In this post, we’re talking about what you can do to stop your dog stealing your childs toys. This is an issue that most parents and dog owners will experience at some point. I definitely include myself in that too! When your little one arrives, there is suddenly a huge amount of exciting and novel new items in your home. It’s really not surprising that our dogs are interested.
How to stop your dog stealing your childs toys
If your dog is stealing your child’s toys, the very first thing we need to address is management. We need to set up the environment properly for the dog to succeed. Put simply- it’s time for a tidy up! Your dog can’t steal your childs toys and destroy items they shouldn’t if they can’t access them. Shut doors and put baby gates up to create distinct baby and dog areas and keep everyone’s stuff in their own zones. I find it useful to have storage bins and baskets dotted around the house so I can easily tidy any rogue toys or clothes so stuff isn’t lying around on the floor for Duke to get hold of.
Secondly, we need to look at is WHY your dog is stealing items. The most likely reason is that the toy looks interesting to them and/or they’re a bit bored. That’s it. Equally, it’s important to make sure your dogs needs are being met and they have their own toys you can replace the stolen toy with. If you’re struggling to meet your dogs needs with a little one, have a read of our post here for our tips. Your dog isn’t stealing toys to show dominance or any nonsense like that. He’s just a curious animal wanting to explore this interesting thing in front of him. Your dog has absolutely no concept that the tennis ball belongs to him, but the soft textured ball with the bell inside belongs to the baby.
With that in mind, here’s what to do when your dog steals one of your child’s things:
- Stay calm.
- If your dog is unlikely to chew, destroy or eat the item, just ignore them.
- If your dog is likely to chew, destroy or eat the toy, ask your dog to drop the item and trade them for a toy of their own or a tasty treat.
- Make sure that item isn’t left around for the dog to get hold of again. If it doesn’t already have a home, give it one!
What not to do
I would strongly advise against chasing after a dog who has something in their mouth that you want. The same goes for shouting and attempting to tug the toy out of the dogs mouth. Why shouldn’t you do this? Reactions like this can actually be quite reinforcing to the dog. It might seem silly, but if your dog was looking to get some attention by grabbing the forbidden item, then shouting or chasing them has actually turned the situation into a fun game for them!
Lastly, this is a very common issue and not necessarily a cause for concern. But if your dog is reluctant to trade items back with you or showing aggressive behaviour when you attempt to get the item back, contact a professional for further support. Resource guarding can be helped significantly with reward based training, but won’t get better by itself.
Looking for more help with your dog and your little one?
- Purchase our Preparing your dog for life with a baby Ebook here
- Contact us to book in one to one training sessions online or in person
- Check our the rest of our blog posts here