# Treating toy like a puppy? Strange behavior.



## upendi'smommy (Nov 12, 2008)

So this all started last night. Upendi seems to have "adopted" so to say one of her toys and is treating it very much like she's just had a puppy. She's been cleaning it and denning in her kennel with it. She also becomes distressed if I take it or if she has to move away from it. Everytime it squeaks she whines and she's been denning with it for a few hours now. I think she's having a false pregnancy as she was in heat not that long ago, but her mammary glands aren't enlarged.


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## railNtrailcowgrl (Jul 24, 2008)

Pebbles would go through this every heat cycle. Anything, I mean anything would set her off. A stuffie, a squirel, a cat, bunnies, anything small and furry she would try to "adopt." She even went as far as to lactate during these times. My vet and I decided the best thing for her was to be spayed. Help her out by removing those hormones. After 4 years (her previous owner informed me this was a common thing for her to go through) I decided enough was enough, and she's been great since we made that decision.


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## upendi'smommy (Nov 12, 2008)

I plan on getting her spayed, but I decided to wait until after her first cycle to get it done. It came on very suddenly and it figures it would start on her birthday.  I was just reading up on it and I'm glad that spaying her should eliminate it in the future.


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## railNtrailcowgrl (Jul 24, 2008)

No problem  Just offering my suggestion. I'm not sure why Pebs previous owners put her through all that every heat cycle, I know that their are pros and cons to each side of the sputer argument. However, in her case I don't think they really looked hard at both sides. I wish that they would have had her spayed after her first heat, it would have made things A LOT easier on me. lol


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

On a related note: http://www.dogforums.com/2-general-dog-forum/45150-yet-another-new-behavior.html


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## upendi'smommy (Nov 12, 2008)

It's definitely a false pregnancy. She pushes the 'babies' up to her belly, cleans them, and becomes distressed when she has to leave them as to go to the potty and such. This is just one additional reason for getting her spayed I suppose. Does anyone know how long this ought to last?


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Mama dog typically stops retrieving her pups at two weeks after birth. So it would be interesting to see if your dog stops caring for the faux pup after that.


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## upendi'smommy (Nov 12, 2008)

It will be. She seems to have a relatively mild case of FP though as she hasn't actually produced milk as some cases do. I'm hoping it doesn't last that long as she's anything but her normal self. She won't even come out of her kennel.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Nikki did this once when she was 1 or 2. She had a toy dog she'd had since she was a pup and she did everything you described to it. She wasn't spayed until 6 and never had another false pregnancy her whole life.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

it's funny and yet so sad that when her "puppy" squeeky toy makes a squeeky sound she gets upset. it makes me giggle but then makes me feel sorry for her at the same time.


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## upendi'smommy (Nov 12, 2008)

Keechak said:


> it's funny and yet so sad that when her "puppy" squeeky toy makes a squeeky sound she gets upset. it makes me giggle but then makes me feel sorry for her at the same time.


I know I have the same problem. She'll accidentally lay on it and it'll make noise and then she'll freak out. It's getting less and less amusing though. I don't like seeing her upset.


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## railNtrailcowgrl (Jul 24, 2008)

Poor Upendi, I hate to bring your hopes down even more but when Pebs would go through this it lasted almost 2 weeks, well through the messiest part of her heat cycle. Here's to hoping that Upendi's doesn't last that long.


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