Puppy stealing shoes!

[Starbaker66]

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Hi All - any advice on puppy stealing shoes? I don’t really want to enforce a shoe embargo - I’d rather teach him that stealing shoes and chewing them is unacceptable. I’ve tried telling him “no” and he seems to understand? But then he waits until he knows I’m in the Loo and does it anyway! Little rascal! Surprising astute for 9 weeks old!

 

[JoanneF]

Saying 'no' is pretty meaningless to a dog; you could just as well say 'banana'. To be honest at his age, it is largely down to management and I would keep anything he could chew (that I value) out of his way until after he has finished teething. You also run the risk that it becomes a game, because to a dog any attention is rewarding. So keep the shoes out of his way and if he does get one, have something even more attractive to calmly swap.

 

[Sezzy]

When Misty was a puppy I used bitter apple spray on anything I didn’t want her to chew......my slippers, shoes, sleeves, trousers etc etc! It did do the trick at the time so could be worth a try.
She’s 3 now, and will still take the opportunity to parade around the house with a shoe as a trophy when she feels like it! I always tell her she can hold them, but if for a moment she goes to chew them they are taken away and she’s told off, she then sulks in her bed!

 

[JudyN]

I agree with JoanneF that you need to manage this rather than fix it. At this age, she's like a very young toddler who you would not leave close to an open fire or a chocolate cake and just tell them not to go near it.

She also doesn't know the difference between 'don't chew this shoe, now' or 'don't chew this shoe while I'm here' and 'don't chew any shoe, ever'. For a few months she will be driven to chew just about everything within reach so the way to prevent chewing on your things becoming a habit is to remove the opportunity as far as possible. Putting shoes etc. in a lidded box can be the easiest way. By the time she doesn't need to chew so much, she will think of her toys as being 'what I chew' rather than shoes.

 

[Josie]

@Starbaker66 maybe if you see him take your shoe you replace it with something that he is allowed to chew instead?

 

[Starbaker66]

@Starbaker66 maybe if you see him take your shoe you replace it with something that he is allowed to chew instead?

Good idea! I'll try that! On the positive side...he's dry all night - no accidents. I don't hear a peep out of him all night. He goes in his crate around 10pm, and I wake up anywhere between 5:30 and 7:30am, get him up and put him straight outside in the garden. I'm amazed! I don't think he's able to let us know yet when he "needs to go" - we just make sure we take him out every time he wakes up and after every playtime and it seems to be working. He's already learnt to "sit" and "shake hands" and is only 9 weeks old! He has an appointment for his first puppy check at the vets tomorrow so I'm hoping it won't be too long before he's able to go outside. Soooo pleased we got him!

 

[Josie]

Sounds like you're enjoying it, which is great! Hope it goes well at the vet check tomorrow