever had a great desire to play with your dog, but have been ignored, you have no doubt wondered why.

Although dogs do not hold a grudge, just like small children they respond warmly to the affection that is given to them and coldly to indifference or brusque manners. Here are some attitudes that a dog may not forgive and that can explain his indifferent attitude towards us.

Why doesn’t your dog want to play with you?

• Perhaps because the walks you give him are too short. A dog needs to go out not only to go to the toilet, but also to get active and socialize. Especially when the owner works all day, the dog ends up spending a lot of time alone at home, dreaming of getting a breath of fresh air. If you take it out every day for 5 minutes and then run straight home, as if the dog were a burden more than a friend of yours, the animal notices it. Are you really wondering why your dog doesn’t want to play with you?
• You don’t consider it enough. Stress, nervousness, lack of time make you rush home to go out immediately, passing in front of your dog as if it were transparent: do you think this is not a good reason for not wanting to play with you anymore? It is understandable that work or family commitments leave us little time, but in the evening, instead of rushing to go out with friends, it would be better to postpone half an hour and offer quality time to your four-legged friend.

• You turn him away when he seeks your company. If your dog wants to climb into your arms, say good morning or party when you come home, but you refuse him every time. . do you understand why he doesn’t want to play with you?
• You never gratify him. If you constantly scold your dog for not behaving well but, at the same time, never reward him when he does something you like, it is normal for him to lose interest in responding to you.

Daily stress and worries sometimes lead us to make one of these mistakes, but let’s not forget that a pet is a responsibility. Not giving the right attention to our dog means, for us too, losing a lot. Here are some tips to make sure your dog always wants to play with you.

What to do when your dog doesn’t want to play with you

• Be empathetic. Put yourself in your dog’s shoes; how would you feel if after being at home all day someone walked in who almost ignores you? Or what if they went out for a walk with you only because they were forced to? Changing your perspective will help you to understand the animal’s feelings, to be kinder to it and to act out of affection and not forced.
• Offer your dog quality time. It will not be the end of the world if when you return home after a day of work you cut out 5 minutes to dedicate exclusively to greetings and cuddles for your dog. Then, take him for a walk, a run, play with him and show him that he is as important to you as you are to him.
• Don’t reject it. Welcome him with a big smile every time he looks for you. Show empathy, try to imagine how happy it makes him to feel welcomed with joy and affection.

• Spoil him sometimes, indulging in a few vices is like giving a small gift. With a gift we show the recipient that we have thought of him. Show your dog that you love him, that you are happy with him when he does things right and that you think about him throughout the day and not just when you get home.

Remember that responsibilities take time and effort, but when a responsibility is welcomed with love, the effort becomes less onerous.