is it normal that my beagle thinks her stuffed animal is her puppy?

Question

she'll pick her stuff toy up by her mouth carefully, set it next to her, and start licking it like its a puppy. if someone picks it up she gets this nervous look in her eyes. is it normal for female dogs to act like their stuffed toy is their puppy? should i let her continue thinking its her puppy?

shes 4yrs old. she did it once before a couple years back.

Answer 1

I had a dog that would do the same thing with this little Pac Man ball whenever she went through through a false pregnancy. It's normal and it will pass.:-)

Answer 2

Is she desexed? If not it sounds like your Beagle is experiencing a phantom pregnancy, which is basically where she thinks that she is pregnant. It is quite common in female dogs, and often they treat a toy or an object like it is a puppy. Your Beagle should start acting normally again soon, as the symptoms usually disperse without any intervention. If you are really concerned about this behaviour I believe that vets can administer some drugs, but generally they do more harm than good. The other option is getting her desexed, which is a good option if you are not planning to breed her... If you dont want her desexed my opinion is to let this run its course and you should have a happy dog shortly. Hope this helped

Answer 3

There's no problem with her treating a toy like a puppy, as long as you can take it away without her becoming overly anxious. And, no, a "nervous look in her eyes" does not equal overly anxious. :-)

Many intact (unspayed) females will exhibit this behavior, as in her natural state she would have puppies every heat cycle, and so her body's hormone levels prepare her for this.

This behavior is even more common for in the case of a female who exhibits a "false pregnancy" (swollen breasts, milk secretions, swollen belly) after her heat cycle.

If she goes into an overly anxious state when the toy is removed (pacing, whining, crying, barking, anything that is not relaxed), this is not healthy for her state of mind. Simply remove the toy and issue a sharp, short verbal reprimand (tsst, or ch) along with a sharp tap with the tips of all your fingers on one hand when she starts becoming anxious. You may have to practice this exercise a few times before she stops getting upset about the removal of the toy.

Answer 4

Was she in heat a couple of months ago? It sounds like a false pregnancy to me. Let her have her "puppy". It makes her happy. I had a dog that used a small sleeping bag as her "puppy". She wouldn't let the other dogs near it, she would growl and snap at them to leave her "baby" alone.

Answer 5

LMAOOOOO OMGADD da is the cutest thing ever!i love beagles soo cute. yeah it is normal i had a beagle b4 who i loved very much but died in a car accident..he use to do the same thing only wit a turtle toy it cracked me up...well just let her be she understand that is not real and doesnt bark back to her or anything she just plays like that...the same way u loved ur barbies or whatever u had when u were little..
. good luck to u n ur beagle.

Answer 6

Is she spayed?If not,then she could be having a false pregnancy.You need to have her spayed as soon as possible,as dogs who have false pregnancies are prone to developing pyometra,a life-threatening condition in which the uterus fills with pus and can cause a rapidly fatal systemic infection.If your dog is spayed,then I wouldn't worry.I have a 5 year old German shepherd dog who does the same thing with her toys,and she was spayed at 5 months of age.

Answer 7

I had a beagle, unhappy to assert she is long gone, yet once I first have been given her she additionally regarded so unhappy. She replaced right into a year previous once I have been given her. After some days it became sparkling that she were abused. She does no longer eat, or play and she or he replaced into petrified of each little thing and all and sundry. no remember how plenty love I confirmed her i could no longer get her to return to me. So on the advice of my vet, I in basic terms left her on my own and allow her sent her very own %.. while we get a puppy we no longer basically have study approximately them, yet they should study approximately us. The kennel is sturdy, for the reason that his place. enable him to circulate to his place while he desires to. provide him time and he will come around. do no longer invade his area, be sure he has his well-known merchandise, regardless of which would be. in his secure place. education is very significant, with a stability of affection. too plenty love and not sufficient education will basically advance his behavoir. It took awhile yet Missy became out to be the sweetest, maximum loving canines. I have been given Missy from the ASCPA, i do no longer have faith breeders, maximum look in for the money, until you recognize them each properly. i know you have got many fantastic years with your new chum. do no longer provide up. consistently, consistently be in a comfortable state. canines %. up on everythig. sturdy success.

Answer 8

kids have a blankie or an imaginary friend
your puppy needs something too maybe LONELY
my puppy has a stuffed puppy that get "cuddled" whenevr my husband & I "Cuddle" in the bedroom with the door closed
He wants some of the "Action" too

Answer 9

i dont think there is anything to worry about so far, so just let it happen. maybe she just reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally likes the toy lol. but you could take her to the vet, even though its not like a sickness or anythin, they could definitly tell you if theyve had any other cases like this.

Answer 10

I dont know, but I would think it would be about the same as a child playing with a doll. How old is she? My guess is that she's just expressing her maternal instincts.