Why does my lab/retreiver always pick up things when anyone calls?

Question

My lab x retriever always picks up slippers, washing, in fact anything thats on the floor anytime we come home or someone calls. What can I do to stop her, I know she is a retreiver but this is getting beyond a joke !

Answer 1

It is instinctual behavior...You should encourage this behavior not want to train it away. This is the exact reason why people should research breed behavior before picking the breed of dog they want to get.

Answer 2

She is doing a natural instinct. In reality she is feeding her instinct for oral stimulation. I would think the most natural reason is because it is the puppy mouthing instinct. If she did not have something in her mouth would she try to tug at you and mouth you. In a wild pack of dogs the leader returns often with food and the puppies mouth to suck up to the pack leader. It shows your dog clearly understands she is not a dominant leader is submissing to you, which is a good thing and the way it should be. In domesticated dogs they never grow up, they remain in the puppy state all their lives. What you can do is do some obedience training with her, labs are very responsive and train well. So you could ensure that she sits in a certain place on your return and remains calm. By your acknowledging her and making a fuss on her return you are encouraging the behaviour of her to get excitable and anxious on your return or visitors coming into the house. This would be how you would stop the behaviour, by not rewarding it with a reaction from you. But it is nothing to worry about, many dogs display this behaviour especially in multi dog households and where they are the lower ranking dogs, also in non dominant breeds.

''During the oral stage, the infant’s primary source of interaction occurs through the mouth, so the rooting and sucking reflex is especially important. The mouth is vital for eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation through gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking. Because the infant is entirely dependent upon caretakers (who are responsible for feeding the child), the infant also develops a sense of trust and comfort through this oral stimulation.

The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process—the child must become less dependent upon caretakers. If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the individual would have issues with dependency or aggression.


OK the above is about child development, but there are similar principles that can apply to any mammal deveolpment. Dogs remain dependant on their owners so therefore the weaning process isn't an issue although this behaviour could in some cases lead onto over dependency if fixation occurs and as said, dogs don't develop much past the first stages as they remain 'puppy like' compared to wolves that develop further.

Answer 3

A lot of Lab owners suffer with this funny Lab talent.

I would teach your dog the command 'leave it' and 'drop it'. Something else you could try, since some Labs have such a passion for showing off their prizes...You could get your dog something that she CAN have, such as a ball, toy?, bone? or maybe even an old shoe if nothing else interests her.

If you teach her leave it, you could replace whatever item she wanted with something you don't mind her having. That way both of you are happy.

Whatever you do though, don't let it EVER turn into a game of "keep away" and if it does, do not chase your dog around trying to take away whatever they have. Because then it's just a whole different fun game!

The best thing to do if your dog likes to start playing 'keep away', I would actually start playing 'keep away' with your dog on your terms. So you begin the game, and YOU end it. That way if your dog does start this game, you can finish at it.

Answer 4

i think this is normal behavior for the breed, and it's actually cute if you think about it, she's bringing you a gift! what i would do, is try to make sure she always has some type of toy available to grab instead. keep her toys in the same places (a box near the door might make sense for when visitors arrive etc.) from now on, when she picks up something inappropriate don't just take it, instead, swap it for one of her toys. then praise her when she has the toy. when you give her the toy, say something like "get your toy!" hopefully she will get the idea that she should grab her toys when people arrive. if you add the command every time she should eventually run to her toy box and grab and toy when you say it. come home, and say "get your toy!", do the same when the door bell rings! just think of how much better that is than having her jump all over guests! good luck!

Answer 5

I have 2 labs and a cocker spaniel and they all do the same thing, anything on the floor gets picked up and brought to who ever comes in.

Its just in their nature to retrieve things and they seem to look on it as giving you a gift.

To be honest it is a very sweet trait and it isn't bad behaviour so we don't try to stop it.

However if it really annoys you, just ignore them trying to give it to you and get everyone else to do the same. If you don't make a fuss they will lose interest in it.

Answer 6

My golden lab is the exact same lol aren`t they cute .. Max brings me toys , slippers and clothes too , i just thought he was giving presents lol , he doesn`t do any damage to anything he just carries stuff around in his mouth .If anyone comes into the house they usually get a present too lol and he will pester you until you take it from him and make a fuss of him .. I love my dog so much he is a lovely boy ..

Answer 7

As others have said, keep some toys by the door and teach her to pick those up instead of your belongings. And, everyone in the household needs to become diligent about putting things away. She can't grab the slippers if they are in a closed closet.

Answer 8

It's the breed. Labs and goldens are retrievers. It's what they were bred to do - find retrieve and bring it back. My golden will sleep w/ stuff in her mouth. It tends to be a safety thing - like the kid w/ a blankie.

Teach your dog "drop and leave it". Talk to a local trainer on how to do these in your home.

Good Luck

Answer 9

This is two funny. I have two black labs, male and female. Both have to grab something and greet me with it in their mouth. They used to grab just about anything, I've learned to leave their toys laying around and they usually pick those up instead of my stuff.
Something I've been told to try, is to get clear dish washing liquid soap and put a little on some of your things, this is supposed to deter them from putting the item in their mouth.

Answer 10

The reason for this is she wants to play. One of my dogs does the same. And when the phone rings she probably thinks its the doorbell. You should get her some toys and play with her a lot. It's the cutest thing.. My dog useally ends up picking up socks.

Answer 11

Shes just greeting you and bringing a present to you. My retreiver does exactly the same. He brings you whatever he can find, looking so proud of himself, but never actually gives you what he brings!