[vnechodomu]

So any time I'm sitting quietly working, and Koda wakes up from a nap, she gets up, goes to another room, and returns with any recently used item of mine. A bottle of lotion, a sock, a glove, a hat, a slipper, etc. She never chews on it, she simply brings it to me. She comes into the room and stands in front of me till I see her, her tail wagging the whole time. Generally, I respond with the command 'let go' and she does. She's never destroyed anything in this manner, and she's never turned it into an obnoxious attention-getting chase the dog game.

I'm very interested in dog instincts and dog psychology, so I'm wondering what is inspiring this behavior. Usually, afterward, she comes and curls up right next to me, or she sits facing me, shifting her weight back and forth, staring at me for 10 minutes. I'm not sure what she wants! It doesn't seem to go along with meal times or needing to go outside, or even playful outbursts. It's not exactly a problem, it's just got me super curious. Ideas?

[Curbside Prophet]

It's probably a learned behavior, a behavior that's been reinforced by you. The first time she did this she probably received lots of attention from you, which she loved, so now does this behavior for the attention. That's how smart dogs learn. They keep trying things until they find a behavior that works.

[RonE]

Some labs do retrieve stuff other than ducks.

My sisters lab mix gathers items from all over the neighborhood. They will find strange shoes, lawn ornaments, tools and misc trash on their porch that Sunny has brought home.

[poopsiem]

It is most definitely a lab thing. Most labs that I've known are happiest when they have something in their mouths, most often one of our most prized possessions. My Mac (may he rest in peace) could not be walked until he picked up a shoe, a treat, a magazine to take with him. He was crate trained but eventually I left the door open when I left the house. When I returned from work, I'd find an assortment of household goods in the crate with him. Once, I found a TV guide, my husband's glasses and the TV remote. No kidding. What you are experiencing is typical lab behavior. Enjoy!

[JenTN]

My lab mix "retrieves" all sorts of our stuff. I tell him to "drop it" (he's still a pup, so I remove it from his mouth" and immediately replace it with an acceptable iterm of his (stuffie, chew toy, but never a treat).