If you are a happy dog owner, you may have noticed that your pet shows an increased interest in toys that make squeaky sounds.
This sound, unpleasant to the human ear, irritates people, but our four-legged friends cannot resist it. I wonder why?
There are several theories about this, and the main one is that dogs perceive the squeak as a sound made by their potential prey in nature.
Despite the fact that dogs have long been domesticated and do not need to hunt or get food on their own, there is no escape from instincts.
This assumption is confirmed by the fact that most representatives of non-hunting breeds react to squeakers to a lesser extent. However, this rule is not strict - among any dogs, even mongrel ones, there are those who are crazy about squeakers.
There is also an opinion that dogs use squeaky toys to attract the attention of their owners and to get feedback from them. This stimulates the production of dopamine and oxytocin.
Finally, another hypothesis suggests that chewing on squeaky rubber toys may help improve dental health.
Research shows that dogs that actively chew on these toys have less tartar than others. Rubber toys also help puppies during teething.
