How can I stop my dog from grabbing things he's not supposed to?

Question

We have a 6 month old chocolate lab named Jackson, and he's so adorable, but hes a little wild man. The problem is he ALWAYS grabs stuff and chew it up. He even chewed up this really expensive figurine my mom got from her brother when he when to Italy.

My moms a half a second away from selling him, but I really don't want her to. Is there anyway I can make him stop grabbing things he's not supposed to?

Answer 1

yes. it's called the "leave it" command.

i have a choc lab, myself, and he does really well with this command...BUT you have to keep it up or he'll forget.

put him on his leash and walk him around the house. keep a close grip on his leash as you walk him and anytime he starts to sniff out of grab for something he shouldn't, just give a few quick jerks on his leash and say "leave it" keep jerking his leash and saying "leave it" until he stops going for it.
when he stops going for that item, then pet him and say "good boy, jackson". "good leave it"
of course, your tone of voice with the "leave it" should be stern and firm. don't yell at him, but make it clear that you MEAN him to "leave it."
then, you can use a soft and happy voice for your praise "good boy, jackson. good leave it." as you pet him.

do this a few times a week and he'll learn where his boundaries are.

also, make sure he has PLENTY of his own toys to chew on...some recommendations that my boy likes:
-go to the super market and look for some "soup bones". they are inexpensive and he'll love them. i buy 2-3 packs at a time (only $2/pack at publix) and freeze them. then, i stick one in a pot of water to boil for a few minutes to thaw it out before i give it to my boy.
-plenty of stuffed toys that squeak. sawyer, my dog likes to shred them and get the squeaker out.
-rope toys. sawyer chews them and we use them to play fetch.

the more things he has to play with the less he'll mess with your stuff.

also, make sure to keep things like shoes, etc in closets so he isn't tempted.
hope this helps!

EDIT:
the spraying water probably won't work for him since he's a water dog. he'll probably think that's a new game and lick at the bottle!

if you are really serious about keeping your dog, then ask your mom if you and jackson and HER can take a puppy class at petsmart. we took sawyer and it was the best money we EVER spent. it was lots of fun and the trainers were REALLY helpful.

Answer 2

Remember your lab is still a puppy! Be sure that he is supervised at ALL times when not in a safe enclosed area where he cannot get to the many tempting things around him.
You should immediately start to teach him a 'leave it' command. When you say 'leave it' (firmly) he should leave the item he was interested in alone. This is serve you well throughout his life, including on walks when he wants to sniff something he shouldn't, shows interest in something unsafe, etc.. When he looks or moves away from the undesirable item, give him lots of praise, and perhaps a treat. If he wants to chew on something he shouldn't, offer him one of his toys instead, and praise him when he chews on an approved chew toy. You may also want to learn about clicker training, which is a great positive training tool. Also, this is a good time to enroll in a training class with your puppy. Your trainer should be a good resource to help you as you and your puppy learn together. Good luck. Remember: Be positive, patient, and consistent.

Answer 3

My 2 year old yellow Lab was the same way. He was the biggest troublemaker. He did this for many reasons. In the beginning he did it because he did not know it was wrong, when he learned it was worng he still did it for attention. Best advice I can tell you is first make sure you are training him, setting the boundaries and rules out clearly. Make sure he has all his basic obedience down. Second Labs are high energy and needs tons of exercise. The more they get the better they get. Wether it is swimming, fetching or just walking the more you drain his excess of energy the less energy he will have to do damage and get into trouble. Labs also love to chew, all dogs do but Labs especially. Make sure he has plenty of things he can chew on. Wether it is toys, the Nyla bones are great or tendons and other chews. For my Labs safety and for my belongings safety he is either crated or in a dog proofed room when I am not home. He actually now prefers to be crated when I leave. When you are home keep an eye on him and when he grabs something he is not supppose to correct him right there and then and give him something appropriate to do. But really execise, exercise is the best thing you can do to calm your dog down and have a better and happier dog. Without it and plenty of it you will keep on having problems.

Answer 4

Labs in general I have found are HUGE chewers! They love to chew on everything, shoes, fingers, everything they can get their mouth on. At this early of an age you should really be showing him his OWN toys and teaching him the "leave it" command, and showing him where his own fun stuff is. I can't recommend the Kong toys enough. Try and keep the toys you buy for him NOT looking like stuff you have in the house (don't buy a stuffed toy that may look like your favourite bar, etc) or he might be confused, and remember he is still a puppy. Training doesn't happen in two hours, it takes time and effort.

Answer 5

I guess the simplest answer is to seperate the dog and things he is definately not allowed to get to. However sometimes that is just not possible, so have you given him toys of his own that he is allowed to demolish? His own slipper, some hard beef hide chew toys, tennis balls, rubber toys etc. Labs are extremely playful and intellegent and need to be kept active in play. When you catch him with something he's not supposed to have, say a sharp "no" or "leave" in a gruff voice, take it from him quickly (do not make a game of it) and give him something that he can chew. Make a fun game of this instead. Throw it for him, play a gentle tug of war with it (allowing him to win) and generally making a fuss of him with his own toys. You will need to do this every time you catch him with something he shouldn't have, and if he has been doing this since he was litle it could take some time for him to re-learn his playtime. Believe me, he will learn if you make it fun.

Answer 6

You can train him to be more obedient by using postive reinforcement. If he chews on something he isn't allowed to chew on, simply say No in a firm voice, remove it from his mouth & replace it with something he is allowed to chew on. Then praise praise praise praise praise. And do it all over again-this process could take several weeks, but it is going to work over time.

Don't blame the dog by giving him away for not knowing something you haven't taught him.

Answer 7

Most pet stores sell an item called bitter spray. You just spray it on things your noticing he is chewing up, and they will taste this sour bitter spray and will stop chewing on these things. Note that this isn't a long term option, you still have to do training and positive reinforcement.

Answer 8

Get an empty and clean squirt bottle and when he does something he shouldn't be doing you can spray water in his face. He won't like this and it will deter the behavior.

In the same respect, put marbles in a coffee container and when he does something wrong you can shake the container. The loud noise will let him know he needs to stop what he is doing.

Answer 9

My friend has the same problem with her one year old yellow lab. I think that most dogs do out grow it and it is a normal thing that puppies do. One thing you can do is make sure that he knows that no means no!

Answer 10

I think i will get even with all those dog people who every time someone asks a cat question they say "WHY A CAT? GET A DOG!"

so i will say "WHY A DOG? GET A CAT, THEY CAN'T GRAB ****!"

Dogs are dumb. Scold +ignore for 10 minutes. Then reward when he doesn't f**** up.