How can you Stop a Puppy from Stealing and Chewing Your Stuff?

1. 84

   Linda Blissposted 12 years ago

   How can you Stop a Puppy from Stealing and Chewing Your Stuff?
   
   Our dog likes stealing our stuff and chew it.
   
   So far he's been through two pairs of glasses, three library books, countless toilet rolls  and lots and lots of other things that he finds on my desk or on the counter tops in the kitchen. He gets plenty of exercise, we play brain games with him regularly and he is not home alone for any long periods of time.
   
   If he were a human, as I think he'd be a shoplifter - he seems to enjoy the thrill of stealing )
   
   Any advice?
   
   

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2. STAFF

   Fawntiaposted 12 years ago

   When our dog was in puppy kindergarten, the trainer taught us a "three strikes and you're out" rule. The way it works is that when you catch your puppy doing something he shouldn't, you say "ah ah!" and pick him up and away from what he was doing. Then you can let him down after several seconds. If he goes back to doing the bad behavior, you repeat the same "ah ah!" thing. If he does the bad behavior three times in a row, then you should give him a "time out" by putting him into a room by himself where he can't get into trouble (such as the bathroom) and leave him there for maybe five minutes. Make sure you move anything he might chew on in the bathroom so that it's out of reach.
   
   Hopefully, over time, the dog will understand what "ah ah" means and learn to stop doing the behavior.
   
   For chewing on things like furniture, you can use bitter apple spray to discourage the chewing. But I'm not sure what to do about smaller, portable items like glasses!

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3. 41

   NetBlotsposted 12 years ago

   Dog's don't reason, they learn from conditioning from said event/s. If something hurts them, they stay away from it. Example, If they are jumping on a fence and get a splinter, and that causes them great amounts of pain they don't ever jump on the fence again.
   
   Now, I'm not saying, go hurt your dogs, (Not just because thats wrong, but!) They will be scared of yo, not what you are telling them off for.
   
   Try sour apple spray and leave some of your puppies favorite items (Aka your things) around the house for her to find, attempt to chew, and think, "YICK!!"

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4. 60

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   My last lab ate numerous remotes, two pair of my glasses and lots of things I can't even remember.
   
   The only way to stop it is to keep everything up and out of reach and they will outgrow it.  If you punish them, they aren't going to understand what they did wrong.

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5. 61

   Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

   You need to keep your puppy under constant supervision - he is a baby. Generally the way you correct this behavior is by redirecting by giving your puppy suitable chew toys - and by that I mean, Nylabones or real white bones, e.g. as produced by Red Barn - not plush toys or rubber toys. I do not recommend rawhides due to the bowel obstruction hazard as well as the chemicals used in processing. When you can't directly supervise your puppy, contain him in an exercise pen, as you would a baby in a playpen. You also need to manage your environment - puppy -proof your home as you would child-proof your home if you had a human toddler.

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6. 69

   Larry Fieldsposted 12 years ago

   I second the advice made by Dubuquedogtrainer about Nylabones. I'd also suggest spitting on the Nylabone, and then rubbing it in thoroughly. Two 'coats' per day should be sufficient. Huh?
   
   Yes, part of the dog's attraction to your stuff is the fact that it's your stuff; it has your scent mark on it. Your strong scent (from the dog's perspective) on the Nylabone should enhance the value that your dog puts on that chew toy, relative to other common household objects. The Nylabone may even be competitive with the remote control. :-)

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7. 95

   alexadryposted 12 years ago

   Is your dog stealing items, running away with them to only destroy them? Learn effective strategies to reduce this behavior by offering alternate behaviors. read more

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