FindFido CyberVet Q and A

This is really more of a behavioural curiosity rather than a medical problem. My dog does an odd thing after eating his dinner. He finds one of his numerous stuffed toys, carries it off to a corner of the house that no one else is in and whines/yowls with the toy at his feet. Every once in a while, he will regurgitate the food and put the toy animal on top of it. When I find this and leave to get cleaning rags to clean the mess up, by the time I return, he has re-eaten it.

When we give him treats, like pupperoni, he will take it and hide it under one of his stuffed animals or in the cussions of the sofa. My pet has done this for about 2 years. He is 2 1/2 years old now. My vet doesn't think that there is a medical problem involved. Is this just a "doggy" thing? Just curious. Thanks, Addie

Editor's note: The following response comes from an experienced professional dog trainer with expertise in canine behavior modification.

Dear Addie:
This is new to me. Are you sure your dog is not female? Females will often exhibit "mothering" behavior with toys and food, but males do not generally do this. Often, a male dog might save food by burying it (which is a behavior held over from days when they were not domesticated and needed to store extra food in the wild) but the behavior you describe is something I've never come across.