my youngest dog runs as fast as he can to get a soft toy.  He's about 3 with a bit of a plush toy fetish.  Before he can say hello though, he needs to run and find Winne the pooh (sometimes he can't find him straight off and I can hear him panicking).  He doesn't particularly give it to us (although he does sometimes) he just seems to want it near.

Why!?  My other dog is just happy to say hello!

One of mine will always rush for a toy...maybe because she is sooo vocal that I always used to stuff one in her mouth to shut her up and it's just got to be a habit now, still at least she is quieter...she can still make a fair noise even with a mouth full of squashy toy!!!!!
Mrr Mrr rumfle mumbfrull!!!!
Aileen.

My youngest Papillon always runs to get a toy when it is feeding time! So she can't eat as her mouth is full. Now it's turned into a ritual. Bowls appear, Abby runs and gets a toy. We tell Abby "Abby, go put your toy away!" and she runs as fast as she can and puts it in her bed, then runs back quickly to eat. :) :)

Goldens always want to carry things as well. My first ever Golden would look everywhere for something to carry when a visitor (or anyone in the family) arrived, and I remember one occasion when he was outside and all he could find was a tiny stick the size of a match. It had to do! My male Malinois has to carry a bone as soon as you get near him. It's all happiness. :)

aww bless.  He's a dog who barks and growls at everyone, but he doesn't look quite so tough with a big yellow teddy in his mush!  If he really can't find anything (i.e. he has left his bear in the garden and can't remember, then he will, at a push grab some socks.  Or a tea towel.  :) 

We call it Mitzys 'Plug' :)

When we first got Mitzy and she used to puppy bite, we would put a toy in her mouth when she started mouthing when she was saying hello and say 'Good Plug' ::) It stuck and now whenever she gets excited she runs and gets her toy to shove in her mouth and runs round with it till shes calmed down lol Does mean that we sometimes get dirty toys stuck in our faces lol

Is he a retrieving breed? I've heard of retrievers who always want to bring their owners an object when they greet them! :-)

Milo (GR) cannot possibly greet anyone without something in his mouth, toy, slippers, dirty socks :-P, you name it.......and its not just to us either, anyone who comes in does not escape. He won't let you take the toy of course :-)

Floyd is the same, when I come in, he does his boxer shuffle, snuffling and snotting and his backside is nearly touching his face, then he will run off and find the nearest toy and carry on doing all of the above until he feels his welcomed you enough.  Love it.
Jane

our setter pup was also a biter and so we could have cuddle and fuss time we used shove an 'elephant' cuddly in his mouth! As I write this he is enjoying a new toy, a neverending snake thingy! He hasn't stopped running up and done the hall with it yet, I think he thinks it's a naughty find like socks and tea towels!

My boy Dex, will also always have something in his mouth when someone visits, it was a leaf the other day!! , then he struts around with whatever it is he has in his mouth.... it could be anything, he is such a people dog. :)

My terrier does the opposite - he has to have something in his mouth when our other dog walks past him to go outside. He will grab anything available and has to shake it to death before he joins our GR out in the garden.

no mine is not a retriever he is a schnauzer, saying that he lives for fetching things.  As i speak he has a very small stuffed tiger hanging out of his mouth. 

minus its ears.

Knock knock knock goes the door.

Tessa (Retriever) oh my god where's the toys, must find a toy oh heck who's hid the toys, can't receive guests I'm not dressed!!! Now where's the fluffy thing I had yesterday, you know the one with the soggy ears and it's arse hanging off?

Collie, hey man is this person at the door important enough for me to get my lazy butt outa bed?

Shelties, well we'd better go mad and make noise, yes girls lets make noise, yap yap yap yap yap.!!

Mum, oh joy visitors, I'll put the kettle on!!!

Dad, was that somebody at the door.  DER!!!!

Our lab was the same, she always had to have something in her mouth when she was excited, beit a toy a newspaper anything would do, so long as there was something there. And then she would waggle her whole rear end.
These terriers I have now just need to dance and jump and bark............
Karen

Two of mine like to do this with a Teddy Bear whist smiling away, when the children come home.

One of my puppies at the moment greets new dogs and humans this way if we are out and about and she's on her lead.  She grabs the lead in her mouth (makes it look like she's smiling) and wags her tail so much that she wiggles like a fish out of water.  If she was a medium or large breed I would have thought that this was intended to show that she's no threat, but currently standing at 4inches high, I think everyone works that out for themselves.

LOL my friend's goldie does this but picks up anything she can find - I have been greated by her son's pants on one occasion.

Shock horror I've even found one of my bra's up the garden once !!  :):):)

i have a boxer who has a manic obsession with moving washing, you can put it near the washer and go get something else and you could find a trail of dirty washing going everywhere. his son was the same when he was small.my other boxer also has the obsession of having to greet people with things in her mouth

Mum in laws Staff is a nutter!!! He jumps on the coffee table, jumps up at whoever has just come in and then runs around looking for something to put in his mouth, he is really mouthy so she has had to train him to do this or you get a nip, he's not nasty just mad, boisterous and excitable but he's still 16 months and un-castrated so hopefully when she gets him done he may calm down a little but I did tell her not to hold her breath as it still might take a while. I have been trying to help her re-train him and now she is putting him on a lead and making him sit, but the beast is STRONG!!!!!

Years ago when my lovely Shepherd was alive she also used to have to greet any visitor by fetching something and showing it to them, thought it was really sweet and funny until one day I answered the door to the milkman then looked down to see my Shepherd with a pair of my knickers in her mouth that she had just removed from the dirty washing bag lol.

Why do dogs have a thing about washing? My Shelties take it off the radiators, my Goldie roots around in the washing machine if the door is open and my Collie goes mad with excitement when you put clean bedding in her bed.
Dopey things dogs!! :)

my 7 year old gsp has to get toy bone or anything else she can get hold of before greeting us the other one just barks very loudly ( bless them would we want a quite life NO)

On the subject of washing, Floyd's bed is infront of the washing basket in his room that we have for him.  When me and the OH are both at work at the sametime, my OH parents come round and dog sit for us.  A couple of months ago my FIL was telling me that when they came in Floyd would be waiting at the door for them, always with something in his mouth, it actually turned out for the 3 days they were coming round for us one week, Floyd greeted them with a pair of my knickers in his mouth that he had tugged out of the washing basket, I was absolutely mortified, now when putting washing in the basket I make sure everything is well pushed down, so that he cant get anything out of basket via the handles at the side.
Jane

There's nothing worse than having your 'smalls' shown to the world and his neighbours :):)

> Now where's the fluffy thing I had yesterday, you know the one with the soggy ears and it's arse hanging off?
>

ROFLMAO!!!!!!

JeanSW
You've got to tell me what ROFLMAO means :)

Good to hear that others also have busy laundry dogs! Our best friend specialises in extracting underwear and socks from the depths of the dirty laundry basket and leaving them artistically draped where any visitors are guaranteed to find them first.

> Why do dogs have a thing about washing?

Dirty washing particularly because it smells so strongly of you. I suspect clean washing still smells of you to the dog. Maybe I should have used 'one' rather than you. :-D

> tell me what ROFLMAO means

http://www.noslang.com/dictionary/r

It's in here. :-)

Well I have four here at the moment ranging from the age of 10 down to 6 months all four have to have their soft toys in their mouths before they go out for a wee in the day!

LOL i bet that's a sight :) :)

Funny thread.

  My dog always barks at the door meaning, GO AWAY!  However, he will sniff the edge of the door before it is opened to see if he knows whos there, if it is a friend then he will run to fetch one of his cuddly toys or pick up anything he can that is nearby and will fit in his mouth!

If it is a stranger he will just continue to bark. (A good security system for opening the door on dark nights when I am on my own!)

Hi munrogirl76
I've just had a look at the slang site, it's a whole new world of language, boy am I outdated :)

Oh boy me to, I feel old now lol.

Both my dogs also use their toys to 'calm down'.. Poppy has 'Mr Jumpy' - *rolls eyes* - its my boyfriends old jumper.  She walks around with it trailing from her mouth, tripping her up.  When she is relaxed she stuffs as much as she can in her mouth and sucks it for ages.  Lubo also does this with his Winnie the Pooh bear (i don't know if she taught him this) but sometimes when we are all sitting watching telly all you can hear is the soft sound of them sucking on their toys.