My son and I were reminiscing about our dachshund. She passed at the age of 17 1/2 a little over a year ago. She was the smartest dog! She looked forward to Christmas about as much as any young kid! She knew the stocking that was for her and could not wait to have at it. When we started opening presents Christmas morning, she would come and start her little dance and would run from one of us toward her stocking and back until someone got it down for her. She would root around in it until she would find a squeaky toy -- her favorite -- and then she would go to town! Drove us crazy with all the squeaking but how could we ever deny her when she took so much pleasure in it? She could smell the kind of rubber they use for the toys. I can understand when you put treats or bones in a stocking but to know the kind of rubber that is used for dog toys? We would sometimes hide a new toy around the house with her outside, then let her in. She would immediately alert and then start sniffing her way to that toy! And HAPPY!!!! She would smile so big, it was cute as can be! My yorkies know their stockings are for them, but neither of them will touch a rubber toy. Must taste bad to them. They do love stuffed toys though -- or now the un-stuffed kind. I don't buy any with fiberfill anymore. They like the flat ones just as much as long s they squeak and no mess!
They enjoy but they don't put on quite as extreme of a show as our dachshund Katie did. But I should give them time. She got more excited each year so they may too.