Golden Retriever Gets His Own Puppy And His Mixed Reaction Is Comedy Gold
It's hard to imagine anything more joyfully exuberant than an excited golden retriever. In a funny TikTok video that's been watched more than 74.4 million times and accumulated over 13 million likes, a golden retriever named Cody receives the gift of a golden retriever puppy named Cooper. Text overlaid on the video reads, "got our dog a dog," and the video is captioned, "Christmas came early for Cody... jury is still out if he likes his present 😂🎁."
@codythegoldenboy Christmas came early for Cody... jury is still out if he likes his present 😂🎁 #fyp #puppy #christmas #goldenretriever
Cody is so amped up (and perhaps slightly confused) that his fluffy tail never stops wagging. He runs around excitedly and picks up a stuffed golden retriever toy in his mouth, which he brings over to his owner and Cooper. This moment in particular gave viewers all the feels. "Omg, when he shared his toys 🥹😩," one netizen wrote. Another imagined Cody's thoughts: "This is my favorite toy, I don't let nobody play with him, you can play with him 😭." One person pointed out, "Cody was made to be a big brother 🥺🥺." In amongst all the teary-eyed emojis and praise for Cody's adorable antics, several people wrote variations of "he couldn't contain his big feelings," and one shared that Cody's behavior was something called displacement behavior.
What is displacement behavior?
When common canine actions such as yawning, scratching, grooming, licking the lips, and turning the head occur out of context, the dog may be showing displacement behavior. This often happens when the animal is experiencing big or conflicting emotions. Many dog parents report that retrieving a beloved toy can also be a displacement behavior. "I love when my golden has big feelings so she has to stuff 4 stuffies in her mouth," one netizen shared, while another commented, "As soon as I saw a golden I was like... where is his stuffie so he can put all his big feelings in it? And the[n] he grabbed one 😭."
Displacement behavior can be one of the signs your dog is stressed, frightened, anxious, or overwhelmed, but this behavior can also indicate a dog is excited, such as when an owner arrives home from vacation — or a golden retriever is given his very own puppy. One viewer wrote, "All I want in life is a golden retriever so I can get them a golden retriever. 🥺"
Want to watch more videos about delightfully goofy goldens? Check out this golden retriever happily playing in the yard by himself, and this golden retriever puppy joining his big brother for morning "wake-ups."