I have a 1 year old english bull terrier and when I walk him he always picks up big logs or even fallen trees and drags them back to the car so he can take them home. He has always done this since a pup but the sticks have now turned into trees and big logs which are much bigger than him. When he finds a tree or log he likes he is not interested in his walk he just wants to go back to the car and take it home, he has even put the log in the boot himself(I have opened the boot) if it is not too big to take home. These trees are quit big off him but he stills manages to pull them along! My garden is now full of chewed up logs and traffic cones which is another favorite of his. I don't mind him doing this but I would like to know if anyone has any ideas explaining this behaviour. I have tried taking the logs off him but he just finds another, he isn't possesive with them as he lets me take them off him but he always finds another one so I can't win it is just a pain to walk him as he don't want to walk and pulls me home or back to the car. Any ideas?

Our old lab was like this! The bigger the "stick" the better. She would disappear into a hedge, grab one of the branches, and tug and tug and tug until it snapped, when she'd emerge, proud as Punch! At least she was happy to carry these for the rest of the walk and didn't want to go straight home. Getting through "kissing-gates" was difficult, or through narrow gaps (particularly at speed), as some of these sticks would be six feet long!

Her theory was that "Good sticks don't grow on trees" :D, so when you found a good one it had to be added to the collection.

I had a dog like that once, the bigger the tree branch the better! Remember the small gaps well :D
Could you let him take the tree! back to the car & then start the walk again so he can find another tree! to take home :D
Steph

It's good firewood if nothing else!!!!:D

Hi madbullytaz
speaking of traffic cones brings a smile. :)
Our last Staffy ( Sam) just ADORED these for some strange reason and it was really hard to get him to leave them . He would chew on them for hours if you let him :)
If he was off lead for a walk and we spotted a "loose" one that someone had abandoned there would be a race to get him on the lead before he spotted it
Thats really made me smile remembering that :D
Our puppy Staff is becoming a bit of a stickoholic . He loves to chase them when you throw one and then walks for ages with one in his mouth
Lel

Hi,

We had two staffs years ago and the dog always carried with him a log or small tree. But would leave these in favor of a traffic cone!!! no idea why then and 25 years later still don't the bitch we had at the same time just used to watch him struggle though kissing gates or any other small space with a resigned look on her face as if she was almost embarrased by his efforts. ( I find myself doing the same now when hubby talks about somethings) But he wouldn't leave them.

The next staff we had a bitch had a love of cans!!!!! mainly beer cans I think because they are generally longer than soft drinks cans. I never understood that either but to stop her picking up empty cans in the street ( you can't be too careful these days) I used to take cans with us (sad I know)

Everyone we know used to save their empty beer cans. People often laughed or smiled when we passed. But hey! who cares at that time "silly back packs were in fashion" ie rabbits fury animals etc so whose to say Gyp wasn't starting her own doggie trend.

My present staffie pup a bitch loves sticks so I expect we will soon be back to collecting firewood. But tonight she showed an extreme ammount of interest in a traffic cone. (Good job she's only 18 weeks old still)

My GSD does it too.....it drives me MAD!! :D

But can I stop him? Can I heck!! :D

Sorry, I've been absolutely no help whatsoever....but at least you know you're not alone!!

Lisa

But WHY traffic cones ???
Lel

No idea. Ask the dogs

A friend of mine has a huge white shepherd that LOVES sticks. the bigger the better, so much so that he will leap up and grab large branches still attached to trees and hang there by his jaw like a giant fuzzy white bauble to try and get them off. It's hilarious, and they've never figured out why he does it.
Oh well, makes 'em happy!!

Annette