Hi all. My 19 week old Honey can control her jumping reasonably well, because we ignore it and praise her when she is calm and sits. All very wonderful. For the past few days, however, she has: 1. Jumped onto my son's plate which was on his lap, whilst he was eating a sandwich and at the same time licked it clean! In less than a second flat all in one smooth move. 2. Jumped onto the chair where my other son was sitting, having a hot coffee, and it spilled all over him, so this is dangerous. 3. and tonight, as the final straw, she once again jumped into my son's plate, grabbed a chicken drumstick (!!) and tried to make off with it. She did not have the drumstick for long. I removed it by force and gave her such a telling off that she went straight into her crate. My children cannot really manage her behaviour as they all have ASD even though they are teenagers. She has not once jumped on me whilst I was eating. Once she was squatting to do that and I just pointed my finger at her and said 'no'! and she desisted. I really have no idea how to deal with this unacceptable thievery and I am quite frankly shocked. I have never ever encountered anything like this in my life! Each time this has happend she was not with us at the time but came running into the house from the outside (having managed to pry open the sliding glassdoors which were left open an inch). I worry that if I dont train her to sit with us while we are eating she will not get used to it and always behave in this appalling manner. I cannot trust her in the house for more than a few minutes as she wees whenever she feels like it. If she happens to be in the house, she just goes. She wees outside on command and has no infections. Its like she simply realises "I have got to go now" and just goes without even trying for the open door. So this is another problem but not as big as the robbery! Mostly I put her into n her crate when we have dinner but is this to continue? Any advice would be much appreciated, especially if you tell me your dogs did exactly the same and how you coped!
Doesn't sound like you're children are eating at a table if the plates are on their laps and it would be hard for a pup to get on someone's lap with a table in the way so I'd Start there, Alternatively you can train her to stay on her mat if she has one. If not, I'd recommend getting one. And a third option is to feed her at the same time you eat using a Kong Wobbler. On a side note, you shouldn't forcefully remove anything from her mouth. Teach a drop or leave. If you chase after and scream she'll just swallow whatever they have to keep it from you, plus it may lead to aggression and resource guarding. Also, I'd have to wonder if the kids haven't fed her from their laps before. It's not a good idea to allow this for obvious reasons. Going wee indoors is a whole seperste topic. I'm sure someone will help you with that.
Are the children sat at the table to eat? We always put our puppy in her crate at meal times - mostly because she couldn't be trusted around the older dog who has always lain down on the floor near us when we are eating. She very quickly learnt this is the thing to do at mealtimes and now either goes in there of her own accord and we can leave the door open or she will go and lay down on her mat - often she nods off to sleep until we have finished eating. Developing a routine is hard to start with but definitely the hard work pays off ultimately. I also try to not get cross about things - again this is hard but I have learnt being angry or reacting in a loud way doesn't achieve anything. Are you taking your puppy outside every 30 minutes or so for a wee? I would keep her in the house and give her regular opportunities to go outside for a wee/poo. Use the lead if necessary so she learns that it is her opportunity to go to the toilet. You will quickly be able to extend the time. Your children could help you here as they may like the routine and order this task requires - do a little chart if necessary so they can see what happens next and tick off each time she goes out. You might have accidents but it sounds like you are having them anyway so you have nothing to lose making this a part of your day. If she is outside and weeing whenever she likes it is going to be hard to train her indoors. Hope this is helpful .
At 19 weeks, your puppy is still very much a baby, so I think you're expecting too much from her. Most puppies aren't completely accident-free until they are six months old, so you still have a way to go. Keep taking her out regularly, watch her like a hawk for signs that she's going to go, clean up any accidents in the house with an enzymatic cleaner (like Simple Solution) and give her treats when she goes outside. She'll get there. It's not laziness, she just hasn't quite got the hang of it yet. Think of it in the same terms of when you were potty training your children. Even once they knew how to use the potty/toilet, they would still have accidents. It wasn't done to test you, it's just a part of normal development. Sometimes, the urge to wee is too strong to resist and the bladder hasn't strengthened sufficiently yet to do so. You'll get there, with patience. You've had good advice regarding the jumping for food. It's important she doesn't have the opportunity to do this. This is up to you to ensure, which means, at least for now, separating your puppy from your children at meal times. She is still very young and a dog's natural instinct is to take available food. It's not "stealing", it's a normal survival instinct. She has to learn not to act on that, and she will do, in time. But, for now, she has little impulse control, so you're asking too much of her by simply expecting her not to do it. And, every time she successfully takes food, she is learning that it works, which makes it more likely she will do it in the future. It's very important she doesn't get the opportunity to practice. So, if it's not possible for you to spend the time actively training her while your children are eating - meaning, sitting with her, and rewarding her with treats for staying on her bed, keeping four feet on the floor, ignoring the kids, or whatever your criteria are - then you absolutely have to use management techniques instead, meaning separating her from them by putting her in a crate, a pen, or another room, or by popping her on lead and holding that.
As far as removing the drumstick by force and giving her a big telling off, so she ran away from you and hid in her den, stop and think about that for a minute. What lesson do you think you have taught her? That taking food is wrong? Sadly, nope. All she has learnt is that, when she took available food - remember, to her this is instinctive and she can't rationalise it as being "wrong" - that you forced her prize away from her, shouted at her and scared her. You were, to her thinking, unpredictable, volatile and irrational. This approach will only have one outcome. The next time she finds herself with something amazing in her mouth - and there will be a next time - she will run away from you, because she knows that, if she gets close, you're going to take it away and then shout at her. So, first things first, manage the environment so she doesn't have the opportunity to take food from your children, counters etc. Secondly, train strong leave and "give" cues. I seem to have written endless posts about this recently, so I'm going to write a sticky soon. For now, have a look at this post I made on another thread: https://thelabradorforum.com/thread...g-bad-behavior-in-my-puppy.19908/#post-305535
I would have your children eat at the table for the time being. Labs do learn control around food by the time they are about twelve months old. Mollie (nine months) is getting there but we make sure the twins have all food and drink at the table, as we do. When the pups are tiny we pop them in their crate with a Kong at meal times. Mollie needed this longer than the others as she very foody! She settled under the table at meal times by five months, occasionally needing the lead on. Food is kept well away so that there are no opportunities for them to get any. Mollie has been a counter surfer since she has been tall enough but never, once, found any food (an exercise in vigilance!). She now still does it, but very rarely indeed. The behaviour didn't get rewarded so she stopped doing it. We never 'tell her off' as this means nothing to dogs and can cause them to run away at exactly the time you want them to run towards you. We never give them food when we are eating - so humans eating means nothing to them. All my pups learned this very quickly and neither Tatze nor Mollie even glance up when we are eating. But you have to be totally consistent about it.
Thank you this is very helpful and non judgemental. Actually we never ever give our dogs (we have a staffy too) food whilst we are eating or treats from our plates. We normally have Honey in her crate with a kong or a rawhide when we are eating, it just happened to be that on those few occassions she was outside and managed to come inside like a whirlwind! I will consistently keep her in the crate at mealtimes from now n. As for eating at the table, for various personal reasons this is not possible, but I think I was just so shocked at her behaviour! I also never leave stuff on the counter. Chicken seems to be her thing though! She does let go on command for instance if she has a shoe in her mouth I make her sit and tell her: let go and she does. I have never ever forced anything from her (except the chicken) and played games of fetch with her since she was little where I let her come to me and let go. I also never chase her. There is a difference between chicken and a toy though I do not think for a moment she will let go if she has food in her mouth but I may be wrong. She also sits and waits for her food. I put it in front of her and she only starts eating on my cue. When she is a bit older I think I will do the lead whilst we eat.
