Why is Your Pampered Pup Still Anxious (And What Their DNA is Really Craving)

Being a dog in the 21st century has its perks: your little furry prince gets home-cooked meals, goes to the most expensive vet in town, gets cuddled constantly, and you wake up with his paw in your mouth every morning. He's probably got his own Instagram account (or his photos take up 70% of your phone's storage), and has a wardrobe that rivals yours.

No judgment here—we're guilty as charged. We all want the best for our babies, and they enjoy every bit of it. So much so that it's easy to forget they are dogs...and once we're past the basic needs like food, health, shelter, and safety, what humans need and what dogs need are drastically different.

Long before the first dog paw ever touched a couch, dogs were bred to perform specific tasks alongside their humans: tracking and hunting, retrieving, killing vermin around the farm, herding sheep, protecting property. It's only in the last century that humans as a society have moved away from living off the land in a farm setting and began living a much different kind of life.

Dogs have adapted to living with us, but the evolutionary memory (aka instinct) in their DNA hasn't had time to catch up to the rapid changes of modern life.

Recent research from Texas A&M reveals that 49.9% of dogs exhibit fear and anxiety behaviors—turns out all that pampering can't replace what their DNA is desperately craving: instinct-based activity.

Between our jam-packed schedules and toys that surrender faster than a white flag, the number of bored, under-stimulated dogs keeps rising.

In other words, your fur child might be living like royalty, but his ancient hunting instincts are alive and well, and they're screaming for something more than another basic stuffed toy that'll be gutted within the hour.

This is where Tearribles come in. Our toys let your little overlord experience the primal satisfaction of the hunt without turning your living room into a crime scene of stuffing and fabric scraps (and your bank account into a monthly subscription service for destroyed "dog toys"). Stop wasting money on children's toys masquerading as dog toys just because they have a squeaker in them, and get that little savage a toy built for the way dogs instinctively play.