I was at a new Home Dog Training visit yesterday morning in Cumming working with Bandit, a very precocious, young Beagle.  Bandit, the Beagle, wasn’t listening and would try to run out the front door every time anyone knocked or rang the doorbell.  We took care of these issues pretty quickly and my clients were quite happy with the simple and effective results.  As I always do before I leave, I asked them if there was anything else we needed to work on with Bandit that day.  After a moment or two, their little daughter said “Bandit keeps stealing all my toys when I am playing in front of the TV!  I try to grab them away from her but she just takes them and runs away.”

The family dog “stealing” the kids’ toys has always been an issue between young children and active, young dogs.  I was very happy that the young daughter mentioned this because it is a problem that we can easily solve before in might escalate into a nip or a jump.

We went into the family room where most of the “stealing” occurs.  The first thing that I noticed was that the daughter had many of her toys spread across the floor in front of the TV.  Bandit’s dog toy basket was also nearby, overflowing with toys in the basket and on the ground.  I also noticed some empty plates that probably once contained snacks or the daughter’s lunch.

The one thing that we all seem to forget is that dogs observe objects and interpret rules in a very straight forward, clear cut manner.  The daughter’s toys and Bandit’s toys aren’t that much different (doll with a dress vs. plush toy duck).  We allow Bandit to play with the duck.  She sees no difference between the duck and the doll.

When the daughter is sitting on the floor watching TV, she is now at a lower level of height.  This is a natural, body language signal between dogs indicating that they are in a play mode.  There is the daughter’s toy doll sitting next to her.  Bandit wants to play so she grabs the doll in her mouth in order to say “Let’s go!”  The daughter gets excited because Bandit has her doll and starts to chase her for the doll.  Bandit sees this as engaged play in the form of “follow the leader” and off she goes for the chase.  This is a natural behavior that all dogs have from birth, and Bandit is no exception.

So, what can we do to curtail this and let Bandit know that the daughter’s toys are off limits?  We must create a set of situations that clearly differentiate the toys. We must also enhance a behavior where Bandit sees her toys as “better to have”.  What do we do?

  • Remove all of Bandit’s toys from the family room and place them near her bed or crate. The toys will no longer be comingled and will allow us to create simpler rules.
  • When the daughter isn’t playing with her toys, pick the toys up or keep them confined to a particular area (i.e. in front of the TV). This will help create a “don’t take stuff from here zone”.
  • Put a leash on Bandit. Just let her walk around, dragging it behind her.  As soon as she starts to make a move towards one of the daughter’s toys, step on the leash and guide her away.
  • Set some “land mines”. Get some of the “unused daughter’s toys” and put Bitter Apple on them.  Set them just outside the area where the daughter’s play.  Let Bandit walk up to them and sniff.  The bitter smell should make her uninterested in the toys.  This will help to build up an association of “stuff here is icky”.
  • Always give choices. When you move Bandit away from the daughter’s toys, always give her one of her toys.  Ramp it up and make sure it is a chew or treat toy.  Spray some chicken broth on the toy to make it even more inviting.  Guide her to a far part of the room where she can enjoy it.  This continues the binomial teaching process allowing her to discover that “her stuff is far better”.
  • Never play with Bandit in an adrenalized state near the daughter’s toys. The heightened excitement extends the possibility that Bandit is just going to pick up one of the daughter’s toys and run off.
  • Try to keep food out of the daughter’s play toy area. The food smell and dropped crumbs heighten Bandit’s food drive which could encourage taking the daughter’s toys.
  • Play with Bandit and her toys in another room or outside. Never play with Bandit near the daughter’s toys.  This helps establish areas of specific and acceptable actions.

It is all about giving our dogs choices and directing them to the one we want (the “correct” one).

Please call Robin or myself at (770) 718-7704 if you have any questions about dog training or canine behavior.  We have more dog training articles available at Best Dog Trainers Cumming Georgia.  Find all our phone numbers, text addresses and email contacts at Dog Training Help Center Cumming Georgia.