My pup (9week old Irish Setter) is doing really well, he is quite good at his basic commands and has practically mastered house training :)

I have found when I go out in the garden with him he only concentrates on me when I have food in my hand.  If I try to play with a toy he will play half heartedly for a bit then disappear off in to the bushes for a sniff or go stand in his paddling pool or just lay and chew on the grass/bit of wood/the cat :rolleyes:  I know being a Setter he is going to be a bit stubborn and this is why im trying to nip it in the bud now and make me centre of his world.  As I said when I have food he is fine but when he finds ive run out he goes off and does his own thing.

Is there anything I can do to make him play or am I expecting too much from him as he is still only a baby ?

Claire :)

Well, I'm not the best one to give advice on this as I've never had a dog like that that wasn't interested in me more. But until someone else comes on, I'll tell you the only thing I can think of. Perhaps I wouldn't do the food thing so much in this case. And I guess I'd try and do the things he likes to do with him. If he is into exploring the woods or bushes, maybe you can go on little mini walks with him and make lots of cheery noises and pats. Or just sit on the grass next to him and do what he's doing....not eat the grass, but pick at it....look like you're joining in with him. I think he's awfully young and in time he'll bond more to you. I think it's great that you're working on obedience skills. Don't over do, but do a little bit periodically. That too will increase your bond. Also, when you're in the house, in a room without too much to interest him there, you'll be the most interesting thing to him and there, you may be able to engage him more in some little games with a ball or something. Good luck.

Carrie

Hiya Claire, some breeds are naturally more food orientated and some more toy orientated but it is possible to "teach" your dog to want to play.  What you need to do is get a ball and play with it yourself against a wall for a minute and then put it away;  repeat several times a day for a few weeks.  When you are doing this look and sound as though this was the most fun anyone could have with anything.  After a few weeks "accidentally" drop the ball and the dog will want it; let him have it for a micro second and then put it away, again repeat several times a day.  Gradually increase the amount of times you "drop" the ball accidentally until the dog is obsessed and voila.

Remember the value of items is in inverse ratio to their availability (think diamonds) and so by making this toy "yours" and it hardly coming out at all the dog will start to want it more and more.  Retain this toy solely for the purpose of training and never let him have it "ad lib"

You could also teach your dog to play for food, eg food is contingent on chasing the ball or playing tuggy etc until the game becomes the reward in itself.

Hope that helps. 

First of all your puppy is very young, I'd focus more on building a bond and having fun with him that trying to teach him commands at that age.

I'd also try and make YOU the reward rather than food or toys. Get down on the floor with him & let him clamber all over you. Play with him like another puppy would do. Do this only for a few moments then let him go about his business again. You need to be the one who decides when the game stops - so if he only wants to play for a minute, then play with him for 30 seconds. Do this a number of times in the session. The 'intensity' of the game should be determined by the nature of the puppy. I've got a 7 week old springer puppy that will come flying up the garden to me for just a rub of the ears or her belly! I'll do this for just a few seconds then let her fly off again. I've trained both labradors and working cockers and have never needed either a food reward or a toy to get a reliable and fast recall and I am confident that this little lady will be the same.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't train using these rewards, but if the pup ENDS UP only working for food or a toy I would say that there is something missing in the relationship (particularly in a gundog or working breed) 

Try and make the whole session very short 5-10 minutes max. The more you can make yourself and your time a valuable commodity to the dog, the more he will want to spend as much time as possible with you.

Some dogs are just more independent than others. Don't have experience of Irish Setters but most of my breed will not play with balls and toys with people and would rather do their own thing. Providing the pup will come to you when called I would not worry about him not wishing to play your sort of games when he finds his own more exciting.

Hi, thanks for your responses.  I will give the thing with the ball a try Tohme, he always wants stuff he cant have :D :D

Havoc - I do make training fun for him, I only do it for a couple of minutes at a time like making him sit and wait for his dinner (he was lunging at his bowl feet first before it even hit the ground, now he waits for the command before he goes in feet first :D :D :D ) 9/10 he does come back to me just for a fuss but soon disapears off again.  In the house he is totally different and is like a shadow, in fact if I come in from the garden he isnt usually far behind me.

I think im probably worrying unduly because I know Irish Setters can be difficult to train compared to other gundogs and I want to do my best by my boy to ensure he has a good "free-running" life, unlike the Afghans which I grew up with who could only go off lead in certain places who I am sure if they had had a bit of training they could have been a little bit better but then they were hounds so who knows  ;)

He sounds sooooo cute. I bet he's gorgeous. Those setters are lovely. I can imagine him darting around from one cool thing to another. I bet after you've had him a while some of those things he's interested in will become less novel and as your bond grows, he'll show more focus toward you. He's just so busy now exploring this big world.

Carrie

We have some rescue dogs in our obedience class who didnt know how to play....
If a dog is food oriented and not toy oriented, we put the dogs fave sweeties in a sock, tied in with a knot. Use this as a toy...if the dog picks up the sock, open it and give a treat. Then progress to getting him to fetch the sock.  Likewise wiggle the sock and get your dog to grab it....then give the treat out of the sock. I have seen excellent results with this method, and the dogs have then genuinely learned to play happily, not only with the sock, but with other toys :)

Claire,

You've had so much good advice and being a first time puppy-owner myself, I don't feel qualified to add much else in terms of advice (!) :) but just wanted to say that a more independant pup might not be a bad thing as it helps prevent separation anxiety later. A lot of dogs who follow their owners around like a shadow and cannot amuse themselves have a really hard time when they occasionally DO have to be left alone later, when they grow up, and then they develop problems. So I think it's good that your puppy is confident enough to enjoy her own company. And if she is coming to you when you call, then I think that's brilliant! Doesn't matter then if she goes wandering off again afterwards. Perhaps, though, as Havoc suggested, if you have different times for play and training, then that would help as she might not then think that coming to you means boring training...it can mean play as well (not that I'm suggesting you're only calling her over for training! But just a thought...). Sometimes it helps not to just play with toys but to just act silly and jump around, making funny noises - I do this sometimes, like hop from foot to foot, singing a little song with my puppy's name and making funny noises and she loves it! She'll arch her neck and prance around with me and it's very useful when you want to play a bit in the park or something but you don't have a toy...she sees YOU as the source of entertainment, not just a ball in your hand. Besides, puppies love it when you act silly!
I have to say, I have the totally opposite kind of breed - a Great Dane, which is a notorious "chewing-gum dog", and they tend to follow you everywhere and act like you're the centre of their universe. I actually encourage my puppy to play by herself and learn to amuse herself and I often actively ignore her, so she doesn't have a problem staying on her own. But, as I said, my breed is probably completely different (certainly not a gundog!) - they're reknowned for being a complete soppy, love-bug and can almost be "too" affectionate.
Good luck with yours!
Hsin-Yi

I often get rescuse/rehomed dogs come in for rehab.  Most do not know how to play but it is possible to change this.

Put away the food.  If this is what the dog values most you are already putting yourself up to fail. 

Have the pup in a lead so that it can't  go off wandering by itself or pick up the toy and run off with it by itself.  The idea is that the pup plays wth you and the toy.  Show the pup a ball and then hide it behind your back.  Re produce it and in an excited tone say somthing like 'what's this' or ' what have i got' and roll the ball keeping it low to the ground and so that it will stop within lead length.  If the pup runs after it fine, call the pup in and re do the whole thing a couple of times but finish before the dog loses interest.  You must finish the session when the dog is wanting more.  Next time it sees the toy it will be keen to play.

If he doesn't run afer the toy go after it yourself and kick it gently with your foot and chase it, pup coming with you on the lead.  If you keep 'teasing' the pup by hiding/reproducing the toy before throwing, using excited, happy tones of voice, and make a game of chasing yourself if the dog doesn't understand what you expect him to do, he will soon learn.

I currently have a dog I'm fostering and he didn't understand play.  Staff at the rehoming centre had tried everything and failed to get him interested, consequently they couldn't get him to respond to them - he had no interest in anything.  In less than a week this dog was playing with balls, figures of eight, rubber rings, raggers, frisbees and after three weeks was bringing toys to me  and asking me to play with him!  He had no obedience skills - he didn't know the meaning of 'sit' let alone do it.  Through play he now sits, downs, stands, waits and comes on command.  I have had him five weeks - all has been done through play - it is one of the greatest way of reaching your dog and creating a relationship.  Stick with it.