Stop running off with my shoe!

I know its perfectly normal behaviour for a 20wk old springer spaniel, but has anyone got any ideas how to stop him running off with our shoes?

You can buy toy "shoes" at PAH that look just like the real thing. Put yours away, and leave the toy ones out.

My little one will drag her toy shoe into the lounge and chew on the laces. Dogs just love shoes...

Hi,

Basically, at 20 weeks old if something is chewable, then a puppy will chew it if it can get to it. Also, your shoes smell of you and dogs like to be near their owners.

I'd recommend putting your shoes away in a place your pup either can't get to (in a cupboard for example) or in a room he's not allowed in (bedrooms maybe).

Laura xx

That was the plan but the kids and I are rubbish at putting shoes away!! I'll have to find an easy space that he can't get at and in the mean time be flattered that he wants to be near my smell!
My parents their dog an old slipper thinking it might satisfy him but we then spent the rest of his life rummaging around in bushes (one favourite bush, actually) finding our shoes! So, trying to avoid all toys which are shoe shaped just in case!

I know what you mean, I gave Bentley one of my old slippers when we first got him as a sort of comforter, he loves it.
However, his bed is in the hallway with the shoe rack. We often find a shoe poking out of his den and I wonder now if giving hime the slipper encouraged him? It's not the shoe he loves, but the laces?! He especially loves the OH's army boots as he's particularly rubbish at putting them away. We never chase him when he takes a shoe just so that he doesn't think it's a game, we try and distract him with a different toy or deliberately drop something onto the floor so that he thinks he's 'stolen' it!!
I think Bentley just likes the thrill of getting something he knows he shouldn't have...

I also think that it can be something to do with the comforting smell of the owner of the shoe. A shoe-shaped dog toy won't have the same attraction unless you wear it for a while (then you'd need a left one & a right one otherwise you'd be hopping around a lot).

One of my dogs will take my slipper to bed when I go out. She never chews it or marks it in any way, just lays her head on it & dozes off. I find it quite endearing. But if my slippers aren't available then she takes one of my muddy walking boots to bed & seeing as she tends to sleep on the sofa, I'm not quite so pleased at having a muddy boot on the cream throw.

Don't leave them lying around?

Sorry, been there done that and whilst I'm only teasing we did find that the best way to deal with it was to take away all temptations! That and swapping, swapping works VERY well with springers as they like to have things in their mouths and please you.

Our shih tzu puppy loves shoes, especially my 4 year old and 2 year old's slippers as they are not as heavy and she runs away with them

I bought the toy ones from PAH but they are not the same as the real deal.

It is hard when you have kids to constantly moves the shoes from the ground, esp when the kids are moving them and kicking them off etc.... so I let her chew away at the kids slippers.... gives her something to do and the kids will grown out of them soon

Our new rescue Jasper has taken quite a shine to my old and beaten slippers, but usually when they are still on my feet!! (I keep them well out of the way when not wearing them!) he loves to nibble on the toes, the OH keeps going mad and telling me to stop him or he will be after all our shoes! although this would be far more of a problem for me as I am renowned for kicking off my "feet" wherever the mood takes!!

I have wondered whether to let him have them, they are seriously overdue for renewal anyway! I know they smell of me and that can be comforting when we are out (I used to give the last rescue pup an old t shirt I had slept on!) but I do worry that he will then get a tate for shoes!!

Not much help I'm afraid, just thought I'd share, sorry!

Awww, so funny, I can just imagine the cheeky little expression.

You could try using it to teach him to 'drop it', say for a higher value toy or a treat, although you wouldn't want him to 'do a runner' with a shoe everytime he fancies a treat.

Could you try distracting him when he becomes interested in the shoe and rewarding when he gives his attention to something else?

When he does pick up a shoe, I'd try to stay calm and not react in an excited manner (although I'd be dying to give chase) so he doesn't think he's about to get a great game of chase.