the bad dog journal

You set a sock down for one second, turn around, and it's gone. Trotting off in the mouth of a very pleased-with-itself dog. Sound familiar?

Dogs may steal socks because taking them leads to attention or a game of chase, or because they are bored. The useful change is in the routine: keep real socks out of reach and make their own toys worth choosing.

1. It gets a reaction, instantly

You look up. You call their name. Maybe you follow them down the hallway. Suddenly, a quiet moment has your full attention. Battersea explains that dogs can learn to steal household objects because of the attention and chase that follow.

2. The laundry becomes the game

A sock is right there, ready to be picked up and carried away. If taking one has led to play before, your dog has a reason to try again. That familiar feel is part of what we wanted to keep in The Sock: a rib-knit outer texture, made for their toy basket.

3. Boredom finds something to do

When there isn't much going on, your dog can make their own entertainment. Battersea recommends suitable toys and rewarding dogs when they choose those instead. A little more shared play gives that energy somewhere to go.

4. Their own toy can get your attention too

The useful part is making the alternative worth choosing. Bring out a toy before the laundry becomes interesting. The Sock keeps that familiar fabric feel, with rope tucked into the calf for a game of tug. Play together, and let something that belongs to them be what gets your attention.

How The Sock started fitting into our routine

For Christian, Gnawnu's founder, that moment was laundry time. He started giving his dog The Sock while sorting clothes and found that his dog stopped taking his real socks. A small change in an everyday routine. That was his experience, and it's the idea we keep coming back to.

The sock, but theirs

The familiar shape and sock-like feel, with a little more to discover. A squeaker in the toe and crinkle texture add sound to the game, while the rope inside the calf gives you another way to play together.

Keep the laundry for yourself. Give them something you're happy to see them carry down the hall.

You hear the roll turning. Then the suspicious silence. By the time you reach the bathroom, your dog has started a project you definitely didn't approve.

Dogs may shred toilet paper out of curiosity, boredom or play. A roll moves and unravels as they pull it, making each tug interesting. Keep the real roll out of reach and offer something they are allowed to play with.

1. There is always another bit to pull

A roll doesn't stay still for long. One tug becomes another, and an everyday bathroom essential becomes something to investigate. The American Kennel Club describes curiosity and play among the reasons dogs get into toilet paper. That pull-and-unroll game is the part we wanted to carry into our own Toilet Paper Roll toy.

2. It gives a quiet afternoon something to do

The AKC also points to boredom and attention as possible reasons. An accessible roll can become an easy activity when a dog is looking for entertainment. Closing the bathroom door helps. So does giving them a better invitation to play.

3. The alternative should be worth their attention

This is the part we like most in the AKC's guidance:

“Giving dogs an alternative toy positively redirects their attention, and therefore their behavior.”

Kaitlyn Arford, American Kennel Club

Put the real roll out of reach, then make time for something they are allowed to have. Our upcoming Toilet Paper Roll toy keeps the unrolling part of the game: one Velcro fastening lets the toy paper unwind, and a second lets it separate from the roll. A familiar little sequence, made for play together.

The next thing they weren't supposed to have

That familiar bathroom favourite is the inspiration for Gnawnu's next toy: The Toilet Paper Roll. Unroll it, pull the toy paper free, then fasten it back together for another round. The everyday object they already find interesting, with the game ready to start again.

It isn't available yet. Join the list for early access and be first to meet it when it arrives.

A dog who steals socks. A toy shaped like a sock. We get the question: aren't you just encouraging it?

The guidance cited here is about rewards and redirection; it does not test whether a sock-shaped toy causes sock stealing. Our thinking starts with the routine around the toy: what gets your dog's attention, and what makes their own things worth choosing?

1. The reaction is part of the reward

Dogs Trust explains that stealing can turn into a game when it leads to an exciting chase. Their advice includes giving dogs suitable toys and rewarding them for playing with their own things.

So we focus on making their toy the interesting choice. The Sock's rib-knit exterior keeps the familiar feel of a sock, while its rope, squeaker and crinkle texture give you ways to turn it into a shared game. Bring it out. Play together. Let choosing it be what gets the good response.

2. Give them the alternative before the chase

Christian started offering The Sock while doing laundry, when his dog would normally be interested in the real thing. He found that his dog stopped stealing his socks. In his home, the toy became part of a different routine.

That experience inspired how we talk about The Sock. Something familiar to offer during an everyday moment, with play and attention attached.

3. Make their own things worth choosing

Keep real socks out of reach and make time for the toy. There is no need to stage a theft to introduce it. A few minutes of shared play can be the whole occasion.

A familiar texture can be the starting point for something different. The Sock pairs that sock-like outer feel with rope inside the calf for tug, a squeaker in the toe and crinkle texture. The shape is familiar; the play you build around it is part of the experience.

4. Keep play interesting

A study of object play in 16 Labrador retrievers found that interest declined with repeated exposure to a toy. It looked at toy play, rather than sock stealing, but it is a useful reminder to notice what your dog is enjoying and change things up.

Carry it. Bring it into a supervised game. Put it away and return to it another day. A toy doesn't have to do all the work on its own.

The idea is simple

We make toys inspired by the things dogs already want to take. We're giving you something made for play, ready for the moments your dog wants to join in.

The sock, but theirs.