The saying goes that you spend a ton of money on your children at Christmas and they spend most of their time playing with the packaging. In the same vein, the amount of dog toys available is endless – from simple rubber balls to high-tech electronic toys, yet the humble sock seems infinitely attractive to our canine friends. Should playing with socks be discouraged or should you embrace this obsession and let your Cockapoo carry on playing with them?
In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why socks are so attractive to a lot of dogs and at the end, provide some guidance on how to deal with it.
Cockapoos love socks for several reasons including the fact that they have a retrieving instinct, they find the smell familiar, they’re bored, they’re looking to play, and if still a puppy, are using them to help with teething. Socks however can be dangerous if ingested so should be discouraged.
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Their Retriever Heritage
The Cockapoo of course is not a purebred dog, it’s a crossbreed that contains both Poodle and Cocker Spaniel. Both of these purebreds have long histories of fieldwork, in the main as retrievers.
The Poodle was originally bred and used to retrieve duck and other waterfowl in its native Germany. What now seems like a very extravagant groomed look reserved for the show ring, the Poodle’s coat was cut that way when used as a retriever to allow them to move through the water more smoothly while still providing some insulation for their vital organs when swimming in cold water. You can read more about this in our piece on the history of the Poodle.
The Cocker Spaniel has been used as a hunting dog for centuries. The origin of the word ‘Cocker’ derives from the fact that they were used to flush woodcock. The ‘Spaniel’ part of the name exists simply because spaniels originated in Spain and it’s thought that the word Spaniel is derived from the word ‘Espaigneul’, a medieval French word which translates to ‘Spanish’. Although used for flushing woodcock, their work in the field also included retrieving shot game birds. To this day in England, Cocker Spaniels can be commonly seen retrieving pheasants on driven game shoots.
With this retriever instinct in their lineage, it’s easy to see why socks are so appealing to Cockapoos and why they like to bring them to you.
The Familiar Smell
Although the smell of your socks or that of somebody else’s in your household may not be very appealing to you, to your Cockapoo it’s a smell that they associate with you and the affection you show them.
Their noses are much more sensitive than ours and while you’re away, they may seek out an item of your clothing, socks or otherwise, as a comforter. If this happens a lot, it may signal separation anxiety. To read more about this and how to deal with it, click here where we discuss it in more depth. Although that piece is focussed on the Westiepoo, the information applies to the Cockerpoo too.
Boredom
Both the Poodle and the Cocker Spaniel are highly intelligent dogs and Cockapoos inherit this from their parents. Intelligent dogs need mental stimulation, or they can become destructive.
Socks are interesting things to dogs and playing with them can provide them with something different to their standard set of toys. The texture, smell, shape, and color are different from that of dog toys so it’s something new to explore.
If you think that your Cockapoo is suffering from boredom, there are many products on the market to help with this. From lick mats to activity boards, treat puzzles to brain teasers, there are lots of options to ensure that destructive behavior doesn’t creep in.
Try to engage with your dog as much as you can. Cockapoos thrive off the interaction with humans so satisfy their exercise needs, engage in play, and show your dog the amount of affection it responds the best to. If you do these things then you’re doing everything you can to avoid it getting bored.
They’re Looking to Play
Cockapoos are friendly dogs with a lively nature, and they love to play. When yours delivers a sock, it could be a sign that they simply want to engage you in playtime and that they deem the sock to be a suitable accessory for this.
To discourage your dog from using socks as a play item simply take it from them and replace it with a toy then start the play. Over time they should learn that toys are for playtime and not socks.
If your clothing is always inside drawers and out of sight from your dog when it is ready for playtime, it’s more likely to pick up a dog toy so try to keep up with the laundry to avoid the issue!
They’re Teething
If your dog is still a puppy, you’ll know how they like to chew things to help them deal with this. Shoes, newspapers, cushions, and yes, socks! In this scenario, the sock is simply another item they’ve decided to chew to help with their teething.
Of course, there are products on the market that are made specifically for this purpose and are recommended over other items from a safety point of view. You can also get soothing gel made specifically for puppies which can help them with any pain.
Should Playing with Socks be Discouraged?
Although you may think a sock is a harmless object, it’s not uncommon for dogs to end up swallowing them and this can lead to medical complications which are sometimes life-threatening.
If your Cockapoo ingests a sock, it could cause a blockage, septicemia, or gastrointestinal problems as well as other issues. With this in mind, why take the risk, regardless of how much your dog seems to like them. With so many dog toys on the market specifically designed to be safe for dogs, it makes sense to encourage the use of these for playtime and not that of other objects which could cause harm.