My dog keeps taking things. How do I train her to stop stealing?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This is undesired behavior and it is ideal to correct now while she is young and small. I would recommend leash training her and using treats as positive reinforcement for good behavior. If she stops biting you when you say "off" or "no" then you should reward her with a treat. Another training method is negative reinforcement. When she does the undesired behavior, a spray bottle filled with water is used to spritz her in the face while saying "off" or "no". If training is unsuccessful you might want to consider contacting a trainer for advice and for puppy training classes. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If this is a behavior that you would like to stop, I find that using a spray bottle filled with water and spraying a dog lightly in the face helps to correct the behavior. Also, using an empty can filled with coins and shaking it loudly can help as well. I used both techniques on my dog and it worked quite well. The can trick was by far the most effective in my case. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

General obedience training is where to start. Once Koi learns to come, stay, down and heel you will have better control over her behavior. To get her to drop an item I like to teach the Drop command. Do this with a toy or ball. Toss the toy, call her and ask her to Drop the toy by having a yummy treat in your hand. She'll drop the toy to get the treat and then you can praise her and give another treat. Once she learns this command you should then be able to say Drop, and she should drop the item and come looking for a treat. Be patient with the training, she's a puppy. Don't chase her when she takes something she shouldn't as this will encourage her to make a game of it. Instead say Treat and throw a treat to her if she won't come. Usually a treat is more enticing and she'll leave the item she's not supposed to have. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Koi.

He’s using this as a way to get you to play. I would try to put up things he shouldn’t have and ignore him when he takes something. Your trying to get it is what he wants. If he likes to go outside or for a walk take the leash and act like you are leaving so he’ll want to join you and hopefully will drop the object. When I teach the command ‘Drop’ which is what you need in this instance, is to offer him a very high value reward. Steak, cheese, hot dogs or his favorite toy. In order to get the reward he needs to release the object he isn’t supposed to have. I recommend putting him on a short leash, giving him a toy and working on the ‘Drop’ command. That way he can’t run away, and soon he’ll learn what you want. He’s just a bratty teenager so don’t go along with his games. He will improve as he gets older. A general group obedience class will help you learn to work together also, and is fun. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Jax.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You didn’t comment on Bailee’s age or breed. If she’s a young puppy they tend to outgrow this. Some breeds, specifically herding breeds do this out of nature. I would recommend starting basic obedience. She needs to know basic commands before trying to prevent her from biting your pants. She should know how to sit, come, stay, lay down and leave it. Once she has mastered these commands you can apply them to when she bites your pants. Use positve reinforcement. Have her sit or leave it when she starts biting your pants. Once she stops she gets a treat. Also having her on a leash during training and using a gentle leader for the muzzle allows great head control to pull her away. It will take time but practice makes perfect! I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

It would be helpful to teach a command like 'drop' or 'leave it' so you can tell him to drop the shoes when he picks them up. To do this you should give him a toy, then offer a treat and say the command when he drops the toy. It is also very important to make sure you keep harmful things out of his reach as much as possible.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sadly this is a puppy and or breed problem that MOST dogs eventually outgrow. Everything he could chew on should be put away or removed until this phase of puppy-hood is over. The family needs to learn to put their shoes in the closet. All plants should be put up on furniture or shelves. All exposed wires should be hidden or blocked with baby gates. When Damon can not be 100% watched he should be crated for his own safety or penned in a dog play pen or gated in a room that is puppy proofed. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise with walks and one on one play or sign him up for doggie day care during the day. Most chewing occurs out of boredom. Sign him up for training classes or start teaching him "leave it" and be sure he knows how to come when called. This is going to take time and patience and everyone doing their part to prevent injury to their belongings and to Damon. I hope this helps and I wish you the best!