How do I get my dog to stop stealing socks?
My dog greatly enjoys stealing socks and running around with them in his mouth any chance he gets. He doesn't destroy them; he just holds on to them. Eventually, he will get bored with this and just drop the socks. I know he does it just to get my attention, but I am not sure of a good way to stop this behavior.
Obviously, I do my best to keep socks hidden from him at all times, so he doesn't have the opportunity, but every chance he gets, he will pick one up and run off with it.
How do I stop him from stealing socks?
(3)3 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
Look who figured out how to get attention from you! And judging by him making you post here, he's done a fine job of it. Face it, your dog has outsmarted you. Happens to me almost daily. ;-)
As you have already figured out, he's doing it to get your attention, and he's succeeding because you go chasing after him, right?
Time to outsmart your dog! Find an old sock you don't care about and make it a toy for him. Tie a knot in it so you both know which one it is. When you have the time, let him grab that one and make it a game to get it back. This will be the game and the attention he craves. (Yes, dogs not only play games but invent them, and "keep away" is an ever popular one.) When he grabs a real sock, completely ignore him. Do not try to get it back, do not even acknowledge he has it. Really, you must completely ignore his stealing of a real sock no matter what.
Pretty soon he'll learn that only The Sock gets attention. He'll learn to ignore the others, and now you have only one sock you need to control. It will take some time, probably weeks, but it will happen without undue stress to you or him and with no real major efforts.
My alternative method involves the dog learning to present the sock owner the act of placing the sock somewhere it should be. Rather than taking a sock and putting the sock somewhere it shouldn’t be. I speak from experience - I would train my dog every time she picked up a sock to put it in my laundry basket and reward her every time she drops the sock in the laundry basket.. She eventually learned every time she picked up a sock she had to go through a boring training session and eventually just moved on
Your dog is most likely stealing your socks because they smell like you. A few good ways to prevent this behavior are:
Plenty of exercise. If your dog doesn't have loads of pent up energy, then he/she will be less likely to engage in extra-curricular activities.
Attention. Have one-on-one time with your dog. After all he/she is stealing your socks for your smell, or, when you catch the dog in act, he/she will receive attention. Whether your reaction is good or bad, the dog still sees it as attention.
Keep your socks out of reach. After all, if they aren't there, then they can't be stolen.
If you notice that the thieving sessions are around the same time every day, then you can easily prevent this by having a short 10-minute training or play session right around that time to distract your dog.
Hope this helps.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.