Why does my dog do this?

[Tiberius Jim]

I was wondering if we had any resident dog experts here that might help me explain some odd behavior my dog Phoebe has been exhibiting.

Sometimes, I won't get my worn clothes directly into the hamper. Occassionally they'll end up on the floor right by it, or on my bed. What she has done maybe 6 or 7 times now will be to go into my room, and transport one of my shirts (it always seems to be shirts) into the living room. Nobody has ever seen her do it, only her walking away from the shirt, looking decidedly guilty.

Now, my parents will sometimes have clothes on the floor when they're doing laundry but she never brings their things out to the living room...only mine.

Anybody have an idea of why she might be doing this? I can't believe it's just some random thing she does, these are pretty intelligent animals.

This is her, on the left. Ain't she a cutie?

 

[RoJoHen]

She does it because she knows you'll have to pick it up and put it back. She's messing with you!

 

[Tiberius Jim]

Haha, I'm not sure if she's that intelligent.

 

[Wally]

She could be. It's just another form of playing. Dogs love to play.

 

[pookha]

Haha, I'm not sure if she's that intelligent.

she could be
a variation of what a dog does when they want to play fetch.
maybe you need to a rope and toss one end around to see if she wants to play tug with it.

or it may depend on where she likes to sleep.
if for some reason she prefers to sleep in the living room she may want something of yours to sleep on.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

The dogs have their own room with their beds to sleep on at night, and she doesn't bring them there. She had rope and other toys to play tug with (and she usually wins, with her strong pit bull jaws) It could be playful, but she always looks really guilty when I go to pick up the shirt, like she thinks she did something wrong. We never yell or get mad, we just laugh since we think it's cute and weird, but she acts like she's been caught doing something she shouldn't have.

 

[pookha]

does she want to sleep in the living room?

and even if she looks guilty the play thing makes the most sense.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

I don't think so, she has never tried to. Both dogs are trained very well that when it's time for bed, they go outside to do their thing and then come right back inside and go to "their room". They both seem perfectly content there.

I wonder if it would help if next time she does it if we should leave the shirt there and see what she does with it.

 

[pookha]

that sounds like a good idea.

 

[Me-Ike]

Does she do it when you're away?

Maybe she misses you and wants to smell you.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Now, my parents will sometimes have clothes on the floor when they're doing laundry but she never brings their things out to the living room...only mine.

She telling you that you are her favorite. Seriously.

 

[Holdfast]

my dog Phoebe...

A friend once told me about a friend of hers who named their dog Phoebe Wooffay, as a pun on the Friends character. I must admit, I did chortle.

 

[Aurian]

Yeah.. she just likes your smell in particular.

 

[CaptainStoner]

The dogs have their own room with their beds to sleep on at night, and she doesn't bring them there. She had rope and other toys to play tug with (and she usually wins, with her strong pit bull jaws) It could be playful, but she always looks really guilty when I go to pick up the shirt, like she thinks she did something wrong. We never yell or get mad, we just laugh since we think it's cute and weird, but she acts like she's been caught doing something she shouldn't have.

Well, she has been caught. She went into the Top Dog's den, and took something. From what I've read over the last 6 months, in Dog-World that is kind of a big deal, and a show of dominance. Nothing to worry about, but if you give her postitive feedback for it, act like its cute, other little behaviors could emerge over time.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

She is a cutie! But maybe it's not her that's doin it? Maybe it's your mom!

 

[Misfit Toy]

She is a cutie! But maybe it's not her that's doin it? Maybe it's your mom!

I'm sure you'd like to explain that comment...

 

[DBR]

I would guess your dog does this to get attention.

As soon as I take my shoes off, my dog takes them, pulls the insoles out, and is done with them. When she was a puppy and first started doing that, I chased her around..... "ha ha, isn't that cute"... or said "hey, don't do that" (or something) and now I think she's just in the habit of doing that, even though I totally ignore her shoe thieving.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

She is a cutie! But maybe it's not her that's doin it? Maybe it's your mom!

I'm sure you'd like to explain that comment...

I'm sure that he understands I am suggesting his mom is playing a joke on him. He's a smart guy.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

Yeah, that's basically what I got from it. My mom jokes that it's Phoebe's way of telling me to get stuff up off of my floor.

 

[auntiehill]

When a dog takes something of yours, while you're in the house, it's a sigh of dominant behavior. She wants to be in charge, and taking whatever she wants from you is her way of asserting herself.

Catch her in the act, and give a stern "No" and pull up on her collar--or a quick tap (not hard, though).

My parents had a similar problem when my nephew stayed with them (when he was a baby). The dog didn't like this baby taking his place, so he started stealing baby clothes out of the hamper. Some he even buried in the back yard.

The quickly corrected the behavior and made sure he knew that the baby was his master, too. They were the best of friends for 11 years, when the dog passed away.