[_Jane_]

:lol:
Some of you may remember that I've mentioned a couple of times that Rosie has a sucking habit.

Just to give you a bit of background, we got Rosie at 10 months old and she developed this habit over the first few weeks of being with us. I did wonder if it was an anxiety thing and I just assumed she'd grow out of it.

She's now 2 years old but she's still at it.

She tends to do just as she's about to go to sleep. She trots off to find her blanket (her old vet-bedding) pulls it up between her front legs, clasps her paws around it and takes a whole mouthful. She'll go all silly and soppy and suck away (very noisily I might add) for about 15 minutes until she falls asleep. Once she's fallen asleep she'll release the blanket.

Now I've finally worked out how to get the images to work and am sporting both new avatar and siggy pic; I can also share the following photos of Rosie doing her sucking.

If anyone can advise me why she's doing this and whether I should be worried about it I'd be grateful. I must admit I'm getting tired of washing smelly vet bedding all the time!

 

[Gezza]

Dont they say when cats do that it is a sign of having been separated from the mother too early???

Or am I talking baloney??

Do you know Rosie's early history?

so cute though....Just like our Josh, who refuses to go to bed without his "blankie"

g

 

[SamM]

Rouble is a sucker at times.

When he came to live with me at 11 months of age I gave him an old t-shirt of mine. He used to suck holes in it. Found it the other day and decided it was time it went in the bin and it was so holey and horrible - thankfully Rouble hasn't missed it lol.

No idea why he likes to suck things but certainly hasn't done him any harm.

 

[Winstons_mum]

Winston does exactly the same thing. He has done it since he was a pup. His blankets are always soggy! I have seen a few posts on here about other dogs that do it so I think it is quite normal, at least I hope it is

 

[Mambosmum]

My two suck in their sleep!! If you gently push a finger into their mouths both mine will suck, I would have thought that at 5 and 2 1/2 they would have outgrown that tho!! :lol:
It can be quite noisy slurpy/sucky noises :lol: 8O

Marianne

 

[treecity]

That is so cute. A bit like an adult thumb sucker!

 

[-Kate-]

Diesel is a dirty washing scuker! 8O
If he gets near any i can guarantee it will he soaking wet on him bed :roll:

 

[jenni270986]

Lillie is a teddy sucker. I asked my behaviour lecturer about it... no one knows why they do it but in cats when they do the nesting behaviour (padding of feet etc) its a neonatal behaviour from suckling (they pad around the teat to stimulate milk release) which releases seretonin into the brain (the happy hormone) like endorphines. the most likely explaination we could come up with is that sucking soft objects in dogs is much the same and they do it because it makes them feel more relaxed and happy

lots of dogs do it and lots don't but no one REALLY knows why.
its cute though.... unless its my new fluffy slippers and then i go to put them on and they are soggy! lol
edit to say: nothing to worry about! and probably best not to stop her doing it as she'll move onto sucking something else.

jenn

 

[_Jane_]

Bless Winston; look at him doing exactly the same thing!

You're all right about the cat behaviour; thats one area where I do know what I'm talking about :lol: - in cats it often suggests they were weaned from their mothers too early. I had two rescue pedigree's that lived to a ripe old age of 16 and they both sucked my clothes if I cuddled them. I used to always have a clean tea-towel ready on the back of the sofa to shove at them if they sat on my lap!

Rose definitely goes all soppy and silly when she does this and from what you've all said it doesn't sound like she's going to stop anytime soon!

 

[_Donna_]

Alfie has a blankie and more often than not its in his mouth til he falls alseep...lol, he hasn;t had the last few days as its hangin on the washing line so he's took to having a his bears arm...lol

those pics are very sweet.

 

[_Jane_]

She does look very sweet when she does it, I must admit. It's just that the blanket is constantly wet and after a couple of days, it stinks!

I think I'm going to have to have more than one blanket and switch them about, but I'm not sure if she'll recognise them as "hers" if I do that and I wouldnt want to upset her by taking her usual blanket away!

 

[_Jac_]

Brooke always sucks her teddy in the evening, if she isn't licking she is sucking :roll:

 

[Winstons_mum]

She does look very sweet when she does it, I must admit. It's just that the blanket is constantly wet and after a couple of days, it stinks!

I think I'm going to have to have more than one blanket and switch them about, but I'm not sure if she'll recognise them as "hers" if I do that and I wouldnt want to upset her by taking her usual blanket away!

I was worried about swapping Winston's at first but in the end I had to as it was full of holes! Winston has a couple of blankets and isn't fussy about which one he sucks, he will even suck his towel given the chance! I bought him a new blanket the other day and he was so excited that he ran off with it straight away and had a good old suck!

 

[_Jane_]

awwww
I must admit I was pretty hacked off with hubby one night when I came home late from being out with friends to find him snoring his head off in bed with Rosie on my side of the bed, furiously sucking on my side of the duvet. Yuech!!

 

[mrsm]

Darcie sucks my hand when she's all gooey and soppy around season time :wink: