Why Dogs Carry Sticks on Walks?
Do you love to take your dog with you whenever you decide to take a walk around your neighborhood? If your answer is yes, chances are that you have noticed that your dog loves to pick up sticks with its mouth and walk with them. You don’t have to try and force him to drop down those sticks.
Dogs have many habits and carrying sticks is one of them. All dogs love sticks and if they get a chance to get hold of one, chances are he is not going to leave it behind.
Sticks are an enjoyable treat for dogs and since they feel like bones, your dog becomes attracted to not only the shape but also the texture.
There are several reasons why dogs carry sticks, especially during walks. Let’s have a look at some of these reasons.
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Retriever Instincts
One reason why dogs carry sticks is the inherent retrieval instincts. All dogs, no matter the breed type still have their inherent retriever-based instincts from their hunting days. As part of the hunting animals’ family, dogs are traditionally bred to retrieve their prey and deliver them to their master.
It is a trait that has been therefor over countless generations. What this means is that this trait is an instinctive and inherent part of your dog’s DNA, even if it doesn’t seem like so. The ability to control the pressure on her mouth shows that this is natural for them to do.
Your dog’s mouth is equivalent to your hands so, the next time you see him carrying sticks while taking a walk with you, just know that that’s a natural thing for him to do.
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Chewing Sticks
The other reason why dogs carry sticks during walks is that they are looking for something to chew. In most cases, your dog will pick up a stick, look for a place where he feels comfortable, and then start to chew it.
Wondering why your dog will prefer to pick up a stick then start to chew it? In one way or the other, sticks feel like and resemble bones. The general shape of sticks is appealing to any dog and the fact that they can devour them makes them feel like they are boss.
One good thing about your dog chewing sticks is that it helps soothe sensitive gums and teeth for those puppies that are teething. Chewing sticks also gives your dog a way of soothing their teeth and brushing them as well.
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Attention Seeking Behavior
Just like humans, dogs are also attention seekers. If there is anything that dogs love apart from long walks, good food, and playtime, it is getting attention from their beloved owners. Your dog will do anything even if it is to pick up sticks during walks just to seek your attention.
As mentioned earlier, a dog’s instinctual desire to retrieve things may encourage him to pick up sticks and then deliver them to you. Moreover, your dog might be proudly presenting a gift to you. To your dog, the bigger the stick the better. This is because they think that you will be more impressed by giving you bigger-sized sticks.
If you, therefore, find that your dog brings you sticks especially when you are resting after having walked for long, just take those sticks and appreciate him. The reason behind that could be that he is seeking your praise and attention.
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They Want to Play with You
Other than seeking your attention, your dog would also be wanting to play with you. In a wide-open space plus the freedom to chase, many dogs will carry sticks on their mouths during walks to initiate with you a game of fetch. Dogs love a chase and not just with sticks.
He will therefore drop that stick on your feet for you to throw it far so that he can run, fetch it and bring it back. Since sticks aren’t the best things for your dog to chase, you can bring a toy stick or ball to throw instead. By doing so, your do will have something to chase without risking that he might get injured.
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Showoff
Lastly, dogs will carry large-sized sticks that are even hard to pull along just to show off their prize. You will find him trying to drag a large stick not because it was the only one that they could find, but because they want to show off especially if you have multiple dogs to the walk. He will then give on the stick once he notices that you aren’t interested in watching him pull it.
Benefits of Dog Carrying Sticks During Walks
Now that you know why dogs carry sticks during walks, it’s worth mentioning that there is no harm in them doing that. On the contrary, here are some of the benefits your dog gets after carrying and chewing sticks.
- Carrying or chewing sticks allows your dog to let out his frustrations. Your dog will crack that stick to release energy and frustrations inside him. By doing so, he will feel relieved and save you from having something that is of important value such as wooden chairs/table legs from being targeted instead.
- Carrying sticks is a way for dogs to clean their teeth if they decide to chew on them. If the stick is quite hard to break, it will help him clean out old food while creating saliva that cleans between the gaps.
- If you have a dog who is suffering from aching teeth, or you have a puppy who is in his teething phase, chewing particular types of wood might help reduce the discomfort. Just make sure that the wood they are chewing is solid and can’t cause injuries.
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Why Do Dogs Like Sticks So Much?
There is this thing with sticks that drives dogs crazy and make them want to carry them during walks. While there are multiple reasons why dogs love sticks so much, I will take you through the most common ones. They are:
- Sticks Resemble Bones
While dogs are intelligent enough to differentiate between bones and sticks, your dog will pick up sticks to satisfy his chewing urge when taking a walk with you.
- Sticks can Relieve Teething Pain and Sore Gums
Your dog will be more attracted to sticks during walks more so if he experiencing teething pain and sore gums. The hard texture in hardwood sticks makes them ideal chewing materials since they provide your dog with a way to ease the discomfort caused by sore gums while relieving teething pain. You will also find that some type of wood has pain-relieving properties that actually do a great job in relieving the dog’s teething and gum pain.
- Sticks Contain Unique Textures
What makes dogs more interested in sticks is because they come in a wide range of textures. Whether the sticks are damp from the rain, fresh and sprouting, or old and starting to have molds, every dog has his unique taste on the sticks he prefers and he will always find the sticks that he prefers to carry during the walk.
- Sticks Have Interesting Smells
With dogs having the best sense of smell, they get to explore different things using their nose. With sticks being part of the outdoors, each dog will pick up the sticks that smell good to him to carry during the walk. This helps them learn more and get more accustomed to the local area.
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How to Get Your Dog to Stop Eating Sticks During Walks
While dogs picking and carrying sticks through the mouth during walks isn’t a bad thing to do, some people will prefer that their dogs don’t do that. There are a few things you can do to train your dog with no pickup sticks during walks.
- Keeping an eye on the dog while taking the walk and whenever he decides to put his head down to collect the stick, firmly tell him to stop.
- If your dog is walking/running free, put him on the lead then discourage him from picking up any stick.
- Once the dog goes for the stick but obeys your command of telling him to leave it, reward them with praise and a treat. By doing that, you will be giving him a positive affirmation with the process.
- If your dog picks up the sticks but doesn’t chew them, the leave it command could help in preventing him from chewing it into pieces but still allow him to carry it around. This helps him know that it is okay for him to carry the stick around but not chew it.
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Conclusion
Carrying sticks around during any walk outdoors is something all dogs naturally do. Every dog owner should therefore decide on whether or not he is going to let his dog carry sticks during such walks. Your dog carrying sticks is always going to be fine, however, pay keen attention to your dog before he starts to chew the sticks. If carrying sticks is going to lead to chewing, it would be a better idea to eliminate interaction with sticks to avoid accidents.