# Vizsla suckling on bed



## jakersmomma (Jan 3, 2010)

Jake as a young pup would always "nurse" on his bed a bit. Lately, at a year and 2 months has begun again. His bed turned into more of a toy box so I bought him a new bed last week. Ever since the new bed came home, he has been obsessed with the old bed-carrying it around in his mouth, suckling on the edges of it. He lays down and sucks on it with his two paws pressing on it like he's nursing. I just noticed he has gone in a complete circle around it tonight, the complete outer edge is wet. Has anyones V babies ever done this? I wonder why the sudden obsession? He will do the "bunch and hump" with it occasionally as well. He treats this bed like its his lover lol. You can see in the pic he has the bed upside down and you can see the wet spots all around it. I'm just curious if this is anything any of you have experienced!


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Yes, Rosie does this, has since she was a puppy. She likes to do it on a "furry" blanket that has the texture of a mother vizsla's fur. I have read that dogs are more likely to do this if they had been weaned on the young side as pups, and that they sometimes do it for life. Rosie's a year and a half, with no sign of slowing down on the suckling/"nursing." She bunches up the blanket to form a "teat," suckles on it, and kneads.

P.S. I say, let him have access to the old bed. I think it gives them comfort to have their little sucking sessions Rosie will often do it--just like a kid--before her nap or if she gets too wound up and needs to chill out. And we can hardly get that blanket up from the wash without her grabbing it and trying to suckle as it's being carried up from the dryer.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Copper does this with a toy monkey he likes. He does it mostly when he isn't getting enough attention. How that can be, I don't know; there are five of us! He does stay home some days for 6 hours all alone.


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## labeda14 (Nov 14, 2009)

jakersmomma said:


> Lately, at a year and 2 months has begun again. His bed turned into more of a toy box so I bought him a new bed last week.


Maggie is just over a year at this point--but she never stopped suckling on her bed! I've often wondered if anyone else's V did this...she does it in the morning while still in her crate mostly.


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## willbill59 (Mar 23, 2011)

I had a lab mix, and she did this until she passed away. She was a rescue, and we had to bottle feed her. Well we bottle fed her until she was 3 mths old. She had a special teddy bear she would suck on. I wonder if it is from a dog not being weened off of the mother at a correct time.


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Willbill,

I think you're correct. I read that animals who were weaned too young may do "non-nutritive sucking" beyond puppyhood, and sometimes for the rest of their lives. We feel bad for her if she was weaned too young


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## clover (Jul 5, 2010)

Osha is al.most 6 months and she will suckle her old puppy bed and give it some sweet lovin'. 

She was weaned at 7 weeks wehich we weren't too happy about but we obviously had no choice in ther matter (though we tried).

She also does this with any shearling-like object we have in the house - boots, blankets, hats and her squeaky blue man toy. 

And whenever she has one of these things in her mouth, if we rub her belly she makes the funniest sounds and wags her tail really, really hard! It's pretty cute.


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