Why Dogs Carry Multiple Toys Around in Their Mouths

Your dog surely has some entertaining quirks. One of his best party tricks is showing you and your friends how many toys he can carry around in his mouth. While his exact reasons may never be truly known, there are a few possibilities as to why he shoves so many toys in his mouth.

  1. To Hoard

    • Animals hoard things out in the wild: Squirrels gather up nuts, while stray cats stockpile dead rodents. Hoarding is a survival instinct. That way when winter comes, they have food available, or when predators come around, they have a secret hiding spot to protect food. While your pooch doesn̵7;t really need toys to survive, his genes make him think he needs to hoard anything from food to toys. You may see him carrying around multiple toys and hiding them sporadically all over the house or yard. He̵7;s making sure he has everything he needs in case an emergency arises.

    Being Possessive

    • If you have siblings, you know how tough it was to keep track of your favorite toys as child. Your canine pal feels the same way. He carries around all of his special toys so no other members of your furry brood can get to them -- including the cats. If you don̵7;t have any other animals in the house, he could even be hoarding toys to keep them away from you or your kids. It̵7;s just his way of saying, "These are mine because I am the top dog -- don̵7;t play with them."

    You Encouraged It

    • You may have inadvertently encouraged Harley to carry around as many toys as he can possibly put in his mouth. Maybe on those days when he wants to play, he just sits and stares at you while vigorously wagging his tail. But that doesn̵7;t get your attention. So he grabs a ball, brings it over, but you still don̵7;t budge. He goes and gets another ball, a squeaky toy and a slipper, shoves them all in his mouth and prances back over to you. That got your attention. Whether you think it̵7;s cute and whip out your camera phone to take a picture or get mad at him for snagging your belongings, he̵7;s still getting you to focus on him. That̵7;s all he wanted. Now he knows how to get you to focus on him when he needs some playtime.

    Getting the Kill

    • If you̵7;ve ever seen a dog go into a frenzy for a squeaky toy, you know just how important play objects can be. Part of this stems from canine genetics, not just his desire to be playful. Harley gathers up all of his toys in his mouth, shakes them around and chomps down on them. This is just his way of hunting and making sure his ̶0;prey̶1; is really dead.