Why is my dog so attached to her toy?

As kids, we’ve all had our favorite toys. And you might have noticed that your dog has a favorite toy, too!

It can be cute if your dog keeps carrying a special stuffie around with her. But sometimes she might be completely obsessed with it, even defending it from you!

So you might be wondering why your dog is so attached to her toy at all? Does she believe it’s her puppy? And is there a point where you should start worrying?

Let’s hear some answers to these questions!

Why is my dog so attached to her toy?

All dogs love their toys. Toys are fun to play with, plus some of them are nice and soft. And that makes snuggling with them great! Toys are also really good for your dog to chew on.

But some dogs seem to get more attached to a certain toy than to others. It might seem a little confusing that your dog seems to be so in love with that one toy.

While it might be confusing, this behavior is generally harmless, and usually isn’t anything you need to worry about. But if you want to learn more about why your dog does this, I’ve got the answers for you.

In short, your dog is attached to a toy because it’s either really comforting or because you’ve been encouraging the cute behavior. She probably doesn’t think it’s actually her puppy, even though fake pregnancies do play a role. Some toys also simulate prey really well, and her instinct for keeping a snack for later might have kicked in. 

We’ll get into a little more detail on all that now. Make sure you also take a look at these articles about unusual dog behavior:

• Why Does My Dog Guard Me?
• 9 Reasons Why Your Dog Is So Clingy All of a Sudden
• My Dog Is Obsessed with Me! Is It Normal? 

Fake pregnancy

If you have a female dog and she seems to be particularly attached to a specific toy, then she could be going through a false pregnancy.

This happens to unspayed female dogs who start to show symptoms of pregnancy without actually being pregnant. 

These symptoms will usually come up a few weeks after your dog has been in heat, and will resolve on their own a few weeks later.

While a false pregnancy is nothing to worry about, if your dog is old enough, you should have her spayed. This is for your dog’s benefit as well as for the benefit of other dogs in your neighborhood.

Learn more here: What Is the Best Age to Neuter or Spay a Dog?

It comforts them

You know when kids have a favorite toy that they carry around with them everywhere? Well, dogs are kind of like kids in a lot of ways!

Your dog might get attached to a specific toy if it’s something she finds especially comforting. It’s just like a little kid needing their favorite doll or blanket when they’re worried, or just when they want to have something nearby. 

Your dog might seem especially attached to a certain toy because it’s her favorite! Carrying it around with her brings her comfort.

The behavior has been encouraged (because it’s so cute)

Your dog pays more attention to you than you might realize. She notices the way you behave when she does certain things. So you might be encouraging her attachment to her toy without even realizing it!

She may have been snuggling up with it one day and you rewarded her by giving her extra attention—because it’s just so cute to see her like that! Over time, you’ve rewarded her more and more for treating her toy this way.

This is an example of using positive reinforcement dog training without even realizing it! 

Related topic: For dog training in general I highly recommend you get a program that walks you through step by step, such as Braintrainingfordogs. Certified dog trainer Adrienne Farricelli teaches you to train your dog to be the best dog he can by be using mental stimulation! Check out Dogpackr’s review to see if this is a fit for you!

It feels like prey

Most dogs have a prey drive. Dogs are both hunters and scavengers in a way. Some dogs will have a stronger prey drive than others, however.

Your dog might be carrying around her toy all the time because it feels like prey to her. She might think that she’s saving it for later to eat.

Or it could just be pure instinct making her carry it around.

Can a dog be too attached to a toy?

Most of the time, it’s cute when a dog has a favorite toy that they carry around. It’s sweet that your dog finds it so comforting that she just doesn’t want to put it down.

But is it possible for a dog to get too attached to a toy? We’ll talk about all that and more now.

Why do dogs like stuffed animals?

Dogs love playing and snuggling up with their stuffed toys. It’s fun to play a good game of tug with your dog and her favorite toy, and it’s so cute to see her snuggled up with it later.

But why exactly do dogs love stuffed animals so much? Well, there are a few reasons.

One is that the toy is comforting to your dog. It could also be a case of your dog experiencing a false pregnancy.

Stuffed animals also replicate real prey in the wild. You might find that your dog is especially interested in toys that have squeakers. That’s because that squeaker sounds like the animals your dog would prey on in the wild. And that’s something that triggers your dog’s natural instincts!

Finally, playing with toys is a good way for a dog to bond with her human. So she might love her stuffed animals so much because they’re one of the ways you two play!

My dog thinks her toy is her baby, is that normal?

If your dog is treating her toy like her baby, you might be a little confused. Is it normal for your dog to do that?

The truth is that it’s extremely unlikely that your dog actually thinks that her toy is her puppy. Most likely, your dog is just a little too attached to her toy. 

While it might seem pretty cute for your dog to be super attached to a particular toy, it can lead to problems later down the line. We’ll get into that later.

Why does my dog have a favorite toy?

Your dog might prefer one toy over all her others for a few reasons. Most of the time, dogs will like one toy over another because they like the way it feels. Maybe it’s got a texture that’s different from the rest of her toys, and that texture is something she really likes.

Remember, dogs explore the world through their mouths. So the way something feels in your dog’s mouth will play a huge role in how much she likes it.

It could also be that that particular toy has a squeaker in it. As I said earlier, dogs tend to really like toys that have squeakers. That’s because those squeakers replicate the way a prey animal would sound in the wild.

And it could be a case of you encouraging your dog to play with that toy over all her others, even accidentally! Maybe you can get a better grip on a particular toy when you two play tug, so that’s the one you always give her. That might make it your dog’s favorite toy too!

What do you do when a dog is obsessed with a toy?

A dog having a favorite toy that she likes carrying around isn’t anything to worry about. In fact, it’s pretty cute.

But if your dog starts getting actively obsessed with a toy, that can lead to some big problems. 

One way you can tell if your dog is too obsessed with a toy is if she won’t let you take the toy from her. Your dog might show signs of defensiveness. This includes growling or snarling.

If a dog is growling at you because you’re trying to take her toy, that’s a big sign you need to work on training. Remember to never punish your dog for growling. Instead, look at the bigger picture.

You might need to take your dog’s toy away so she can’t act super possessive over it. You should also learn more about resource guarding and how you can help your dog stop.

Related questions

Why does my dog carry around a toy and cry?

Is your dog walking around your house with a toy in her mouth while crying? That might not just be confusing—it can be annoying too!

There are plenty of reasons why a dog might do this. One of the most common ones is that your dog is trying to bury the toy like it’s prey, but can’t find any place to bury it.

Your dog might also be doing this because she’s excited about playing. Dogs communicate in different ways, and your dog might be crying because she’s just so excited to start playing with you.

Do dogs think stuffed animals are real?

Even though it might seem like it, it’s highly unlikely that your dog thinks her stuffed animals are real. 

As much as they trigger your dog’s natural hunting and scavenging instincts, your dog probably doesn’t think that they’re real animals. They don’t smell like real animals, for one thing!

The only case where this might be true is if your dog is experiencing a false pregnancy. If that’s what’s happening, the issue should clear up on its own within a few weeks. You should also make sure to take your dog to the vet to get spayed.

Conclusion

There are lots of things that dogs do that might be confusing to us humans. Some dogs tend to get pretty attached to a certain toy. That can happen for a few reasons.

As long as your dog isn’t showing any signs of reactivity or aggression, then her preferring one toy over her others is completely fine. But if your dog won’t let you take the toy from her, that’s a sign you need to focus on training for a while.