Dog brings you a 'prize' - why?

I'm sure other people will have other ideas, but when mine bring prizes they generally want to play or otherwise receive attention. You should teach him the "drop it" command just in case he picks a prize you don't want him to have.
 
He's one lucky dog to have survived his dumpster days and been given a great home. Enjoy him.

[sm=proud.gif]He's presenting you with a gift of respect like the younger wolfs do for the alpha. Alpha's always eat first and it shows respect. He is telling you he loves you

Well for me it seems that he likes to play tug of war, if you play with him before maybe that his favorite game now and wants you to play with him again, i am 90% sure that is what is going on

ORIGINAL: espencer

Well for me it seems that he likes to play tug of war, if you play with him before maybe that his favorite game now and wants you to play with him again, i am 90% sure that is what is going on

Well yeah if he brings you a rope! I was under the imppression the OP meant dead animals but its early, I coulda read it wrong

Ok yea, I'm getting posts mixed up sorry

I'm not sure why, either.  My dog does that.  He'll bring you a dog toy or anything that's on the floor and fits in his mouth.  He doesn't let go either.  Well he does, but only after awhile.

Max does this with his squeaky toys.  He loves to have me throw them in the living room for him, but I just figured he was a little dense in that he doesn't seem to get the connection between him letting go of it and me being able to throw it. []
 
Joyce

I agree with the tug-o-war theory.  Next time your dog does this, give a little tug and see what happens.  lol  btw - my dog does not need a rope toy to instigate a game of tug - he will do it with ANY toy, even a tennis ball.  It is by and far his FAVORITE game and he almost never gets to play it because DH is the only strong enough to play!

he might be trying to initiate a "chase" game-- the dog struts around showing off his "prize" in hopes the other dogs will happily chase him. Or he may have learned that you pay attention (reward) him when he brings you toys.

I think he is trying to engage you in a game.
 
One of mine does that, he will come up close enough, and most of the time he will turn a away like he is running away, but only a few steps.  I know he wants me to chase him. It's all a game, I have noticed he does the same with the other dogs.

Thanks for all the posts. This is DEFINITELY not a 'catch' game, he won't let go of the toy, no matter how hard you try; he clearly is resisting you taking the toy from him.  Some further info, maybe this will help: (1) Does this only when someone comes home, or when you lie down; not a random act; (2) will get right up to within an inch (literally) of your face with toy; (3) sometimes (not always) will paw your mouth while doing it.  I've tried taking the toy from him with my teeth (yuk, but he's my dog, so I tried it...), he won't let go, so I don't think he's trying to give it to me. (4) here's a strange one - when he does this to my wife or daughter, sometimes he will be making this whining sound, he NEVER does that with me.  Is this a male/female thing? Does this have anything to do with what he is trying to communicate, or is this a subsidiary behavior?
 
Caesar is such a lovable dog (he's the bigger one, on the left, if the photo got through...), and as a rescue dog his past has been so marred, that we're desperately trying to know what he's trying to communicate with us, so that we can love him back in whatever way he's looking for.

I think he's telling you your place.  "Look what I've got, aren't I great.  No you cant have it it's Mine.  You can't take it off me.  Look what I've got".  He's soliciting attention, he's retaining the prize and he's proving that you "can't" take it off him - these could all be constued as ways of displaying that he's the Daddy.  It doesn't sound like a bad behaviour per se, but if it's not far off the mark then how you react to it will speak volumes to him about his place and yours. 

When I was a kid, we had a little terrier-mix dog.  We always took our shoes off when we came in the house, and since there was a pile of them by the door, she would present a shoe to anyone who came home.  She didn't let go of the shoe for a long time, but would eventually.
She only did it when she was excited and happy.  She could hear my Dad's car 5 minutes before he arrived, and she'd be standing by the door, shoe in mouth.