Does Your Doodle(s) Collect Things?

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Blake has been collecting items on our walks since I first adopted him last year....If he isn't carrying one of his beloved balls in his mouth for the entire walk, he will always pick up something along the way to bring home. His favorite things to collect are pinecones, ( they must be pristine...lol), acorns (they too are always perfect), horse chestnuts and rocks...He has a fondness for the ones that are perfectly smooth and round or egg shaped...lol.....

When he brings his treasures home, he doesn't try to eat them, he simply plays with them. In fact he will actually pull up my area rug and expose the wood floor and then bat the object around on the wood floor with his paws like a cat....I swear! It's as if he likes the sound they make!..Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else has a doodle or doodles that display this odd but very cute behavior?....Below is a picture of Blake's collection.

[Adina P]

How cute is that! The colors are lovely... Maybe he's hinting at a new indoor motif for your decor :-) Blake is an artist!!!

No collectors here. Anything they decide is a toy is fair game for distraction :-)

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

LOL....yes! that must be it!...creative genius!...He thinks that the "nature theme" would be perfect for my house.....Next he would like to see the carpet replaced with dirt and perhaps a small bubbling fish pond where the coffee table now stands....

[Barb, Murphy, Emmet, & Hudson]

To funny Murphy is a rock collector!!! Every rock he see's he picks up he just likes to hold them in his mouth. He knows when I walk up he spits it on the ground and then looks at me with those sad eyes. Please can I have it back....

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Wow Ann!...That's a great point!.....Since Blake is from a puppy mill, more than likely he wasn't given any toys and had to improvise!.....Hmmmm .....interesting.....I'm picturing your pups hording their toys and I'm laughing...lol....I've seen Blake do this too and it's always when there is another dog visiting us.....First he collects them and places them in a pile on his bed. He then RUNS into the kitchen and gobbles up every stitch of food in his bowl...After that he RUNS to his bed whimpering and throws his entire body over the toy pile and starts barking at whatever dog comes close.....

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

OMG!...He's like a lunatic!...It's like Felix Unger from the Odd Couple behavior!...lol...

[Adina P]

Traditional toys are highly overrated and usually made in China ;-) Blake's toys are much cooler!

Now off on a tangent. The notion that Blake (or any other dog) is making up for a lack of "early toy experience" ... well I don't buy it. No dog is born with an innate need of plastic squeakies, Nylabones, or Kongs. These are all fun, cool, luxuries that make domestic life with a canine fun and much easier. Projecting our feelings about ideal toys yields a sort of pity that Blake doesn't need or deserve. Blake, is HAPPY with his nature derived treasures. To turn that, even for a second, into a reason to feel sorry for him takes away from his true present joy and the great life he HAS right now. I say REVEL in your sweet doggy's great taste and creativity!

[Jessica]

Ooh, ouch - I think you've just had your knuckles rapped Ann! LOL. Finny clearly had toys when he was a puppy, but he still collects pine cones on his pee walks and brings them back home. He will chew them up, so they are arranged on the mantle-piece. Nothing as artistic as Blake though. Finn used to insist on taking a toy with him round the block on pee walks but one day he dropped his beloved Skinny Rabbit, and it got run over so now he has to Drop It, before we go out.

[Adina P]

Oh Ann! That was no knuckle rap! I've simply heard that line of thinking more than once and I disagree. I think it's unproductive to continue to feel sorry about what a dog did or did not experience once it's in a happy home and well taken care of. Dogs live in the present and Blake's present with Jacquie is a wonderful :-)

[Adina P]

Our border collie loves to bring people sticks to throw for her and YET at the same time she will attempt to make that stick into as many small pieces as possible. Each time she brings it back there is less to throw :-)

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Samantha plays that same way but I collect her leaves, sticks, etc at the door like a Bouncer. I got tired ot stepping on them with bare feet. And thought she was odd - guess it's more like - she's just being a Doodle!

[2hl9mp3c2fuam]

No, my dogs like to collect, but CHEW!! How lucky you are, that is so cute!!

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

How awesome and cute!

The only things my dogs try to collect and sneak into the house are dead, or almost dead animals that they've killed. Unfortunately for them, their collections do not get photographed or admired much by the humans around here ;)