Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 10/3/2008

Question
My 2 year old shih tzu poo has started to act totally obsessed with a stuffed animal toy. The toy originally was bought for another puppy (we let each dog have its own toy), but when we were unable to keep the puppy, my other dog took the toy as her own. She has her own toy but has become extremely attached to this new one. She carries it everywhere and will knock you over running to get it from her crate. In the evenings, she carries it back and forth from her crate to the living room without stopping. She has gotten to where she puts herself, and her toy, to bed earlier and earlier every night. She is not hurting anything and is not aggressive if I take it from her, but I am just curious about her behavior. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she has not had puppies or been fixed yet.

Answer
Hi, Jackie,

Thanks for the question.

I think this is a combination of things. First of all a puppy's body is endowed with a chemical called oxytocin, which is called the nurturing hormone or the trust hormone. It stimulates endorphins in the brain and it's what causes wild animals (and humans) to have nurturing feelings toward their young. When people or animals are around another being who exudes this hormone (which also acts like a pheromone) it creates strong feelings of attachment and love. (I have a theory that this is how wolves began forming packs...*) In fact some gambling establishments are said to spray oxytocin into their casinos to make people feel less worried about the normal risks that come with losing their money, etc.

So there's your answer: The toy belonged to the pup. The puppy is gone and your older dog misses him or her and is now attached to his or her toy. So the behavior you've described is probably partly an emotional association your dog has of the puppy's scent (the oxytocin, etc.) on the toy, and some of her own maternal hormones.

I hope this explains the behavior for you.

If she's really obsessed with the toy you'll need to give her another activity that raises her endorphin levels. Fetch and tug, played outdoors, would be the best bet.

LCK
http://www.LeeCharlesKelley.com
“Changing the World, One Dog at a Time”

*My theory is that at some point in their evolution a mutation occurred in some wolves so that their bodies kept producing oxytocin long after the normal cut off point for other young predators (which is at about 6 mos). Most predators find it problematic to live in groups because they can't control their aggression toward one another. But if young wolves keep producing oxytocin until they're about 2 years old (which is when they tend to start their own packs), and if our ancestors were in a habitat where they were in close enough proximity to these animals to be affected by the hormone/pheromone, that would also explain how our relationship with the canine species first began. It's all because of a simple chemical...