Why Do Dogs Like Dirty Underwear? 10 Likely Reasons
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Dogs being attracted to undies is not unusual. This strange habit should not be tolerated (even if you don’t find it nasty) as it could potentially cause harm. Seeing as that fabric is not edible, it could easily block their digestive tract, thereby leading to a myriad of issues.
In today’s article, we’ll be discussing reasons why dogs love digging into undies, with the hope of helping you find a solution to this problem. Read on if you’d like to learn more.
10 Reasons Why Dogs Love Dirty Underwear
1. Showing Love and Offering Protection
Your dog will always be happy and content if you give it love and affection. Sadly though, their way of showing love and affection is somewhat unorthodox. They’ll want to smell like you, and according to them, the only way to acquire that scent is by rubbing themselves all over your dirty items of clothing.
Instinctively, they’ll also seek out the scent if they find themselves yearning for a sense of security. At the end of the day, dogs are still pack animals that want to be associated with strong leaders. In their eyes, they are part of your pack, and you’re the leader who would protect them from predators looking to cause them harm.
2. Instincts
Eating dirty undies is a prevalent habit among scent hounds. If your dog was initially bred to hunt, they’ll still want to trail objects by scent. They are often drawn to dirty underwear because (other than your socks) they contain strong pheromones.
You’ll find them busy searching for something, only to realize later that they were hunting your knickers! Convincing them to let go can be an uphill battle since they’ll be thinking that they just caught prey.
3. Lack of Exercise
Dogs often indulge in destructive behavior if they feel neglected. You can avoid this by making sure that your pooch gets the required dose of physical and mental stimulation daily. Breeds such as the Border Collie and the German Shepherd will demand a lot more from you compared to other dogs, even at the senior stage.
Digging through dirty undies can be a sign that they have pent-up energy due to a lack of physical or mental activity.
4. Boredom
Understanding a dog’s needs can be difficult at times. They are sometimes restless even after going through an intense workout, not because they want more, but because they are bored. That boredom normally leads to unhappiness, which ultimately triggers strange behavior. They’ll chew your couch, destroy your carpets, or even steal dirty undies.
Lucky for you, this is preventable. You could provide some food puzzle games or play interactive games with them to make sure they’re mentally stimulated.
5. Pica Syndrome
Simply put, pica is an obsessive-compulsive behavior exhibited by dogs that constantly chew and ingest non-food items. Often, the objects that they like eating are those that have their pet parent’s scent.
Normally, they’ll go for wet wipes, towels, socks, and even undies. You have to reach out to a vet immediately if you suspect your dog has pica. Clinical signs associated with this syndrome include vomiting, coughing, black tarry stool, diarrhea, bloated stomach, and tenesmus.
We still don’t know the real cause of pica, but experts speculate that it has something to do with poor nutrition or an underlying health condition.
6. Teething
We’ve all been through teething. It’s an inherent biological process that tends to be very uncomfortable, as it’s characterized by pain. Puppies love chewing on stuff while they go through it as a way of soothing their gums. They are probably drawn to your undies because they are made of soft fabric, meaning this problem can be resolved if you just get them some chewable toys.
7. Waste Materials Attract Canines
For some reason, dogs really love to sniff poop. Experts believe that they see poop as an opportunity to learn more about you, as it tells them about your diet, emotional state, and health condition, among other things. If your underwear has traces of waste material, your dog will go for it.
By the way, according to some, the evolution of dogs may have involved eating human feces.
8. Dogs Are Scent-Oriented
One of the prime differences between humans and dogs is that we rely primarily on vision to interpret what’s going on around us, while dogs rely on their sense of smell. Did you know a dog’s sense of smell is said to be 10,000 times better than ours? Your underwear has scents that are telling them valuable information about you.
9. You’re Being Missed
A dog is a man’s best friend and anytime you’re not around, they’ll likely be miserable. If you’ve left them alone for too long, they’ll look for ways to alleviate the heartache. Replacing you with your undies may offer comfort due to the scent. Dare we say, it’s the next best thing!
10. The Smell of Blood
In the animal kingdom, we have three main groups of species: omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores. Dogs are omnivores, meaning they love eating meat and are drawn to the smell of blood. Needless to say, your dog may dig through your laundry bin looking for underwear during periods of menstruation.
Conclusion
Dogs like underwear for various reasons and you can never know for sure why your canine friend is drawn to your knickers. As previously mentioned, this behavior could be the result of an underlying issue, so you should talk to a vet if it becomes a habit.
Featured Image Credit: LightField Studios, Shutterstock
