h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Can anyone tell me why my dog always brings a sticks (large and small) home with him? This got me thinking - why? It looks as though something innate is happening here.

Could it be that in former times, dogs were used in hunting and also bringing/carrying firewood home? Something that they have never forgotten?

Possibly, or maybesomeone has been playing fetch with him.

Does the dog hunt the local wildlife?: I know our kinda family dog now hunts, and if it catches a rabbit or bird (and doesn't mangle it to bits on the spot), It will carry it back home with it Or is it just the dog hoping that your going to get the hint and start throwing the stick for it again?

What breed is it?

Dogs have special places to bury their stash. Your dog reminds me of dogs given a bone who will carry it to a specific place and bury it for later (when it's nice and grotty).

Breed? just a wild rabbit... oh, I see... you ment the dog...

The dog is a mixture between --- well, we are not really sure. I would guess 10% terrier, 50% Labrador and 40% Alsation and the rest unknown - The X files??

I'm sure it has less to do with playing fetch - she does that when we at home in the garden. Sometimes it isn't just sticks, but big branches!! Just right for the bonfire in the garden.

Our dog does occasionally run after deer, when they get too close to our garden/woodlands. But I'm sure that there is not really the hunting instinct in her. I think that she would just nudge her prey with her nose and say: Bugger off!!

Well, labs were bred to retrieve waterfowl after their master had shot the birds down (thus the name labrador retriever), so I'd say it's the lab blood telling

Dogs like having a job to do, so partly this reason, plus they equate walking with hunting so it is natural to bring something home from the hunt.

It's definitely the Lab showing. They are bred to want to have something in their mouths and carry it around without eating it. German Shepherd Dogs (once nicknamed 'Alsations' to avoid using the word 'German') are guarding dogs, but are also known to like things in their mouths. Normally bits of burglars or fleeing criminals, but they'll settle for stones, sticks, small dogs' heads (they can be very gentle) or balls. Mind you, terriers also like to carry things back to their owners - although normally the things a terrier is bred to bring back would be dead.

You've just got a dog that likes things in its mouth, so get it a basket and it'll carry the newspaper and a few light bits and pieces home from the shops for you.

Talking of stones ... my dog used to carry stones and now she has no teeth. Not good for burglars but friendlier for children. In fact she carries anything not fixed to the floor to who ever arrives at our door. I really believe that she thinks that they all come to play!!

Sounds great, get her to carry the laundry around the house, and offer the biscuits to guests.

Thanks for the great idea, Mina ... I'll have to tell my wife that, as she is now at home with the children, dog, etc.

Our insane English Springer Spaniel used to carry shoes around when guests arrived. If no shoes were in sight, she'd carry her own floppy ear tucked into the corner of her mouth.

Once, she was guarding mom slicing cheese for the pizza for the guests, just as they arrived. She grabbed the cheese and carried that...

We just had to rinse the cheese under the tap, slice off the bitten bits, and keep slicing for the pizza... (Don't tell our guests about that one, children...)

Had a Jack Russel once that use to, well, sort of sing to stones and carry them round. Once picked up one so big his back feet came off the ground and another time he couldn't open his jaw enough when he came to let go and had to be helped.

Our insane English Springer Spaniel used to carry shoes around when guests arrived. If no shoes were in sight, she'd carry her own floppy ear tucked into the corner of her mouth.

Once, she was guarding mom slicing cheese for the pizza for the guests, just as they arrived. She grabbed the cheese and carried that...

We just had to rinse the cheese under the tap, slice off the bitten bits, and keep slicing for the pizza... (Don't tell our guests about that one, children...)



(I'm trying to repost, cause couldn't see this one posted. Please excuse any doubles.)

My dog (mad hyper collie-cross) always finds a stick on a walk and stops a few feet in front of me crouched waiting for me to throw it*. If he spots a bigger one he'll discard the first one. I have a photo of him trying to walk with a long twiggy branch about 3 times as long as he is, so funny! He always wants to bring them home so my garden refuse bin is usually half-full of sticks.

Deb

*I don't often throw sticks as he ignores other dogs when he's obsessing and I'm trying to get him to make a few friends.

I've got piccies of Fred carrying (or trying to carry) sticks, branches really, that are way too big. Sadly there's a problem with the printer/scanner and it won't work atm, so no proof!

I don't throw sticks for him, as it's too dangerous.

re post 10:

<< small dogs' heads (they can be very gentle) or balls. >>

For the latter let's hope they are *very* gentle indeed...

Let's hope so.