Dog behavior is pretty predictable, except when it isn’t. No matter how well you know your dog, there will be times when their behavior is wacky, weird, or downright bizarro. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. Variety is the spice of life, as they say. It’s also heartwarming to see your dog manifest some very unique facet of their personality even if it sometimes leaves you scratching your head.
Take Maverick, for example. He’s a black German shepherd. He’s a handsome fellow and obviously very smart, too. No surprise there: German shepherds are the third smartest breed, behind only the famously intelligent border collie and surprisingly brainy poodle. His taste in dog toys isn’t necessarily unintelligent but it certainly leaves his human mom befuddled.
While any small object can become a dog toy, there are numerous purpose-made ones out there. Far from being silly luxuries, toys are actually very important for dogs. Puppies use them for teething, much like human babies. Chasing toys around gives dogs mental stimulation, preventing boredom and the resulting problem behaviors. It’s also great exercise.
With the video camera running (see the video below), Maverick’s human mom asks him, “Maverick… Out of all these toys, which one do you like the most? Show me!” He obediently goes over to his toy basket. And what a basket it is! He’s got a collection of stuffed playthings that most dogs could only dream of. What he picks out of the pile is… A crumpled piece of packing paper! Maverick takes it over to his dog bed, lies down, and begins merrily shredding it with his teeth. Maybe he’s pretending to tear into something he caught while hunting. Maybe he’s just nutty about paper. We’ll never know, but at least he’s happy. His human mom is a bit perplexed, telling him, “Good… Boy… Good?… Boy?…”
Is Maverick nuts or on the contrary is he just being himself and having a great time the way he sees fit? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below and be sure to like and share!
