I have a Westie that is 1 1/2 years old. She is "fixed" and is generally a very happy, sweet little dog. She has a favorite toy -- a little stuffed bunny. She plays with all of her toys, but this bunny is her favorite. When it gets later in the evening, she runs around the house with the bunny in her mouth crying, all the while her tail is wagging like she's the happiest dog in the world. She really cries a lot, too, but she is visibly not upset at all, in fact she's the opposite. Very happily prancing around, crying, with her bunny. Any ideas on why she does this? She's done it all her life.

My little dog does the same thing! (pictured to the left ;)) She will grab her pink stuffed BUNNY and run around the house with it in her mouth wimpering but she seems happy while doing this. My husband and I have came to the conclusion that she does this while trying to find a hiding spot for the adored pink bunny. Once she hides it, she stops wimpering. I think it's a normal anxious habit! Maybe it's just the attack of the bunnies! Good luck with your doggy!

That is so funny that your dog does the same thing, with a BUNNY yet! Maybe it is attack of the bunnies! Thanks for your response.

No problem! I know I saw your post and what like... OMG(so teenie bopper sounding, hehe). Sounds like your dog is just as happy as mine; don't worry about her ;)

Rankrank, the visual I got from your description really made my morning! You really made me laugh. Very cute.

Suzi, dogs do this for various reasons. Many are like rankrank's dog who are looking to play hiding games with themselves. It is usually the result of being the only dog and they find ways to amuse themselves. "Burying" is very common with the terrier breeds. They like to find ways to do what they were bred to do which is "digging" for small game. I have seen this with dogs that were very young when separated from their mother and did not have the usual social interaction that comes with playing with their littermates. It also happens with dogs that aren't allowed to dig outside. They will compensate for it by creating their own little "set up" to find their prized toy at a later time. With your dog, watch and see what she does with it. But, it definitely is nothing to worry about. She is happy doing it. My brother's dog likes to hide his toy bone in an old sheet, all the while he is "burying" it, he talks to it. I can't really call it crying, although it sounds somewhat like it. I have never met a dog that speaks to his toys the way this guy does. He makes the same whiney, talky noise when he is playing with other dogs.

I agree it can be done for a number of reasons the most obvious I believe would be a lack of emotional or physical stimulation. Dogs are naturally social animals that like us, need a way to vent or exercise their mind. When left alone, or unattended they may find various ways to entertain themselves and slice through the boredom that they feel. Some may exibit Obsessive Compulsive Traits, or dig, or whine, or a myriad of other behaviors. The bottom line is that some need of the dog is not being met, I would try more exercise a dog park, dog daycare or some other form of highly active, highly social setting

Very good points brought up here paws! The dogs that I have known to do this all have the initial problems in puppyhood that I spoke about but have a daily life full of exercise and attention. It is just something they do, usually at the end of a long day. But I think it would very wise for both suzi & rank to take the advice you have given here and analyze their dogs daily routines to figure out if their pets aren't being stimulated enough during the day, and incorporate your suggestions into their lives. If they aren't being stimulated enough, giving them that extra step, may just extinguish the behavior.

Thanks everyone for your responses. You really know your dog stuff! Although I got my dog when she was two months old and can't account for the first two months of her life, since then she's had ample affection and physical contact. I'm home with her all day, and we have three other dogs in the house that she plays with all the time. (I live with my brother and sister-in-law, and the other three dogs are theirs, and the Westie is mine.) So she gets very much affection and play time, be it from me or her dog buddies. Maybe in the first two months she had not received much attention from her litter/mom?

If you purchased your Westie from a pet store, most likely she came from a puppy mill. If you aren't familiar with them suzi, the conditions the dogs are bred and kept in are disgusting. The purpose of puppy mills is to have as many dogs as possible breeding. It is a constant cycle of mating and birthing. Reasoning behind it is merely to make money. The dogs are kept in a variety of ways, usually in cages, one on top of the other. Quality breeding, cleaning up after the animals, is not a priority. The dogs aren't exercised or socialized properly. There is no interest in allowing the puppies to interact with their mother or siblings. They are usually removed from the mother too early. The owners of the mill are interested in getting the pups born, moving them out, and getting their money. The animals receive very little vet care and once they have outlived their purpose, they are killed or just dumped somewhere. There is a lot more to it, but I think you get the picture.

Oh that is so sad and sickening, it just breaks my heart. I had heard that the conditions weren't that great, but this is just unreal.

My dog will do that sometimes, but it's when I give her a chew toy. She'll run around, crying and whimpering. I think she does it because she's trying to find a place to hide it, and she can't find a good enough place, so she gets' frustrated.

Sometimes my dog (now 1 yr 4 months) will walk about whimpering with one of his favorite little cloth stuffed squeeky toys. It doesn't happen often... but it's sort of cute when he does it. I think he may be feeling that he'd like to bury this impoortant object... as if it were a bone. A few days ago I gave him a large dog biscut. The big dog size... but he is a small dog (nine pounds). He carried the biscut around the houuse from place to place and was obviously trying to find a good place to "save" it. He's set it on the couch and then tried to dig around it. Tried to push couch over the bone to bury it. So cute.
I asked him "do you want to take your bone outside?"... and he went to the door. I watched him out there with it... as he buried it in my flower bed.
It's still out there and he checks on it every couple dayys. Sometimes he movves it to a new area.
So... I think your pup is just in love with that toy and sometimes he's concerned about the best place to keep it safe. It's an instinct I believe.
Give him other toys to choose from... but that will probably be his main favorite.