We bought Seiche a couple of squeaky toys when we first got her (before I got Ed's videos). We have since taken the squeakers out, but still let her play with them. We keep her Kong, her everlasting treat ball, a rawhide roll, and a couple of these toys in a basket by her crate, and she often takes one or more into her crate with her.

There are two, a rubber chicken and a rubber newspaper, that she "cries" over. Literally, she will go to the toy box and pick them out, then lay down on the floor with them and whine. Next, she will toss them up in the air, go get them, sit on them and whine some more. It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen! I can't tell if she's having a great time or experiencing a neurotic episode

This dog is very timid, but this is the only time that she "cries" like this. We've had her since April, and she has been doing this frequently the whole time we've had her.

She was covered with 30+ large scabs and healing cuts when we got her from the pound and has a number of scars, so I suspect her life wasn't easy, but I thought dogs lived in the moment!

Has anybody else ever encountered this? Any suggestions?

"Experiencing a neurotic episode"...LOL

Sounds to me like she enjoys her toys.

I sure hope so! She plays with them more than any other, so I hate to take them away. The crying thing is just kind of unnerving, though. Thanks for the reassurance!

Betty, it sounds like she likes the toys.

I would caution against the mentality that the toys belong to the dog. They don't. Nothing belongs to the dog. EVERYTHING belongs to YOU. You let the dog play with YOUR toys.

The only toy my dog has "unlimited" access to, is her crate Kong- and even that is only allowed in her crate. If she brings it out of the crate, I take it away and put it back in. She learned pretty quick, that particular Kong, stays in the crate. She can go in her crate and chew on it as much as she wants, but if she comes out of her crate- she can't bring the Kong.

Her other toys stay put up, unless I feel like playing with her.
I want my dog to know two things:

One- Toys aren't fun. I am fun. I happen to have toys that make me even funner.

Two- It's my house, my territory, my WORLD. I'm the pack leader, and I control your life, puppy. I'm fair, I'm consistant, I'm fun- but dammit, I'm in charge.

As much fun as it is to see a dog from a rough previous life enjoy toys, that might be the dog who will become aggressive over them.

That's avoided by doing exactly what Alyssa says.

That's my protocol with any dog. Part of it is not wanting any dog-dog aggression to blossom over toys, food, etc., and nothing is ever left with them for that reason. But part is also what Alyssa said: I own the toys. The dog doesn't have the status to own stuff.

Alyssa and Connie, thanks for the info. I'll add the squeakies to the "mom's toys" basket. She's the only dog in our house, and shown no aggression towards anyone in the house - period, but I want to keep it that way.

I've had my dogs all my life, but this is one is the only real "challenge" I've had. The others have all been really sedate breeds who were perfectly happy to pretend they were furniture.

Even though Seiche is presenting challenges, I love watching her grow and learn. She did a belly crawl up the driveway and hid under the end table when I brought her home from the dog pound in April - now she walks up the driveway wagging her entire body.

Thanks for the help - I'm going to need plenty of it. I'm working through Ed's DVD's on basic obedience and aggressive/dominant dogs right now. I'm sure I'll be back with lots of questions.

She can still enjoy them, they just need to be controlled by you.

It sounds like these toys might be good for obedience work, since the dog is definitely going into drive for them.

I'll try that!

I always try to stock up when I find a toy a dog really loves, just in case they stop carrying it.

A long time ago, one of my Boxers had a stuffed hedgehog that she absolutely loved... Unfortunately, after about 6 months of loving on the toy (she literally would clean and mother the toy), it got too worn out and disgusting, and was coming apart.

I tried to find her a replacement, but the store no longer carried that toy. I searched high and low, and never did find it.

I never did find another toy that Brandy loved as much as that damned hedgehog.

I knew someone who had similar issues with an APBT. It started just after she was spayed. She had a sponge she would carry around the house and like you said, lay down beside it and cry. They asked the vet and he said it was a false pregnancy. She apparently thought the sponge was a puppy.