Comfort levels

My two-year-old Whippet Bingley is a happy, healthy little chap with a very caring home and a Whippet companion aged six with whom he gets on wonderfully. He is a little highly strung about some things, a bit nervous of big, bouncy dogs and is a little anxious about some men and ladies with loud voices. He isn't worried about guns or fireworks and is quite obedient and affectionate.
What I want to undertand is why he often gets hold of his large woolly toy and holds it tightly in his mouth for quite a while, often whining quietly? He will then often start licking it for quite a long time so I have to wash it frequently. He seems to do this when we come back after being out and he has been left behind. He also does it after his evening meal and always brings it with him to the sofa in the evening when he sits by me. He does seem to do it when I feel he is happy. He seems very intense when involved with this toy and you can't get him to leave it - he doesn't get cross, just hangs on determindly! I once thought it was sexual but he doesn't show any mounting excitement and was castrated anyway at 14 months owing to an undescended testicle and this behaviour was already apparent. Is it a sort of security thing do you think?
Bingley was born in a very good kennels, but his Mum went back to her owner when he was just under six weeks as there were only three pups who were weaned and thriving. We had him at eight weeks of age and he has been a delight. I have had four Whippets, Bingley being my fourth and I have never experienced this with any of the others, although they have all always brought us a toy on our return from being out.
He does spend quite a bit of time washing his front and back legs and I know this can be an anxiety problem, although I did discover harvest mites on him recently which have been dealt with. He doesn't have any skin problems.
Ruth Pritchard, Blandford, Dorset

This behaviour does sound like a security problem, although I claim no special skills in dog psychology. On the other hand I feel I can offer some useful insight into the excessive washing of his legs. This is not necessarily an anxiety problem as you suggest - I think this relates more to some minor skin discomfort which could in time escalate into a problem skin disorder. As a student of Traditional Medicine who tries to view mental and physical health in the round (i.e.holistically) I suggest you look at his diet. Here I must declare an interest as I am the proprietor of Burns Pet Nutrition. There may be an underlying food intolerance at the root of these as yet minor aberrations. You don't mention his diet but I believe that many mental and physical disorders are diet related.
For this you may need some professional advice but a good starting point is to feed a hypoallergenic type diet as his only food (no treats initially). Also, check and if necessary, empty his anal glands; this is a good way to remove toxic wastes from his system.
Best wishes
John Burns BVMS MRCVS

Elaine Day, Celticmoon Hounds, Dogs Today Advisor, says...
I think this problem will be a difficult one to solve without seeing the dog and his owner in their home whilst this behaviour is taking place, but I may be able to suggest a couple of reasons for this.
Although Bingley was castrated at 14 months, the behaviour was already apparent. It may therefore be learned sexual behaviour, which simply gives Bingley some pleasure.
However, I think it more likely that Bingley simply enjoys the attention he is getting from his owner when he is acting in this
fashion. All dogs would rather have attention - even negative attention - than be ignored, and Bingley seems to be getting a fair bit of attention with this unwanted behaviour. Apparently the toy is often taken away from the dog to be washed - what is his reaction to the loss of his toy? Could the toy simply be removed from Bingley altogether? Does Bingley get attention from his owner when he displays his dislike to certain people, when he licks his legs, when he plays with his toy? It may be time to totally ignore any unwanted behaviour and spend more time interacting with the dog to keep his mind occupied with other
things. Maybe replace the toy with a Kong, or play a retrieve game with him.
I think it is possible that Bingley has learned to elicit a lot of attention from his owner from his slightly odd behaviour, and the more he does it, the better the attention!
Again, I must reiterate that without seeing the dog, his body language and his owner's response, it is very difficult to say for certain what the problem is and how it can be rectified. It may be a good idea to find a good dog behaviourist to visit Bingley in his home to really see what the problem is.