Just like our children, we love to spoil our dogs rotten with toys. And, as with human babies, our fur babies really seem to love toys that squeak. But have you ever wondered why do dogs like squeaky toys?
If so, you’re in the right place! Below we take a look at why our doggos seem to love squeaky toys so much!
Squeaky Toys for Dogs
Dogs love all sorts of toys. They love toys they can chew and chase around. But, if your dogs are anything like mine, squeaky toys are the most popular items in their doggie toy box. While these squeaky toys can get on our nerves fairly quickly, our beloved pets don’t seem to tire of them.
But why is that? I wondered what makes dogs love these squeaky toys so much so I went digging around for an answer. And this is what I found…
Why Do Dogs Like Squeaky Toys?聽
Well, there are a number of reasons as to why your dog may like squeaky toys. There are three main reasons that dogs like squeaky toys. They are: the toys are associated with their hunting instincts, their love for chewing, as well as the sound itself.
Let’s look at each in a little more detail.
Hunting Instincts
Despite being a man’s best friend and our lovely pets, we cannot dismiss the fact that dogs are animals. And they still have the hunter/prey instinct from when they were wild beasts. And some squeaky toys make sounds similar to that of small prey animals that dogs like to chase.
Based on their species’ ancestry, wolves love to chase and tear apart things that make sounds. In fact, hunting breed dogs are also more likely to fetch a squeaky toy compared to non-hunting breeds.
It Makes Them Happy 馃檪
And believe it or not, another reason why dogs love squeaky toys is that the sound it makes when they chew makes them happy. It gives them reassurance that their bite is strong. Not only that, but they also feel rewarded when they bite that squeaky toy.
Studies suggest that playing with squeaky toys releases dopamine. Which, as is the case in us humans, is basically a brain chemical for happiness. Your dog may also feel loved if you play with them as they play with their toy.聽
Dogs Love to Chew!
And the third reason why they love squeaky toys is that they just love to chew stuff, especially softer toys. Well, to be fair, that last statement really depends on the dog’s breed and age. Puppies who are at the stage of teething enjoy softer and more chewable rubber toys. Older smaller dog breeds also love playing with soft and chewable toys like squeaky toys as it is more suited for their teeth.聽
