How Can I stop my Dog Stealing food?

Question

I try very very hard not to leave food anywhere my dog can get to it, however with 2 small children and a hectic lifestyle this sometimes slips, like this morning, hubby was eating toast, the door knocked, he put his toast up high on our shelf and the dog still managed to jump up and steal a slice, he stole my cooked chicken which was wrapped up and at the back of my worktop.... this is a new thing he has started to do and I want to stop it now without having to hide Everything forever...Any Suggestions (apart from feeding him more as this will not solve it, just make him overweight)

He is 5 months old, has never been given any of our food for this very reason, he is always last to eat in our pack and is very well trained apart from this, when I said life was hectic I didnt mean 'neglect' hectic I mean getting kids ready, housework ct sometimes a peice of food might not be put far enough away ect.

Thanks, my dog has been 'wormed' can he still catch worms?

Answer 1

I know the whole hectic toddler life. One of my fears was my 60 pound dog taking food from my toddler! One thing I promote...When we have food my dog has to lay down. If she really makes me mad (not staying in the down) she has to leave the room. But if stays down she is welcome to stay in the room with us. We can leave food on the coffee table without a problem.

Answer 2

Well you are defin right, feeding him more will not solve the problem. It is possible he is not getting enough nutrician in the food he is eating. You might try giving him some dog vitamins, I am using Trader Joes brand and they seem to do a good job. At least my dog looks healthy, lol. And they are reasonably priced. Also there could be physical problems with digestion, even worms. And yes dogs get worms, they pic up a piece of something and eat it, they dont ask if it got there from another animal or ?? Or if they ever had a flea on them, fleas are a part of the worm life cycle. Your vet can tell you if your dog has worms. Worms sound gross but they are just part of life like fleas. And last but not least... some trainig. I have used two methods that seem successful and painless. First get an empty plastic drink bottle with cap. Put some small gravel (rocks) in the bottom. Not a lot just 1 inch or so. And a squirt bottle, best a new one from the dollar store as used chemical spray bottles may still have some chemical. Fill the squirt bottle with water, one with both spray and stream works best. And a few kibble in a dish next to your other weapons. then... yep... sit a piece of any food, maybe start with less attractive food, on the edge of the counter. Tell your dog.. sit stay and you sit with both of your weapons. When the dog first moves to the food... say NO, sit stay. if he stays for a few seconds, reward with one small kibble, if he moves again, shake the plastic bottle saying NO at the same time. try that a couple of times, Then if he keeps moving spray him saying NO, after several trials you will get some success, so reward that behavior with a kibble from your stash. NEVER give him the training food from the counter. Try this everyday for a while and get everyone in the family to do the same thing. If you even see him sniffing at the counters or tables or anywhere you eat, say NO and shake the bootle or spray him.. I think if you are consistant, he will change to rewarded behavior. And NEVER feed your dog from your plate. always feed them in their dish. even if you feed those table scraps that are really bad for them. lol. If all of this doesnt work. Hire a professional dog trainer. And some classes on obedience can only help. Everyone loves a well behaved dog. Have a great day and enjoy your pet. ma

Answer 3

I would say that it could be one or both of two different things. It could be a hunger issue. Double-check the label on the food that you are feeding her and verify that she is getting what she should be getting for her weight. You might also try changing her food to a really high quality food depending on the food that you are currently feeding. It might satisfy here a little more. The other possibility is dominance. Has anything changed around the house recently? New furniture, relative visiting, someone going off to college, new baby, new animal, etc.? That can trigger behavior changes as well. She could just be showing her dominance, and at that point, you may want to consider help from a trainer to establish the best ways to reinstate yourself as the pack leader. Be sure to call your Vet to rule out any illness. Good luck.

Answer 4

catching the dog in the act is vital. You have 3 seconds to punish a dog for what it has done, after that forget it, or it thinks it is been punished for that very last thing he has done , which could be just simply sitting.
You sound like you have the role of pack leader down to a tee so no worries there. The dog has simply done this once and got away with it, in its mind as it has not been punished at that time so he thinks its acceptable. Set up a situation to tempt the dog as as he is about to pounce lol you correct him. Keep the food in front of him and make him sit and stay. If he pounces, again correct him. You just have to keep at it, the dog will learn then that he can only eat what is given to him and he just cant take it whenever he feels like it.You have to own the piece of food. And yes you need to worm youre dog regularly they can catch them again and again.

Answer 5

Another good thing to do it take an empty soda can and put a rock or penny inside of it. Tape the top hole so the penny can't get out. When your dog goes for the food, shake the can. They won't like the loud noice and it will divert their attention away from the food so you can get it. I know it will take some effort to pay attention to this but it will be worth it if it works. Do this training every day. Put the food out, walk away but watch and shake the can. Try it.

How old is your dog?

Answer 6

Is this a puppy? My suggestion is to seek a dog trainer no matter what age your dog is. I realize you have a hectic life, but training will make your life less stressful and less hectic!

For a quick fix you can leave something on the counter that has been sprayed with or saturated with Bitter Apple (available at most pet stores). When your dog tries to snatch this item sprayed with the Bitter Apple, he will probably think twice about doing it again. You can spray this along the counter edge and anywhere you want your dog to stay off of. Do not try the Bitter Apple however, it tastes yucky even to humans! Totally safe to use though!

Answer 7

The best way to prevent your dog from stealing food is to not tempt him with it. If you ever had given him at least one little piece of your food he probably liked it and felt that he had a right to your food towich could develop a bad habit of trying to steal it if you didnt let it have some anymore. If you could probably train it not to by teaching him the down command it might work.

Answer 8

I baited my counter cruiser. She always waited until the kitchen was clear and then would sneak in.

So I tied a string to a piece of meat, the other end of the string was tied to a glass of water. I put the meat on the edge of the counter with the glass of water behind it and left the room. A few minutes later I heard the glass fall, (use a plastic one) and shortly after that I had a slightly wet dog looking me in the face.

She never went counter cruising again.

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/XJCeT

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

this was one of the problems on one of the TV programs they used a camera and watch from a different room and when the dog went to grab the food they sounded a load noise which put the dog off its food