My dog is acting very strange. She has a toy that all of the sudden she won't leave alone. If she is away from the toy she gets very depressed. I've had her for 2 years and she's never acted like this before. It started about two days ago, and we've had the toy since December. What's wrong with her? :confused:

Is she spayed? If not, it is possible that she is about to enter her heat and she is exhibiting maternal urges/instincts.

If it is causing you concern and she is not spayed, you might want to consider spaying her to stop the obsessive behavior. It is always a good idea for our dogs overall health to consider spaying if you aren't planning to breed.

If she is spayed, can you give us a bit more detail on what exactly she is doing with the toy? Our resident expert, Labman will stop by at some point I am sure, and weigh in with his opinion. He is very knowledgeable and may suggest something or see something that I don't.

It never hurts to start with a vet check up. You can continue to expect to see personality changes for another year. Much of a dog's personality and temperament are determined genetically and by socialization before 12 weeks. The personality continues to change and develop until 3 years old.

I once raised a German Shepherd puppy named Gretchen. Gretchen went away dog guide school at a year old. She was chosen as breeding stock, and I visited her almost year later in her new home. You should have seen her when I pulled her old dinosaur Nylabone out of my pocket. She jumped half way across the room. It had been a great favorite of hers. She never allowed visiting dogs to chew it.