crying and nervousness in my dog

Question
I have a 5 yr old min schnauzer. She has not been fixed. Lately she has been very subdued and just laying around. She has been keeping close contact with all her toys and will carry them around and cry. When she does this she is trying to find a spot to hide them. She will sit in our recliner with all her toys behind or underneath her like she is protecting them and if you try and take one she gets very nervous.

Answer

Hi Beth,

Has your dog recently had her heat cycle?

Sometimes, after a dog has had her heat cycle, but she hasn't been bred, the dog will experience a "false pregnancy". This can cause the dog to become particularly maternal, and mother her toys as though they were babies. During a false pregnancy, the dog's abdomen or nipples may swell as they would in a real pregnancy. Sometimes the dog even produces milk. This is all hormonal, and usually goes away on it's own within about a month's time. If it continues longer, the dog should be examined by a veterinarian.

If your dog hasn't recently had her heat cycle, the carrying and mothering of her toys might be a response to a stress caused by a change in either the household or routine. It would be a self-comforting behavior, which is better than suddenly having house training accidents!  In time your dog should get over this. Be mindful of your dog, and don't put her in situations where she's feeling nervous or stressed over her toys. Just ignore her.
If this sounds like it could be a possibility, increasing the amount of exercise your dog gets each day is a good way of relieving her stress, so she'd be less inclined to baby her toys.

Best of luck!
Patti