# super mellow, quiet Spoo puppy..



## joshdo7 (Nov 23, 2013)

Hello.
while a lot of people are dealing with super hyper puppies with uncontrollable behaviors, I'm actually having trouble with my super mellow and laid back 13 weeks puppy..haha.. At first I liked it, but since he's not really food-driven it's hard to teach him any tricks. He's not shy or timid.. Likes to play with other dogs and people. This one time a big Labrador on leash started charging at my pup, but he stood ground and started to show him what's up! haha. Anyway, any tips on how to get him more active!? It's always been my dream to play fetch with a dog for hours.. I don't know if I'll ever get to play it with my pup with this energy. 

Thank you!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Playing fetch is one of those dreams that can quickly pall - I have ofyen thought that the Old Man of the Sea had nothing on a ball obsessed Border Collie who's found someone prepared to throw a ball! Have you tried upping the quality of the food treats (chicken is usually very effective!)? Or experimenting with different toys and games? Some dogs that are not much interested in food will move mountains for a quick game of tug.

If he is generally very low energy, I think I would get him checked over by my vet. Pups do vary, of course, and young puppies need a lot of sleep, but if it verges on lethargy I would be concerned.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

As usual, Fjm has such good advice. 

I have two puppies and one is much quieter than the other as far as activity levels. But he does still play, rough house, run around the house. Try playing with him when he is hungry, before meal time and use some super tasty treats like Fjm says. Make the toys wiggle and move away from him. See if he'll come after you when you trot away from him making happy, squeaky noises. He is young and maybe he's just a little slower to mature and hasn't quite figured out about playing more vigorously. They do change over time to a degree. I'd definitely have him checked medically if you think he is not interested in anything and seems overly subdued. Use nothing but positive reinforcement. He sounds like a pup that _could_ be very sensitive and could sort of stop behaving in general if he were scolded too firmly. (not that I think you do, but just as a warning)


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## HerdingStdPoodle (Oct 17, 2012)

*Jean Donaldson*

I totally agree with fjm about getting Sky "checked over by a vet." 

After the vet check, you might consider checking out Jean Donaldson's fabulous book, "Train Your Dog Like a Pro." It is on sale at amazon.com for approximately $16 and includes a 2-hour Training Dvd [fabulous!] that talks about *motivation*--- different dogs are motivated by very different things! Perhaps your dog is not super motivated by food? 
HerdingStdPoodle


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

HerdingStdPoodle said:


> I totally agree with fjm about getting Sky "checked over by a vet."
> 
> After the vet check, you might consider checking out Jean Donaldson's fabulous book, "Train Your Dog Like a Pro." It is on sale at amazon.com for approximately $16 and includes a 2-hour Training Dvd [fabulous!] that talks about *motivation*--- different dogs are motivated by very different things! Perhaps your dog is not super motivated by food?
> HerdingStdPoodle


I agree-some dogs are just not food motivated. My previous dog, a Chow, was like that. I tried every treat I could think of and he could take or leave all of them. On the other hand, he would do anything you asked if the reward was his favorite toy.


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## joshdo7 (Nov 23, 2013)

THank you guys so much for the response!
Indeed it turned out he had a fever of 103degrees last week..
Now, he is full of energy! (be careful what you wish for..haha)
He loves chicken liver treat! Been teaching him new tricks, and he is learning quickly!

on a side note, have anyone of you guys had your puppy's/dog's white blood cells being higher than usual? When he had a fever, we ran a blood test and the results were that Lymphocytes, monocytes, and neutrophills were high.. the vet and my own websearching guessed an infection of some sort.. But now that he is super healthy (eating 3 times a day, clean solid waste, great energy), we decided to just keep monitoring him. Talked to many people, and few said puppy's blood cells usually go up and down during teething, which causes fever; pretty much saying it's hard to indicate anything at this age.


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