Originally Posted by
Labradorks
Dogs will sometimes gobble when they know you're going to take it away or when they think they will get yelled at. When mine grab socks or things I don't want them to have, I get them to bring them to me and I ask for a drop while praising them like mad. It has worked on both of my Labs with very different personalities. They now grab stuff and bring it to me very excited and are happy to let me have it. You can trade what they have for food or toys, even. When an appropriate toy is in their mouth, get really excited. The important things are to not get mad or they won't come to you and to not chase them or it will become another kind of game. Your tone should be similar to thanking them. I know it sounds crazy, but it works. I tell mine, "thank you so much! you are such a big helper! wow!" They crowd around the dryer when I'm taking clothes out in the hopes I will drop something (it's the only time they have access to clothing as I keep my clothes in drawers and in a hamper) that they can pick up and give to me. The only problem I have is because I have two dogs, they sometimes hold the thing together and end up tugging it or chaos ensues as they "fight" over who gets to give it to mom and be the best helper. Just like little kids! Maybe this will help it make sense to you: In field training, I was told not to take the bird away from the young dog right away. Let them hold it, praise them like crazy, and then ask for the bird, but not in a mean or angry tone -- more like a "oh wow, thanks for bringing me that special bird!". Otherwise they will be hesitant to bring the bird back knowing they have to give it up right away. They might run away with it, play keep-away, or lay down and eat it. Now, since you already have a gobbler, a leave it command will be important. This should, again, be positive. You can set the dog up with a sock or whatever (just keep an eye on it so he doesn't snatch and swallow). Put a leash on your dog in case he does snatch it up and try to run. Get his meal ready. When he looks at the sock, tell him to leave it in a neutral voice, luring him with food if you need to, and when he does leave it, give him some food -- a handful -- and praise, praise, praise. Also, keep food on you all the time, or in bowls around the house where he can't get to it. Teach him the leave it command whenever you can. You can even ask him to leave a toy and then treat him, then pick up the toy and give him that, too. Again, be positive and make it a fun game and not a challenge. When he has a toy, you can ask him to drop it, trading for food (high value instead of kibble if you have to), lots of praise, then give him the toy back. I would, for awhile, only feed his meals in treat balls, kongs, etc. where he has to work at it, and/or the Ian Dunbar sit, down, stand sequence where you hand feed your dog his meals but he has to work for it. You could also feed him only while training. There are lots of training games you can play. This won't work if you are leaving socks and things around the house all the time, however. PICK UP THE SOCKS. It's not that difficult, especially if you don't have children (which from your post it sounds like you do not). Also, keep him exercised -- a tired dog is a good dog. Supply him with things he CAN chew and re-direct. Do not leave him outside unattended if he eats stuff. Crate him indoors when you cannot watch him. Keep bedroom and bathroom doors closed to limit his accessibility to socks. And, finally, get him some health insurance.
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