How to stop my dog from 'stealing'

Hi, first post after my introduction. I am new to this!

I have an 18 month old black lab. He is great and has learnt basic commands quickly, walks well on the lead, sits, stays, waits for his food etc. He just wont stop jumping up and 'stealing' things around the house! I do keep calm and do not chase him and make it into a game. I say 'leave it' and I eventually get the item back but it can take a while! If I ignore him and pretend I don't care he goes off and chews the item he has got to bits! He has got loads of chew toys and I try to swop one of his toys for what he as taken but he is not interested. He gets plenty of exercise but I cannot seem to crack this 'stealing'. I have had a lab before and never had this problem, I know, like people, they are all different. Wondered if anyone had any advice for me.

Thanks.

First thing I would tell you is to control your own behavior and the dog's environment so that he can't steal things.

As long as he has things to steal and the opportunity to do it he is being rewarded for his actions. As long as he is being rewarded you can't really break this habit.

After you clean up the environment, you can then start training.

I learned this technique years ago from the dog guide school we raise puppies for. Perhaps as they have mellowed over the years, they would no longer approve it. It does work with some dogs, and never caused a problem with any I used it on. We have not needed it with many of our Labs.

A mousetrap is very effective in making a dog leave something alone. Most dogs will stay away from anywhere they were surprised by a snap. The best part is that it is not you that is correcting the dog. It works whether you are around or not. The mousetrap is very patient and is always on task as long as you reset it.

Better than mousetraps when you aren't around is the crate. Other dogs may not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

I have not used this technique, but it may work too:

Does your Foster Puppy counter surf; constantly checking the tables and counters for a tasty morsel that he is sure was left there just for him? If so, teach him The Can Can! For The Can Can you will need about 6 cans (empty pop cans with a few rocks or pennies inside them and a little piece of duct tape over the hole works well). Stack the cans in a pyramid on top of a piece of cardboard or paper to which you have attached a piece of string. Tie the string to the object that your Foster Puppy most desires from the counter top. It may be a dish towel or if it is food he is seeking, use a paper towel that you have used to pat down a piece of meat or maybe some meat juice. Then wait. When the object is snatched from the counter top the pyramid of cans will come crashing down, startling the thief. Your puppy will be caught in the act red pawed! You have just created a self correction! It may take several repetitions to get the point across, but soon your puppy will decide that it just isn't worth taking the chance.

I think I would remove the stealable items so he couldn't get to them........

I have a Flat Coated Retriever and they counter surf...biy do they counter surf.
Cosmo was awful as a pup...

I suggest putting your dog on a harness and getting a trailing houselead to attach. (The wya I am reading it your dog is doing it when you are in) . If your dog jumps up somewhere he shouldn't, just pull on the house line and say 'no' firmly then attract his attention and have a game with him to distract him, or reward him for having 4 feet on the ground. It takes time but it works. Keep worktops as clear as you can (hard in a busy household I know).
I was told, for a dog that does it when you are out, to put very lightweight baking trays balanced around the edge of the units...then if the dog jumps up, the tray clatters down and is supposed to put them off. Well I did try it years ago...and the dog was clever enough to work out when the trays were there and when they weren't. The best remedy is clearing everything when you are out and having the dog on a trailing houseline (a very lightweight lead)when in the house until he has stopped doing it. IT takes time and patience...and always being positive as soon as all 4 feet are on the floor, but it is kind and effective.
Just my thoughts, hope it helps It worked with Cosmo and a couple of others

Tilly counter surfs too - (whilst we are in) but it's taught the rest of the household not to leave stuff on the worktops so my kitchen has never been so tidy!
The tray thing sounds a good idea - when she kept going in the downstairs loo & sticking her head in it the lid fell on her & she stopped doing it.

My lab does the same thing. He didn't used to but I'm sure he learned what to do from my FIL's lab! I now just make sure there is nothing he wants lying around, if there's nothing he wants he doesn't jump up.

Hi,

Zane is the only one of mine big enough to counter surf at the moment but when he was little and trying to jump up - not just on the work surface in the kitchen but on the dining chairs & table, fireplace etc I just made sure thre was absolutely NOTHING about that he or any other dog I would ahve, could steal.

I think what made it easier was that Oscar was born in 2004 and everyone who has kids knows how quickly the time comes when everything has to be put up high out of reach or in another room.

So I got used to making sure the house, or at least the area the dogs were allowed in, had absolutely nothing around that they would feel the need to pinch.
As a result, now none of them pinch anything.

At th emoment Oscar is staying at my Mom's as he's just has his hernia repaired and the last thing he needs is for the furries to play splat with him.

So althouth they have access to the kitchen, living room and outside patio area (I leave the doors open for them if I go to my Mom's in the day and just lock up properly at night - after all, who's gonna break in with 4 big breed dogs?!) I have left things out on the dining table (ie Oscar's toys, pens, pencils, paperwork,). It's all very chewable stuff and not one thing has been touched, evne in the daytime when they can get bored. Even Yiannis at hust less than 8 months old has bene really good.

None of them are crate trained in the house. I only use crate in the car for them and they have freedom in the house and garden when I'm not here in the day jsut as though I was here.

This was all without any formal training, telling them no, doing swapsies etc. It just didn't occur to them to pinch anything because fo rso long there was nothing to pinch. Now I can leave things out they have reached a stage where they are able to occupy themselves with other things.

Laura xx

You have a labrador retriever....the clue is in the name! Your dog is born to carry stuff. Your job is to turn this behaviour into a game you can join - called search and retrieve. I suggest you look at some books on training for gundogs or Trials. And maybe put away what you don`t want him to mouth.

Thanks for the advice. Thanks Labman for the detailed, helpful reply. Thanks ClaireandDaisy, but we do gun dog training every Sunday morning.