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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Gorgeous daughter (3.3) constantly pretending to be a dog. Normal and funny or plain odd (but still a bit funny)?

35 replies

claudiaschiffer · 12/09/2008 00:33

Have got a lovely dd who constantly pretends to be "Stevie the dog". We have a beagle who is called Steve and dd (aged 3.3) has pretty much spent the last few months pretending to be the dog. Yesterday I was at the doctors and dd spent most of her time there barking at the doc, the receptionist, other patients . She asks to drink from the dogs bowl and wants to walk around on the lead. I made her a tail to wear but now wonder if i'm just encouraging her increasingly nutty behaviour.

It is charming most of the time and very funny but I am unsure whether to play along with it or quietly ignore it/play it down.

Anyone else with children who have gone through this phase?

Am worried that people will start to think we just keep her in a kennel and throw her a bone now and again .

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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S1ur · 12/09/2008 00:35

I think I have read other mners with animals for children so I suspect within normal range

foxytocin · 12/09/2008 00:37

DD (3.4yo) doesn't have a dog or a mouse but alternates between pretending to be one of them.

So sometimes she is crawling around and i say 'hello doggie!' and she answers 'squeak!'

instead of conversation, i also get a lot of panting with tongue out.

I don't have any other ideas tho.

MrsJohnCusack · 12/09/2008 00:37

DD is 3.10 and has just been through this phase - being apuppy dog, very similar to what you describe. Seems to be mostly over now. Totally normal I'd say, play along with it.

there was a trhead recently about this with children pretending to be all sorts of animals

StellaDallas · 12/09/2008 00:38

Both my younger two have been like this. DD2 was still doing it when she was six. I think it is lovely and tbh I was more worried about DD1 who never engaged in this sort of imaginative play at all.

Original poster

claudiaschiffer · 12/09/2008 00:41

hahaha foxy, dd also does a lot of panting with tongue out.

So relieved MrsJC that dd is in the normal range of wierdness for 3 yr olds.

OP posts:

Whoopee · 15/09/2008 15:38

I did this. I was Harry the Dog when I was three. My mother over-reacted and brought in a child psychiatrist, who decided it was semi-autistic behaviour. For the rest of my childhood I was reminded of it and of what they said and it hung over my head, making me wonder if I were insane or not. Please don't over-react: she's just having fun!

Surfermum · 15/09/2008 15:40

DD is just going through this phase. If I tell her "surfergirl talk normally, you aren't a dog" she whimpers like a dog that's been left home alone .

It'll pass (I hope).

PinkTulips · 15/09/2008 15:47

at least you know from one minute to the next what animal she is.... both mine do this but as soon as i've gotton accustamed to them being a dog they switch to cat, humpback whale, dinosaur, tiger, ladybug, you name it they've been it.

it gets a little trying in the middle of the supermarket wheeling a cat and a humpback whale in full cry around in the trolly.

this too will pass

Cammelia · 15/09/2008 15:50

Mine was a cat and a horse when she was little, she also had an imaginary dog

cmotdibbler · 15/09/2008 15:52

My DS (2.3) spent a lot of Friday being a pterodactyl. The rest of the weekend he was mostly a member of a motorcycle display team. I got tired of having to 'jump through fire' with him.

geminigirl · 15/09/2008 15:55

LOL!!! This reminds me of my niece who was snowy the dog when she was about 3...she tied her hair in two ponytails and let on that they were ears and hung a belt out of the back of her trousers for a tail!

It was grear crack altogether until we were all out for a family dinner and she went round everyone at the table sitting up and begging for grub!

ChopsTheDuck · 15/09/2008 15:58

dd did this. Drove me nuts because she would constantly go round on all fours and ruin her trousers and shoes. THen I would find her trying to pesuade her brother to tie 'leads' round her neck.
dt2 is now doing it, but not quite so extreme. It will pass.

MissusAD · 15/09/2008 18:36

I met a woman in a restaurant once whose 8 year old DD spent the entire lunch under the table, eating off her plate on the floor. They were from California but I doubt that makes any difference. Everyone seemed cool about it and I just took it to be a game she quite enjoyed playing.

Your DD's game will probably pass into another thing soon.

makemineaginandtonic · 15/09/2008 18:43

This thread has cheered me up no end; very funny! Thanks everyone!

RubyRioja · 15/09/2008 18:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Podrick · 15/09/2008 18:56

Play along!
My friend's dd was still doing this at 4

platypussy · 15/09/2008 19:03

DD was once a tiger for two weeks and made only tiger noises at people.

norkmaiden · 15/09/2008 19:06

mine is 3.6 and (what seems like) constantly a car complete with loud revving noises etc. It alternates between funny/cute/v irritating imo.

ProfessorGrammaticus · 15/09/2008 19:09

DS2 was a dog for a while. I had to put his food on the floor under the table (but at least he used his cutlery to eat it while he was down there!!) It passed. He's 7 now and has no visible canine characteristics (or other obsessions, unless you count Pokemon.)

Elk · 15/09/2008 19:27

Last week at Tesco's dd1 (5) was being a horse and dd2 (2) was a dog all the way round. I got a few funny looks, but not as many as when they find an empty shelf and sit on it saying 'buy me mummy, I'm for sale'.

When they are being dogs I don't let them on the furniture as animals don't belong on beds/sofas etc.

tigi · 15/09/2008 21:35

ds was a cat for two years! used to miaow and wash himself and drink from a bowl. When he had a tantrum (often) the only way i could bring him round was to miaow to him! he is 6now, so probably aged 3 -5!

AnarchyAunt · 15/09/2008 21:42

DD (5.6) is variously a snow leopard, pussycat, dog-called-tinkerbell, pony, bird, and most bizarrely a 'secret unicorn' - when in this mode I am not supposed to look at her as she is invisible

I wouldn't worry.

IWishIWasMaryPoppins · 15/09/2008 22:16

DD2 is 6 and is still a meowing crawling-on-all-fours cat, or a fairy complete with it's own language AND parallel world. She can also be a spy, a snow queen, a princess with a unicorn and also has invisible tendencies!

Oh and she has an imaginary pet mouse - although, lately, he's not been around so much...

I don't think there is anything to be worried about (I hope! ) she does very well at school and has lots of friends (I can't think of any other markers). She is perhaps a tad on the 'wacky' side, but completely adorable.

BarcodeZebra · 15/09/2008 22:19

Give her some Chappie to eat. Instant cure.

Original poster

claudiaschiffer · 16/09/2008 00:04

hahahaha how funny this is.

Thanks girls, I'm feeling reassured about dd's behaviour. Today she has barked down the phone at her granddad and insisted on wearing her welly boots on her "front paws mummy".

I will rest assured that this is all perfectly normal.

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