My dog Bucatini is 9 months old and a giant, almost 80 lbs. He’s a lab mix, and he steals everything. Socks, dryer sheets, whatever he can grab. I’m doing laundry, and he’s all over the socks. If I try to take it back, he’ll either lay down like he’s sorry, or run around like he’s playing a game with me. He’s super smart, and I know he’s just bored, but it’s getting frustrating. How do I stop him from stealing everything? I’ve tried giving him lots of toys, but nothing works. He’s a sweetheart, but this stealing is driving me crazy. 
Anyone else dealing with this?
Ugh, I feel you! My dog used to steal socks all the time. What worked for us was giving him better toys that are harder to destroy. Kongs and other tough chew toys helped a lot. And we started teaching ‘leave it.’ It took some time, but he’s getting the hang of it now.
@Scofield
Oh yeah, Bucatini goes through those Kongs in like 30 minutes. He’s a beast 
. I might try more challenging toys though. What’s the ‘leave it’ command like?
madgalina said:
@Scofield
Oh yeah, Bucatini goes through those Kongs in like 30 minutes. He’s a beast
The ‘leave it’ command is where you tell your dog to stop going after something. You start with something easy, like a treat on the ground, and use the command when they try to grab it. Then reward when they listen. It took a bit, but now it works pretty well for us!
Same here! My pup started stealing all the socks and laundry stuff too. I think it’s mostly boredom, so I started making his toys more interactive, like those puzzle toys where they have to figure out how to get the treat. It kept him busy longer.
@Alexander
Puzzle toys, huh? Never thought of that. I might give it a try! Bucatini gets bored really fast. Thanks for the tip!
I’ve heard that Labs especially love to steal stuff. They get bored easily. One thing that worked for me is using ‘give’ when they take something, so they learn to return it instead of running away. Just make sure you’re consistent!
@clarice
That’s a good idea! Maybe I should teach Bucatini that instead of chasing him around the house. Lol, he’s so fast!
Oh wow, Bucatini sounds like a big boy! I think a lot of it is him just being in that ‘teenager’ phase, they want to explore and get into trouble. I’ve been there with my dog! Just keep up the training, and he’ll get better with time.
@YukiJane
Haha, ‘teenager’ phase, that’s exactly it! He’s like a giant baby who doesn’t realize how big he is. I’ll keep working on the training. Thanks for the encouragement!
My dog used to do that too! I think they just get excited, and socks are fun to run around with. Maybe you could redirect him with toys when he starts stealing stuff? Like, ‘here’s a cool toy instead of my laundry!’ Lol.
@BillSmith
I’ve tried giving him toys, but he’s more interested in my stuff . I’ll keep trying the redirection though. Thanks for the idea!