Read an interesting story the other day about human behavior.
The article stated that when it comes to stealing, 10% of the population would die before they stole a loaf of bread to feed their family. They are just hard wired that way.
On the other hand, there is 10% of the population that will steal no matter what. They steal everything they can.
The rest fall into a category that is situational. If the circumstances are right they will steal.
This was interesting to me because of course I immediately think of dogs. Dogs love to steal. They steal food off the counter, socks from the laundry basket and toys from the kids.
But here’s the rub.
Dogs do NOT understand right from wrong.
What they do understand is safe and dangerous. I would even go further and say they understand FUN.
Dogs love to steal socks and have the entire family jump up and chase after them. The dog has successfully learned how to train the family.
So when it comes to training your dog to STOP stealing, you have to set up the situation so your dog quickly learns that it is NOT fun.
One of the easiest ways to stop your dog from stealing the socks is to keep a short leash on him in the house. Once he grabs the socks you can step on the leash and end the game.
Once your dog understands that you are in control, the sock stealing quickly ends.
That is why in my classes I teach dog owners how to END behavior problems along with teaching obedience. If you’re interested you can check out our classes by going here:
Best,
Eric