Hello All, I have to make sure the doors are shut on all bedrooms and bathrooms OR Cooper slinks into the room and swipes whatever is on the floor: slipper, shoe, underwear!! He knows he is not supposed to because he sort of brings himself into my view with the stolen article and then flies off, comes back and flies off! I ask him to drop it....and he does.....but then he expects a treat because he dropped it. So.....am I rewarding the "drop" or the fact that he stole the article??? These labs are so darn smart, aren't they? Sometimes I have to chuckle to myself ....When he drops the article, should I just pick it up and ignore him or still give him the treat because he dropped it. I DID train him "drop it" and would give him a treat when he was a puppy but now he is almost 19 months. Thanks.
I don't think there is really a solution to this - the only way to stop them doing it, is to completely ignore them when they do. Which means leaving them to have whatever it is that they have. The problem with this is it might be dangerous, and/or most people actually want their stuff back... So the reward of "drop" or "give", plus the attention they get is more than sufficient to keep the behaviour going. My solution is that I do reward "give", sufficient enough to keep him giving me the stuff he nicks, and to clear up to reduce nicking opportunities. He has got better, and when he is well exercised and has had loads of training sessions, he is pretty good at settling in the house rather than pinching things. He still pinches a LOT of things though...
This has become a game for attention. You either have to play along or ignore it. You might be able to deflect the behaviour into something useful. We taught Holly to fetch our slippers when we come home. Perhaps you could reward Cooper when he brings a slipper but ignore everything else?
We have great gaves of "come and get me if you can" Homer will bring me something he's fount, usually a sock but could be ant item of clothing left out. Then we have a mad chance and the only place he'll release the object is infront of his treat box!
Molly still steals shoes at two years of age, though she'll give them up easily. At home it's not a problem as I just keep them out of her way but it was quite stressful when visiting my sister last week as she seems to have shoes everywhere and Molly was a demon for pinching them - and chewed one a bit too. My sister has 3 very well-behaved dogs who wouldn't dream of such behaviour! (Springer, cocker & LabX)
Glad we all sort of have the same problem.....I DO keep things out of his way but, sometimes, I forget to close the bedroom doors and voila.....in he goes.....I know he is expecting the treat and gives up the article quite easily but wish I didnt have to keep all doors closed!!
It's funny how people see things differently. When my cocker Murffi came to live with me after several failed homes he wouldn't pick up a thing. It was a long hard slog to teach him to retrieve. Whenever he brings me a shoe or slipper in the house now I am delighted and reward him with something nice.
Lilly often picks up items and brings them to me when I get home (oddly, just me, not Sophie or OH) usually a walking sock, sometimes a slipper. She will very often take a shoe from the back door and lie outside on the grass with it. Sometimes we notice. Sometimes we don't........ If asked to "fetch" she happily comes bounding in with it, getting treated sometimes. Unfortunately, if we don't spot it..........well, its not normally my shoes, they live in the bedroom
My two both do this but I dont mind as its just their Game. They grab a shoe and make sure I know they have it, fly round the flat, and then give it back for a lovely treat. Sounds daft but we all know its just a Game, and it is funny.....so its fine. Anything I dont want in the Game is kept out of reach!
Obi has started nicking the Bluetooth speaker out of the bathroom. It's hard not to reinforce this kind of thing as even taking the object is providing an attention reward. We just quietly take the object and go back to what we were doing. Theft sessions are usually a sign that we haven't kept Obi occupied enough that day (although yesterday he went to day care all day and still brought me my shoe in bed last night...).
Molly has recently become a terrible pincher. It is clear that it is a game as her tail is wagging and she frequently also does a play bow. She is also becoming destructive. This evening she purloined and shredded a booklet about a local museum. I was NOT amused. I try to ignore her when I can, but I want to discourage this before she rips up something vital.
I'm forever telling my hubby and my daughter to put shoes, socks, flip flops etc away just incase Harley decides to pinch them. She used to do it all the time, but has got better. U fortunately hubby left his flip flops on the floor when he went to work.....he now only has one whole one! My daughter left 2 pairs of shoes and several pairs of socks on the living room floor......she now only has 2 pairs of shoes (but they don't match ) and a few odd socks. I tell them they can't tell Harley off or blame them as its their fault
I have the same thing with Charlie who had several homes before us and is a very unenthusiastic retriever If Charlie brings me anything he gets heavily rewarded and I have trained him to retrieve my post and keys which is something I guess. Always using training opportunities. xx
I try and keep things out of the way but the odd time Bella sneaks a shoe or an article of clothing... she managed to nick a pair of pants and went and dropped them in the garden right near the guy who was putting up my shed when I went to see how he was doing and saw them I quickly snaffled them and we both carried on chatting normally Little monkey!!
That is so funny, CDM.....can imagine your shock when you saw it!!! I try to keep eveyrything away from Cooper but it is not easy to remember a paper napkin, or a cand wrapper, or a crumb!!! And he is so fast...but when he slinks out of the room and is very quiet, I know there is trouble brewing!! They sure keep us hopping.....
Ha Bella runs off fast .... I just caught her with a bread knife!!!!!!! Jeez!!!!!!! Luckily she dropped it on command phewy!!!! The pants thing was hideously embarrassing and worse cos it's my friends fella!!!! Oh well....
Milo loves running away with things. He has been known to steal a kitchen knife and chew the plastic handle! If my OH is gardening or doing diy he thinks it is a great game to run off with tools of any sort. At my mums he got a huge sweeping broom and was dragging that around her garden. She was not amused! While I was on holiday my son let him get into the downstairs loo and he managed to run off with the toilet brush and give that a good chew! Luckily he gives things back easily especially if given a treat.These labbies keep us on our toes!
