How much do you play with your yorkie?
 

I am looking for some insight in the usual amount of time you spend playing with your fur babies.

I am a med student and lately I have noticed I don't dedicate as much time to playing with her as I did before. I feel a little guilty about it but at the same time I have to study. I do dedicate some time to play and of course I take her for a walk, but I wouldn't say I spend all day playing with her. I feel bad because sometimes I feel that maybe she thinks I don't want to play with her.

Any ideas for things to buy to keep her occupied, such as some kind of interactive toys or fun things for her to do?

You can only do the best you can! As Jackson's gotten older we don't play quite as much but I still make an effort too. Sometimes I can't resist when I'm on the computer doing work and he looks at me like please! I'll get down on the ground and rough house with him a bit and he's happy! I also still make sure to get him outside almost every day even if it's just 10 mins of fetching the ball/frisbee or running around. He's like 7 1/2 now and still very active but he doesn't 'require' quite as much as he used to.

As for interactive toys, Jax LOVES the Kong Wobbler. It's simple to figure out but it keeps him busy and it's very fun for him and lasts a while. Definitely a fav.

They learn what we teach them, if you play all day, that's what they will grow to aspect. Play with her when you have time, she can entertain herself with her toys. I take Cody twice a day to the yard where he can run and hunt. Then I play chase him. We are out 15 to 20 minutes. In the house I roll his ball or toss a toy a few times through out the day. Let's be realistic lol, we do have things to do. When they are baby puppies they require more time, as they grow a bit they learn mommy can't always play and they will learn to play with their toys when you can't play with them.

I don't think we play at all. She has toys she plays with and my daughter will play sometime but we may just be all business. We go for walks for excercise and potty time. She stays close to me when we are home and if she can go with us when we are out she goes. Don't beat yourself up too much.

My boy will play as soon as we are up and done getting ready and expects me to baby talk him "oh my goodness what do we got Ted?! Is that your *insert toy name*" and he walks away pleased. Around evening he will put a toy like his rope or ball in my hand and we will play tug of war and or fetch for a good half hour. Before bed the zoomies set in so we play tag or just play fight in the floor for about 10-15 mins. The rest of the day he's content chasing a toy or sitting near me!

If your routine drastically changes, I really do think they notice. When I got Kaji, I was finishing up school. He would even come to class with me sometimes. We spent a lot of time together. Now, I work all day, get home to cook dinner and prep for the next day. We play hide and seek, and I try to olan outings for him on the weekend. He gets antsy during the week if I don't. Bottom line, you'll figure it out. Kaji would contently sit on my lap in class or in his carrier, and nap on my lap while I was in the library. He was just happy to be with me. I miss that. Maybe my new job will let me bring him sometimes? I'm going to cross my fingers!

Wow they let you take him?! My boy is the reason I don't wanna transfer away to college (I'm starting community next year)

My daughter is staying at home and going to Community College next year too! She got accepted into a really nice college but told me she didn't want to leave her puppy. The community college was the original plan when we got the puppy when she was 17 anyway, so this is really the original plan. I think she only applied at the other college to see if she could get in and she was so proud that she did!

We are currently adding a bedroom onto the house to move her 15 year old brother into and then she will get his old bedroom added onto her room after that so she will have more like an "apartment" for her and Raksha to live in while she goes to college. We got her a microwave already and my mom has a Keurig for her. We plan to pick her up a mini fridge to have in her room. She already has a tv so she should be all set. College at home. LOL

Cali is 7-1/2 and would play all day if I would. So we depend on her interactive toys ( ifetch is one of her favorites) and that works great. I M self employed so she goes to work with me every day and my patients play with her regularly, especially the children. They come in the office door, and are down on the floor immediately, and she brings them a toy. So a lot of my patient visits are done on the floor :D

That's so awesome! Mom isn't on board with not going away but I don't feel ready and I can't leave my baby with grandma forever! But I'm currently trying to convince dad to evict a relative (his biological father not close to) so I can live above grandma it would be perf for Ted to get all the attention her deserves

Well if you are at home studying you can take your 5min study breaks and use that time to play for 5minutes with her.

Safe chew toys is also a good bet. For self entertainment. If once a week you can bring her to doggy day care that would be good as well.

Thank you everyone for your responses! I feel a little better now knowing that this is normal and if I don't play all day that it is okay. When I study I let her lay in my lap. For some reason I thought that maybe just laying in my lap wasn't giving her enough attention, but I'm really glad I asked!

I agree! Even studying, you are there, you are present, and you can reach down and throw a sock or ball or something.....your baby will be totally thrilled with even that....you can put a handful of kibble in a plastic Gatorade bottle, and mine spend almost an hour, throwing/rolling/twirling that bottle around, getting rewarded when a couple kibble fall out! When I was in classes and studying, I used to tie a light rope around my ankle, and on the other end, I tied a favorite toy.....then when I was reading/studying, all I had to do was move my leg/foot around, and the toy at the end of the rope bounced and "ran" from my dogs, and they spent a lot of time chasing and rolling around with the toy as it "jumped, moved back and forth, etc" at the end of the twine tied to my leg.....you can still study, and manage to provide play/activity events for your baby....and they love just being around you, next to you.....this closeness is a vital part for the well being of Yorkies, and it takes very little effort on our part!

LOL Thanks for that tip! I'm def trying this:thumbup:

Not all colleges are dog friendly or stay dog friendly. You know, one bad apple ruins the barrel. :rolleyes:

Kaji is so quiet and is content just being there with me. The trips to the library were more for me than him. Usually when I was really stressing over a large paper I'd bring him along to try not to over stress. Most of my studying was done at home. Test days, lab days, small class days he stayed home. Unless he was sick, then and only then I'd risk taking him to a small lecture class. In large lecture halls, no one noticed he was there so they didn't care. The department offices loved him! The secretaries would hold and play with him while I ran in to my professor's office for a quick question or dropping off a paper. They always asked to hold him. :)

The center of campus has a really pretty park where people walk, walk their dogs, and wild rabbits ran around. Kaji people/critter watched while I read under a tree. He was on a leash the whole time so all critters were safe.

A small disclaimer, I did have to work with him a lot to get him this calm. He is very skiddish and is scared of people. He liked tagging along during summer school best. Less bicycles. :p

Wow, this is an amazing idea! Very creative, I am going to try this :thumbup: