If you have a dog, used to have a dog, or know someone who has a dog, then you’ll probably have seen how stoked they get over a new squeaky toy. We’ve all been sitting on a balcony with a mate, having a serious conversation constantly interrupted by the high pitched squeal of a dog toy. Good times.
Turns out the reason little Spot will not rest until the squeaker has been torn out of the rubber toy in front of him is far more grim than expected. The squeak mimics the sound of their prey screaming. Isn’t that fun!
As we know, dogs are descended from wolves. Yes, even your neighbours tiny, Chihuahua / Pomeranian cross that could fit in your purse and possibly be classified as a large rat has wolf ancestors that struck fear into all the other animals in the area. I know.
The squeak also provides your pup with instant feedback. Basically, the fact that they’re getting a reaction from the poor, unfortunate squeaky rubber chicken means that they’re doing something right. More squeak = more bite.
Once they’ve finally driven the entire household nuts and ripped the squeaker out of the toy, you’ll probably notice that your dog loses interest in the toy. You guessed it, this signals to your pup that they’ve successfully killed their prey, and don’t have to keep attacking it any more.
Unless, of course, you have one of those dogs that doesn’t stop when the squeaker breaks and isn’t satisfied until there are bits of toy all over the living room. That toy is equally dead.
So there you have it. Next time you go out and grab your dog a new squeaky toy to chew on, you can be haunted by the knowledge that they love it so much because they’re trying to flat out murder it. Sweet dreams, everyone.
If you need something a bit more wholesome after that, check out the GOAT Team chatting about dinosaurs in love…
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