How do i stop my lurcher stealing food, even stuff thats cooking!!!?

Answer 1

Good luck with this one!

we always had greyhounds as kids and all of them were really bad thieves.

people used to think that we just didn't train them but they were fully trained in every other area, even down to living with cats and rabbits, but the stealing thing was too hard to crack..

i think the reason is that they have no shame, one of ours actully jumped up on my dads lap and nicked his chicken from the plate one time when we forgot to lock them out of the dining room.

i think its just going to be a case of adjusting the way you do things, we used adapted baby gates, but you can actually buy high dog gates now and we just shut them out when we were cooking or eating and made sure there was nothing for them to steal.

they are naughty! i think if you have one that steals it will always do it. just minimise the times it happens by using tacktical skills!

Answer 2

Firstly - to all the idiots a lurcher is a large breed of dog.

Ok, onto the question - firstly keep the dog out of the kitchen, it will get burnt by your cooker.
Now to start to train your dog.

Firstly get some food on a plate and leave it in a room. Start to walk away and when you see your dog go towards it, make a loud noise and say in a firm voice "bad dog" or something along those lines. [For a noise a bottle with stones in works well]
Then when the dog is sat back down walk away again and repeat the process. The dog will soon learn that stealing food is bad.
When you can walk away from the plate and not have him/her try to steal your food then come back and in a light praising tone and give him a doggy treat.[The main key is your tone of voice - show him who is the top dog in the ranking]

Answer 3

Persistence and training it. Keeping it out of the kitchen when you're cooking would be a good start. You could let it in for short periods (if you really must) with a muzzle so it's more difficult for it to eat, with my pooch it also works as a pacifyer (the muzzle), or keep it on a lead out of reach of the food and praise it for it's patience and good behaviour, reward it's patience with a DOG treat and get it off the taste of human food - it's not good for da mutt. You gotta be strict, use firm voice and praise when it starts to do what you want it to do, ie NOT steal the food. Have you tried distraction techniques - get someone to play with it while you're all in the place you prepare the food so it isn't so concentrated on the food? Or a favourite toy or dog treat that the dog takes time to eat - chewy hide sticks? Actually I don't like animals in the kitchen, my dog is allowed to watch me but from the doorway, it's simply unhygienic and dangerous, the dog could get under your feet and cause a nasty accident!!

Answer 4

Im sorry, but surely the fact that this question is under 'dogs' should give these people a hint that a lurcher is a dog!! I would try putting something a bit spicy on the counter, and that might put him off. Apart from that I have no ideas, my spaniel does exactly the same, i just give her a light tap on the nose.

Answer 5

Never!
I tried for ten years with mine, I had to resort to evasive tactics....
Bricks on bin lids, bins inside latched cupboards and pots on the very back of the stove....
I could'nt get it through to the silly sod that the horrible vomiting was a direct result sometimes!!!
One thing I did also was take that spiky bone out of the chicken legs before going into the bin, and then after a while of of it I fed her the carcass chopped up - she was going to get it anyway so better it was made as safe as possible.
It became a habit in the end so I think she trained me.
She came from a large family and many of my friends had her relatives and they were all the same.

If you manage it well done!

Answer 6

First, make sure your dog is wormed.A dog with worms gets frantic about feeding itself as the worms take most of the nutrition.
Then you must make sure your dog knows that YOU are pack leader; as you are above him in the pack, your food is no-go. Do this by eating in front of him before you feed him; showing him food then taking it away and eating it yourself; growling at him if he approaches or stares at you while you are eating; a sharp 'no!' may do, but I have found growling more effective!
Also, it would help for your dog to have a definite mealtime, or times, after your own mealtime(s)- food should only be available at these times.

Answer 7

Lurchers are terrible thieves anyway, but have you wormed him recently?? hats the usual reason for an exaggerated appetite.

Answer 8

If the dog is getting stuff off the stove while it is cooking, he may end up seriously burned. Keep the dog outside or crated or in another room while you are cooking, eating, etc.

Answer 9

We tend to think of dog training as a series of steps for teaching particular behaviors. To teach a dog to stay in a particular position, you reward her as she remains in place for gradually longer times, at gradually greater distances, with gradually increasing degrees of distraction. Read more https://tr.im/05juU

Now, this is fine, training does involve teaching dogs specific behaviors with a step-by-step approach. This week, though, I’m going to discuss three mental habits that will not only enable you train more effectively but also make life pleasant for both you and your dog.

Answer 10

Silly answers here. Is he a rescue? They often scavange because it's perhaps the only way they have been able to eat. Keep him out of the kitchen as much as you can because he is going to end up hurting himself.