[aigel]

Not an untypical behavior. In WW1 dogs were trained to find the wounded, take part of their clothing and come back and lead the rescue team back to them. They were not allowed to bark, understandably, not to attract any attention.

This training has been brought into hunting where the dog finds a shot and lost animal, comes back and leads you back to it. Since there isn't anything to bring back, the dog gets a small dummy around their neck which they put in their mouth once they find the game. It is called Bringselverweisen and much more efficient than walking behind a dog with a long leash tracking the animal. Dogs are amazing ...

George