Poodle will not play

Question
I purchased a year old poodle who had spent most of his life in a kennel. I have had him for 2 days and have noticed he does not know how to play or respond to most things.  It took him 2 days to eat and drink. When we take him outside he just sits.  Can this be corrected. I hate to return him because he would probably end up back in a kennel. I would like to teach him how to play if possible but again he just sits.

Answer
Hello Julia,
The first step is to give the dog a chance to get to know your place a bit more before asking him to "act" like a normal dog.  He has only been in your house for a short time and needs a chance to adjust.  
I would give him about 2 weeks or so, so that he can learn your routine and find his nitch in your family.  

In the meantime, you can start to develop a bond with him.  Try the Puppy Exam position.  To do this, start with you sitting on the floor and the dog in your lap.  Have him lay on his back with his head towards your stomach.  For the first few times, just rub his tummy until he will relax for you, then you can praise him and let him up.  Once he sees that all you are going to do is rub his tummy and he starts to relax some, you can start the exam part.  To do this, start at his head and look into his eyes, ears, and mouth.  Praise him when he will let you mess with his head.  Next move to his legs and feet.  Familiarize yourself with how his leg and toe bones feel so if something ever happens and you suspect that he has broken something, you can feel down the leg and find out if something doesn't feel right.  Also, get him used to having his feet and toes messed with.  Spread the toes a little, tap on the toenails, and even gently pinch the nail and toe to get him used to the feel of what a toenail trimmer will feel like.  Next go over the barrel of his body.  You are looking for anything out of the ordinary.  Also check for fleas, ticks or injurys that he may have.  Lastly, do the back legs and tail.  This will greatly help when he goes for a Vet check and at the groomer, and will also help you build that bond with him as it shows him that since your head is over his, you are boss and builds trust that while he is in this position you won't let anything hurt him.  
You should also take him for a walk if he will walk with you.  Encourage him to come along with you by talking in a higher pitched voice and lots of praise and pets.  You can also take some yummy treats with you if he is into treats, to encourage him to walk with you.  

As for teaching him to play with toys, you have to give this time.  If he has never played with toys before, then he won't really know how to play.  Sit on the floor and show him a toy and then hide it under your leg or behind your back.  See if he shows interest in where it went.  If he does, bring it back out and wiggle it around on the floor, then hide it again.  If he shows interest again, bring it out and toss it just a little ways away.  See if he will go over to it.  If he does, wait to see what he does with it, then take it and repete the process.  
You can also play with the toy with yourself, and let your dog see what you are doing.  Sit on the floor and throw the toy up in the air, shake it, toss it around and go get it.  Your dog may think your crazy, but then again, he may just want to jump in and play with you.  If so, get on your hands and knees and play bow to your dog, crouch down and wiggle your rump.  Bark and whine at him and play with the toy again.  I KNOW!!  What??  Yes, this is how dogs play with each other, and if your dog sees you play like this, he may just jump in and play with you.  
Give it a try and see what your dog thinks.  Give it time also.  He may not just jump up and play all in one day.  

I hope this helps you and your dog some.  He sounds like a really neat boy, it will just take some time to bring him out of his shell.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim