What to Do If Your Puppy or Dog is Scared of Squeaky Toys

Dog moms and dads often pick up a squeaky toy from the shop as a gift for their pup and, while they can be a slight annoyance to listen to, they provide a great level of joy to their dog. However, for some pups, squeaky toys aren’t as enjoyable, and this can be confusing to many dog owners. Is your dog scared of squeaky toys?

Continue reading to find out why and what you can do to help ease their fear.

What does the squeaky noise trigger?

For dogs of all breeds, a ‘squeak’ noise can trigger all kinds of emotions and feelings. For some pups, hearing a small squeak could trigger their protective instincts, thinking it is a puppy to care for. For others, it can impact their hunting instincts, with some dogs bred to hunt small animals.

Many small squeaky dog toys are designed to look like small, furry animals. While us humans can distinguish between a real animal and a small toy, your pup might not be able to. For dogs that want to care for the squeaky toy, they can be confused by its design and think it’s a small animal that requires protection. The same applies for pups with a hunting background who may see the toy as prey.

When you initially introduce the toy to your pup and give it a squeak, their instinctive prey drive will kick in, telling them there’s a small animal that they’ll want to chase. What follows could be constant whining or crying from your pup who’s become frustrated that the hunt for this small animal never seems to come to an end.

The best of intentions when purchasing the squeaky toy can actually trigger some kind of stress for your pup, who will get upset if they don’t like the toy. It’s always important to remember not to lose your temper or patience with your pup if they continuously cry around the squeaky toy because, after all, it was you who bought it.

Stress and annoyance

Another possible reason why your dog is scared of squeaky toys, or cries when they hear one, is the actual sound they create causes panic, stress and annoyance.

Hearing a constant squeaking noise, especially if they’re unsure of where it’s coming from, can cause the pup to feel stress and eventually lead them to panic every time they hear the noise.

For most dogs, a squeaky toy is just another physical object they can tear apart and play with but, for some, it causes an emotional response.

What can you do if your dog’s scared of squeaky toys?

Every dog is unique and will react differently to a squeaky toy. But, if you’ve noticed your pup isn’t happy with theirs and is displaying some level of fear or sadness around it, there are some things you can do to ease the situation.

First of all, you can try to sit with your pup and let them know that they’re in a caring and safe environment, and the object you’re trying to give them is safe and just a toy. If your dog is scared of the noise it makes, playing with the squeaky toy with them can actually help to ease their fears. They may even start to warm to the idea of the squeaky toy.

Another option is to just remove the squeaker from inside the toy, creating a small chew toy for your pup without the worry of hearing a loud squeak with every touch. Once the noise has been removed, your pup can enjoy playing with their new toy!

Yappy’s most popular gifts

If you’re looking for the pawfect gift for your pup or a dog mom or dad, you can check out our most popular gifts at Yappy. We have a fun personalized card game called Barkboozle, which is a game that features your pup!

Another fun idea could be playing Your Dog Breaks the Internet: Dog Board Game. Imagine how exciting it would be for dog parents to play a board game all about their very own dog, paw-some!

There’s so much more to get at Yappy for a pup and dog parents. So check out our full range of personalized gifts.

iameddiethebeagle

If you’d like to know more about what Yappy offers, don’t hesitate to contact us on help@yappy.com.


Share this article

Previous
Previous

How to Look After a Kitten

Next
Next

Why Won’t My Dog Sleep With Me?