Why do dogs like squeaky toys?

The harsh reality of why do dogs like squeaky toys, is dark. Most people do not want to think about their beloved sweet dog being a killer. The sound that a squeaky toy makes resembles that of a prey animal in distress, such as a rabbit. This sound for high-prey dogs, especially terrier breeds that were bred to hunt and kill rodents triggers them to keep fighting.

Most dog owner report that their dog will tear apart the toy to get to the squeaker and once the squeaker stops working the dog becomes disinterested in the toy. This is part of the predatory sequence all wild canines have been observed doing. Instead of tearing out the stuffing of a toy they are tearing out the intestines of an animal they are getting ready to eat.

How do you prevent your dog from destroying toys?

If you are practicing good dominance that means you are controlling all the resources such as toys. This means you start and end play with a desired toy keeping you in control of the items, this allows you to prevent the dog from going into the dissecting step of the predatory sequence. Saving you a lot of time and money on cleaning up stuffing and buying new toys.  For more on dominance and leadership within a pack structure click here.

Dogs are domesticated wolves. They share so much DNA they can breed and have viable puppies. Meaning those puppies can also reproduce. Why is that significant? Several similar species of animals can breed but the offspring are not fertile. Such as a horse and donkey make a mule, but that mule cannot breed. A lion and a tiger are both cats, but the offspring they make a Liger are not fertile. When watching your dog play and do a behavior thing to yourself what was the original intent of this behavior in the wild wolf?