Dog with a mouth full

Comfort food?

Dear Fisher,

I am facing a fact. I have an obsession for stuffing my mouth with toys, socks, and sometimes underwear I find around the house. We have a cat here, too, and she gets really mad when I take her toys and pull them apart. My humans aren’t too happy with all the half pair of socks, either. Lately they are trying to teach me to leave their stuff alone and I have to start behaving. I just forget and go back to my old ways. Can you explain this and give us some advice so we are not all upset all the time?
Nick

Dear Nick,

You are describing what I call quirky dog behavior. While it may cause a lot of angst around your house, it is not at all uncommon. You, the dog, are quite trainable, and you will do well by your people to keep working at it. Humans are not always as easily trainable as their dogs, but they play a key role in the outcome of the whole exercise. A perfect combination is a dog who does not lose site of his need to please, and a human who will remain calm and consistent in their training procedures.

Understanding why you need to fill your mouth with stuff is an important start.
For instance, you may become bored when you are left alone. The war begins when the enemy is underwear and socks, and you must pursue the enemy in order to save the household from hidden danger. Or, if you are less creative, you simply want to get as much of your human’s scent as possible embedded in your psyche as possible, and what could be better than a stinky sock?

According to the Humane Society of the United States, “toys are not a luxury, but a necessity. Toys often help prevent bad behaviors from developing.” Your humans can alleviate their distress by establishing some habits of their own, such as:

1. Pick up the dirty laundry and put it out of your reach
2. Schedule some serious playtime with you before they leave the house
3. I recommend looking at the Humane Society for tip sheets for solving poor dog behavior. My favorite is: Provide toys that offer variety—at least one toy to carry, one to “kill,” one to roll, and one to “baby.”

You may even inspire the cat to come up with a similar plan for her toys – or not. In any case, I wish you all well.

Your friend,
Fisher