How old is she? If she wants to sleep all the time, I'd have her checked out by the vet first.

She's around a year old. (The person I got her from was unsure of her age) The vet said she is perfectly healthy. Occasionally she plays with Bud, but after a few minutes she just goes back to her spot on the couch and goes back to sleep. She does love a good belly rub, and when I rub her belly she acts like a wind up toy. She gets super excited and runs around in circles for a few minutes then comes back for another rub. I think whoever had her first didn't play with her at all, or maybe didn't show any affection. When I leave the house I can hear her howling and crying as I'm walking to the car, and she's SO excited when I get back she could almost burst with joy. But it seems once she knows I'm not going anywhere else for the day, she just curls up somewhere close to me, or on top of me, and sleeps. I've tried playing games with her, Bud plays fetch, and every now and then she runs after the toy, but once she gets to it she's done....So I have no clue. I want her to be more active though.

Sounds like she thinks she is a cat. :)

Some dogs don't fetch. Play for any dog should be directed at what the dog likes or what it's instinct dictates.

Daschunds were bred to follow burrowing varmits into their burrows---so hiding a favorite toy/treat might work. It sometimes takes a bit of training for the hiding thing to work. Start by hiding the toy /treat behind your back and ask "Where's the toy?" Once she understands the game, you can begin to let her see you hide to toy, and progress into hiding it and she has to search.

Dragging a toy for her to chase is another idea.

Incorporate the training into the belly rub/excited times. That helps get her interest generated.

It sounds to me like your doxie is out of shape and tires easily. It's hard to be playful when you have no energy or stamina. The best way to get her back into shape and improve her energy level and stamina is to take her for walks on-leash once or twice every day, gradually increasing the distance walked and the number of walks per day. As she gets more fit, she'll most likely also get more playful.

Laurie

Thanks handymac. While I understand that not all dogs fetch, I've tried different things to try and get her interested, and nothing I have come up with work. I will try your suggestion and see if that interests her. Thanks again.

Individual dogs can be problematic.

I rescued a whippet mix---and can no longer walk either of our dogs. Molly has to have running/chasing exercise, which was really a problem.

Fortunately, my middle grandson plays soccer, and while practicing here one day, we discovered Molly loves chasing soccer balls. The yard is large enough for her to get to top speed and actually 'catch' the balls. I can kick them for her---so she gets the necessary exercise that way.

It does sound like you aren't walking her. Or did I misunderstand? The walks will stimulate her brain as well as exercise her body and give her more energy. Is her weight in line with what a healthy dog of that breed should be carrying? So many dogs are obese and vets have gotten tired of even trying to address the subject. Take a hard look at her general lifestyle. Adding walks and reducing food can help a lot.

Please see your other post about feeding, I responded there before seeing your post here and provided a link to a play school program. Works likes wonders for our very active puppy but helps with dogs who are not active or are in need some stimulus as well.

What about a kong toy? They are great for mental stimulation and might wake up her to the idea of more play.

Cynthia: When I walk them I have to coax her step by step. and it seems as though she is scared to be out of the yard. Lukkiirish: Thanks I will def check into it!
Ladybugfruit: I have bought all kinds of toys for both of them. I thought she liked the ones with the squeak toy inside, while Buddy acted as if he was scared of them. All she does it eat the toy, get the squeaker out, then she's done with it. I have old mis-matched socks that I tie knots in and give to them to play with, she seems to do ok with them, but after 5-10 minutes she is curled back up on the couch snoring.

Our current dog had to be coaxed to go for walks, too. He was really reluctant to walk away from the house but would pull once he knew we were going home. I used Pupperoni (gross, low quality treats) and would slowly feed the stick through my hand, flicking little pieces ahead of us. That kept my dog focused on moving forward and getting the Pupperoni bits.

If I had it to do all over again I'd look for a higher quality treat, Newman's Organics made a similar shape stick that was also easy to break off small pieces and flick forward. But since you are doing it with one hand, the consistency of the treat is important.

Another thing to help your dog with walks is when you get to a new place (which could be the next driveway on the street) do some simple tricks that your dog knows really well. For my dog it was Sit and Circle. Just the act of doing something they KNOW can help boost their confidence because they aren't thinking, "What do I do now? What is that green thing in the grass? What do I do?"

BTW - this is not a problem that is easy to "cure". Our dog is great now, he is very comfortable walking with me when we leave the driveway and turn left. No dice on turning right, though. It's back to coaxing and luring to get him to do that - because when we moved here 2 years ago we just always started to walk to the left (toward the park near us). Good luck!