Hi, Our Finn is drinking from his cuddle since he came to us as a puppy of 8 weeks old. He is still doing this now he is 16 month old. I have seen it with cats who were taken away from their mother to soon. Our Finn has been bottle fed in his early stage of life. His mother got very ill and wasn't allowed to feed her pups. Is it a possible reason that he is doing this for that reason. It seems to us that he is doing this more often... Annemarie from the Netherlands
Re: Our Finn treat his toy like it is his mother I forgot to ask if this is normal behavior? Annemarie
Re: Our Finn treat his toy like it is his mother Hi Annemarie and welcome to the forum So your dog Finn is sucking on a toy? My dog does it too. He is 3 years old and was fed by his mother, not a bottle, so it is not because your dog was not able to drink his mother's milk. It's not the same kind of thing that cats do where they suck on something if taken from their mother too early. I don't think it's that unusual for dogs to do this. I know of three other dogs at my dog club that also do this - one is also a Labrador. I think they do find it a comforting thing. I think it is harmless as long as your dog isn't showing any other signs of anxiety. I would not worry about the toy sucking or try to stop it. It is probably a way he helps himself to relax.
Re: Our Finn treat his toy like it is his mother Tatze didn't leave her Mum 'till she was 10 weeks old, but she does it a lot I bought her a new teddy exactly the same as hers was looking worse for wear - she ignored it!
Re: Our Finn treat his toy like it is his mother Thank you for your answers! The photo showed exactly how our Finn is doing it. He has one favorite, but other will do too! I can't upload a video here. We don't have a photo, only video of him in 'action'. I am glad to hear that other Labradors are doing this too. I really thought it had to do with his ill mother. He sometimes uses his cuddle for dominance. That is when I step in and forbid him to do that. Is that a right thing to do? I don't want our dog to act like he is mating...... Annemarie
Re: Our Finn treat his toy like it is his mother [quote author=Anne123 link=topic=9991.msg145503#msg145503 date=1424782347] He sometimes uses his cuddle for dominance. That is when I step in and forbid him to do that. Is that a right thing to do? I don't want our dog to act like he is mating...... [/quote] It's not dominance, there are all sorts of reasons for humping, mainly exuberance and excitement. But yes, it's a good idea to distract him from it as it could become an unpleasant habit. A game or some training will soon distract him
Re: Our Finn treat his toy like it is his mother Mags! Tatze is adorable, how do you ever say No to those eyes?!
