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I never had a retriever but I wonder if the plush toy is somehow like a real game bird in the wild and hence the attachment--pure instinct. It seems that different breeds may like different kinds of toys and have different behaviors with them--just a thought.
It was in the news somewhere online today that a study showed dogs have the emotional and intellectual ability of a two year old including showing happiness, sadness, and disgust. The border collie is still the smartypants---and the hounds bring up the rear. So why shouldn't they have a security blanket--it fits right in.
I have 3 dogs a rottie and she had pups which are rottie/shepard mixes. I have had the puppies since they were born. The male tears the stuff animals up and my female the runt of the litter carries them with her every where. She gets so upset with her brother if he takes them and tears them up. She walks around crying trying to find a place to hide them. I usually take them from her and up them up where she can see that he can't get them and then she stops. But I always thought dogs who did that had something that happen to them and use the toy as a security blankets. But having three dogs in the same home raise the same way makes me wonder why one does it and not the others?
My brother had a female Siberian Husky who, a couple times in her life, adopted a toy as her baby. She'd take it into her crate with her and love on it, and she didn't want anybody messing with it. My brother figured it was a latent nursing instinct (even though she was spayed at an early age). Her behavior with it definitely seemed more maternal than possessive.
She was the only dog in our family who showed super-special affinity to a particular toy. All the other dogs were either disinterested in toys altogether, or were more fair-weather about it.
Aww, my Samoyed has similar attachments LOL. He would destroy everythingggggggg in my house, demolish any stuffed animal, except for his stuffed frog (I think it was the first toy we ever gave him). Now he has a stuffed dragon that he carries around with him, and he leaves "froggie" safe in the crate.
My little bugger has not one, but TWO 'security' toys. One is a red squeaky plush bone-shaped toy, that he has probably had since I brought him home, and the other is... well, it used to be a squeaky plush mouse head - but now resembles a big ball of... dead mouse. LOL. His trainer gave it to him after he 'graduated'... these are the only two toys he walks around with it in his mouth, whimpers to hide it, tries "burying" it in his bed, picks it up when he's excited.
One of the spaniel mixes I grew up with had a plastic popsicle toy that he took everywhere. "Archie, where's the pop?" and he'd go get it. Meanwhile, his littermate brother just didn't care for toys.
I think it varies from dog to dog. But it's so cute when one does it!
I worked with someone, whose guide dog, was attached to a toy rabbit. I am thinking, "You are trusting your life to a dog that carries around a toy rabbit in its mouth?"...but the dog was an excellent guide dog.
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