Our Chocolate lab is just over a year old. How do I train him to leave things alone and only play with his toys? He pulls pillows off the couch and chews on them. He steals the kids toys and clothes, he pretty much takes anything he is not suppose to and plays with it. I try to keep the kids bedroom door closed, but sometimes we forget. I can't leave him for 10 mins alone without him getting something he is not suppose to have and chewing on it. He has a ton of toys, but it doesn't matter...he still goes after things that aren't his. When I catch him and tell him "not yours" and "drop" he does give them back, but I need to learn how to teach him to leave it alone in the first place. The poor guy is still sleeping in a crate at night because I can't trust that I won't wake up to a destroyed house. I want him to be able to sleep with the kids, but that is just impossible right now. So I guess my questions is: How do I train my dog to only play with his toys or objects we give him? On a side note, at what age can I hope to not have to crate him when I leave the house? I know labs are still puppies for 2-3 years...I'm just trying to look for the light at the end of the tunnel. Please help! Thank you!
Oh gosh! They are all different, and so difficult to say when they are "trustworthy" Could his behaviour be attention-seeking? Is he getting enough mental stimulation to tire him out? It sounds a little like behaviour you might expect if a puppy is tired or bored - both can be similar (I know he is not a "puppy" as such, but still a lot of maturing to do). What kind of things do you do during the day? I am wondering if some evening training, maybe clicker training, or hunt the treat, or some other "brain game" may tire him out a little and encourage crashing out. Lilly has loads of toys, but rarely play with them unless we initiate a game. If she does pick a toy up, she always brings it to one of us to interact with. She doesn't play on her own. Do you think some training sessions in the evening are worth a try?
Sometimes the best and easiest approach is just to keep 'taboo' items out of reach or shut away. I know that's not the solution you want but to be honest it's the one that involves the fewest headaches for all People with toddlers have to toddler proof the house and us doggie owners have to do the same kind of thing... Just part of life with a dog. Play games with your dog with his toys to make them more attractive. Store them in a designated doggie toy box so he knows he's allowed to get anything that's in the box.
I think most people fall into the trap of assuming their dogs will play with their toys alone. Most won't. So he's found out that, when he takes something else, he gets attention and gets given a job ("drop it"). So I'd try playing with him more with his "allowed" toys and ignoring him if he takes something he shouldn't. Anything that is precious or could cause harm should be put out of his reach. That way, he'll learn that his toys are fun but he gets no attention for taking other things.
Yes, the answer is simple - you need to dog proof your home so he can only get what he's allowed On the occasional time he gets something he shouldn't have, train a good 'leave it' and make sure you haven't, inadvertently made 'grab a cushion' into a game. Here is some excellent advice - http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-behaviour/#stealing ..
Thank you so much for the all of the replies. I probably am guilty of not giving him enough stimulation. How do I do a "hunt the treat" game? Also, what type of "brain games" are good for a 12 month old lab?
My guy is decrated both at night and during the day. He is 6 months old. I think they're all different. I just make sure anything that he could possibly try to steal/chew on is put away, but he's never chewed anything that wasn't his *knock on wood* aside from a remote once. Is he getting enough exercise and/or mental stimulation through out the day? We have just started giving Titan a sit/stay command in the kitchen and then my kids hide his dinner all through out the living room! He loves it and it makes him use his nose to find it all! Kong Wobblers are also a life saver. At least for us it was! I put half of his meal in it, and then add a few treats (usually some frozen corn or carrots, cause they're his favourite), keeps him busy for at least 10-15 minutes
I play hide the treat a lot. I get Harley to sit and wait (when I started my OH had to stop her from moving) then I go into the kitchen and hide treats in her bowl, tucked in corners etc. I also started doing it in the living room (again OH head her) whilst I put treats in easy places she could see then I say 'go find' and she finds them. As she's gotten older I now hide them in towels / under toys / in her snuffle mat etc
I really don't know why, but Cooper has pretty much out grown the steal stuff stage. We had a lot of problems up until about 12 to 14 months, but at 20 months, she (and Tilly) seem to know that the toys are theirs and our stuff is ours. My wife took things from Cooper and said "MINE! NOT YOURS!" and over time it seemed to work. We do have two dogs and a lot of toys, but I would rather step on an occasional bone or squeaky than pick up shredded pillows or tchotchkes. I'm sure Tilly did the same thing years ago, but it was long ago, and we have forgotten that battle.
