[wrenny]

Aside from when Lex was a younger puppy, we really never had a problem with him chewing stuff but if he sees any shoes laying around, they are fair game.

I've already been through 3 pairs of the same work shoes but it's my fault for leaving them around. He is 8-9 months old so we are trying to see how he does on his own with a little free reign in the house(while we are home). The problem now is he's learned how to jump on stuff and stand on his back to legs. So he can get on our counters/tables that are 4/5ft+. We are now forced to keep our shoes in the closet and that's a hassle.

How do we train him not do the shoes? If he gets them, he runs. Sometimes sit/stay will work but mostly not. If we don't see him, he'll lay down and start chewing away at the heel. Anything else in his mouth or he's not supposed to have, we can get away from him with obedience but shoes he goes nuts over!

 

[Cooper&me]

Shoes smell a lot like their owners. One reason dogs will also often go for the tv remote- the owner holds it a lot.

 

[tibvixie101]

try a spray bottle with water in it, everytime he goes to steal a shoe, tell him leave it, and then spray him, he'll start to associate shoes with getting sprayed by water, and he should start to leave them alone.

Mya was a shoe theif as well, and i couldnt tell you how many pairs of my shoes she ate! She grew out of this phase as she got older, and now has no interest in shoes whatsoever.

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Wrenny, sounds like he's got a bit of the juvenile delinquent thing going on. So it's NOT the best time to give him more freedom, but rather start up on the real training and continue with the closed doors/baby gates to make sure he's always in the room to be monitored by you.

DOG CLASSES. All the situations you are talking about show he's thinking the house is a playground and you trying to stop him from mis-behaving is just part of a wonderful game. I'm not saying that you need to come down on him like a ton of bricks, but I am saying you need a new set of 'tools' in your training box to work with him. Things that worked well as a puppy are falling apart now with an active and intelligent dog who's now trying to figure out the limits/rules/boundaries in the house (and pushing the limits on all of them).

Heck, when he grabs a shoe, if you go and grab a steak to offer him instead you can then REWARD him for his 'drop it' by giving him the steak when he drops the shoe.

I'd be WAY upping the exercise, he's old enough for 10 miles in the woods, off leash and chasing squirrels. That way he'll come home and sleep NOT get into trouble.

Classes are about giving us the tools necessary to keep up with our dogs as they change and grow. They also stimulate our dogs mentally so they have to think and try to figure out what we want (rather than them just knowing we are saying blah blah blah blah blah NO blah blah blah blah BAD DOG blah blah blah blah).

With the training they bond with us. Learn to want to do right. And figure out we are saying 'blah blah 'sit' 'Good dog' blah blah blah 'leave it' GOOD dog blah blah blah 'come' 'who loves her well behaved perfect dog' blah blah blah................

 

[tracyc]

You could also just start an obedience exercise that has to do with specifically leaving shoes alone. Use one of the already-chewed ones as the "training" shoe. Lay it in the middle of the floor while you're watching television and any time he goes near it say "leave it" and then reward when he obeys. Once he knows that particular shoe is off-limits, you'll have to expand that to generalize all shoes using the same basic technique.

I'd suggest carrying around a pocket full of treats to continually reward him for choosing to not bother things. Every time he's able to pass a shoe without stopping to eat it, he gets a reward.

 

[wrenny]

Maggie,

We are in 2 sets of classes ATM. He already completed 1 8 week. Like I said, he does well all alone unless theres a shoe to tempt him. So keeping him monitored isn't that big of a problem because if we put all the shoes in the closet, we can go downstairs for hours and hes fine.

Luca,

I really like that idea. I'm gonna do that when I get home. We did that same thing for garbage/trash bags and it worked.