Sounds to me like he is being a typical gundog, he wants to have something in his mouth and feels better when he has something, whatever that may be. I hve had a few take a liking to the scarf I was actually wearing at the time

Some great advice already given. I would get more toys etc that it is okay for him to carry and turn it into a game.. 'go get your toy' is said a lot in this house The advice to get an acceptable toy in place of the coffee cup ( brilliant ) and make it so exciting he wants that instead is a fab one. I would also try to avoid taking his toys from him at this stage and wen he picks one up give him HEAPS of praise and affection. In the meantime teach a leave slowly


2 and a half months is nothing. We realised a couple of months ago that our rescue ex working gundog has only jst fully and totally come out of her shell after almost 3 years ( sometimes we wish she'd go back in it lol JOKING!!!! ). Patience, love and consistency sounds like your little doglet has landed on his paws though
Apologies for typos, fat fingers small keyboard!

My WCS did the exact same thing for the first few months that we had him. You would be in the office and off he would trot to the laundry room, grab something, trot back with it into his bed and go to sleep with it. So cute, if annoying (and embarrasing if it's your underwear!!!)

We didn't really do anything about it, other than try and keep the laundry room door shut! Apparently (according to the OH) you aren't ever meant to give a gundog into trouble for stuff like this, lest you put it off retrieving completely. They just instinctively like to have something in their mouth.

Over time, he seems to have learned that the toys he has are much more likely to be fun if carried about, whereas nothing at all happened with laundry (we would only remove ages later once he had moved and had forgotten it was there). He doesn't do it anymore at all but now carries his ball everywhere he goes. The other one carries his bed about everywhere.

Lol! My first FCR was spoilt and had a pillow! The pillow and the bed were dragged from room to room when he had a snooze

yep Jet's bed goes everywhere, from room to room in the house, out in the yard, into the car.....

If you go out and come back in again, Jet rushes about trying to find his bed, grabs it then trots about in circles with it in his mouth, tail wagging furiously

Copper is just ball ball ball ball ball ball ball ball, everywhere he goes he has his yellow rubber with him, he is one of those dogs who will go for a walk and carry his own ball the whole way there and back

Hi
meet Raz
before



after



I got him 2 years ago and he was so terrified he just shut down. You could do anything and he would simply close his eyes and shake. My son dropped something and he pooped himself.
Now he likes to be stroked - that took a year. And we have begun a bit of training - leadwork , Sit, come, in the house.
It all has to be done in tiny steps, at his pace. Today I sat with him in a different spot. It`s that slow.
You can`t reassure a frightened dog. You can`t explain. He has learned that certain things cause pain and terror. He knows this. So you need to re-educate him, using small stages. It took me days of walking up to him with a lead in my hand, then walking away before Raz relaxed enough to let me sit beside him and put it on him. Then we moved to the next stage.
Hopefully your dog will not be so frightened, so your journey will be shorter.
But it`s the same principle. Start small, move on slowly. Take your cue from the dog. If he he appears afraid (watch the eyes) he`s just reinforcing his fears and submitting. He neds to be relaxed to learn.
Best of luck.

Oh bless Jet I live that!!! Cosmo always brings a cuddly, the bigger the better, then Tango steals it!!! Tango has to take something from my son's room every morning... Rug, cuddly, socks, pants!!! We call her klepto girl ( you can sing it to the tune of Dangermouse if you want to join in lol....)

Claire you have worked wonders with him
, he is SO lucky to have you x

I was just thinking back. When she came Tango would not pick up a cuddly etc if we were standing by her. She would run off and put them somewhere if she wanted a tickle, but she wouldn't hold anything in her mouth when she was near us she does now but that has taken a couple of years, as Claire said small steps at the dog's pace.

Thank you everybody for your replies and wonderful advice. I do appreciate it. I know 2 and a half months is no time at all, I know it is not the same but we have a cat that I rescued at 5 weeks old and she spent the first year of her life petrified of us and the slightest sound and literally flew across the house, you could never get anywhere near her. Now, 2 and a half years later she is like a lap cat and incredibly chilled out (and she loves the dogs)!

Alfie has been loved and treated well in one of his past homes - you can tell that much, and he is a very affectionate boy. As for being a failed gun dog, I do not know if he was, but it would make perfect sense. He has come on leaps and bounds since we got him, so I have every faith that he will continue and if he doesn't, we will work with it. Me and my OH have always been patient people, but I had no idea just how patient we are, I mean we do not even flintch when the dog wees all over us!! Suppose that is a springer thing afterall Poppy still does it sometimes when we come home from being out!

We do not want to change Alfie, we just want him to feel safe and secure.

As for the kleptomania, both of them do that! Poppy carries her bed around the house too with Mr Snuffles in it - he is a toy she has had since being a pup. In fact she stole that (it was meant to be for a friend's baby!).

Raz is just beautiful! Thank you for your advice, and I know what you mean about the eyes... they say it all. x