# Training to not eat everything!



## Bobster (Aug 20, 2021)

My pup is 16months and still wants to eat everything in sight regardless of if its edible or not. I feel like I literally have to train him per item - so for example he now won't touch a certain pair of my shoes but will still go for my slippers. So now I'm doing it all again with the slippers. It's somewhat hilarious and fine if I have to do the same thing for every individual item (literally left shoe/right shoe!) I don't want him to eat because he's actually super fast at getting it but just wanted a bit of feedback on if this is normal?! Am i expecting too much or missing something in the training that he gets he cant eat "shoes" as a whole rather than 'this particular shoe'?! Cos after all the shoes i will need to start on clothes/kids toys etc. 😀 😱🤣


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

They do love shoes. Just keep working on Leave It, and Here incase he already has the shoe. 
I have two shoe thieves in the house. Heifer the puppy, and Jasper (only certain shoes) that is almost 10 years old. Jasper’s mom was still a thief at 16, so I think he’s a lost cause. I didn’t get him, until her was almost 7 years old. I just get a treat, and he brings it to me. He gets the treat, and I get the shoe.
If you want to try multiple shoes at once. Place them a few feet apart. Walk him on leash near them. Anytime he tries to reach for one, say Leave it, pulling him to you at the same time. Then give him a treat. As he gets it, walk him close, or even over the top of the shoes. Just a fun way for them to learn Leave it, and chose the reward over the shoe.


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## Bobster (Aug 20, 2021)

Oh thanks that's great advice I'll give it a go. We had been giving treats to encourage drop or leave but didn't seem to work and felt that was rewarding the bad behaviour. So now no treats just lots of praise when he does the right thing, which he definitely does respond to. So hard cos he's adorable and I know he wants to be a good boy just his instincts are to chomp up...well everything  He'll get there! ❤


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## Sophie01 (12 mo ago)

Our Sophie loves to play. We keep her toys in a tub on top of her crate. She wines for them and we take the tub down and let her choose. She loves it and we play tug, toss and retrieve, she'll hide from me, lots of laughs and rubs and snuggles. The only time she gets a shoe is when she wants attention. I tell her 'oh no Sophie, that's mine. Bring it here.'. If she doesn't bring it to me, I gasp and tell her 'thats a bad girl, Sophie' with a sad face. She always bring it to me then. And when she does I tell her 'good girl' and give her a snuggle. I keep repeating 'this is mine', put it away and the pick up one of her toys and tell her 'THIS is Sophie's' with smiles and affection. She also understands 'i need to be cooking', 'I need to be working' and she leaves me alone and will go lay down. Every dog is different but my V sure responds well to smiles and affection. I never yell at her. If she won't stop whatever I don't want her to do, she goes in 'time out'. She knows what that is too. I walk her to the bathroom and put her in there, turn on the light and shut the door. I leave her about 1 minute. Then I open the door without saying a word. It works really well with her. Good luck!


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Look up on the forum and internet on doing the "leave it" exercise where you claim items and then give permission to "get it" . I think I have a post somewhere here with some tips on it that I used with Ellie. The idea is that you are also setting the groundwork of communication so that there is a better understanding of what is theirs versus yours, with a foundation of respect being built as to not touch your stuff unless given permission to. Dogs understand the concept of ownership and claiming, we just need to create the proper communication channel and leadership understanding.


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## DrogoNevets (6 mo ago)

There is a trainer here in the UK called Will Atherton that has a video on training "leave it"

basically, put dog on a short lead lead. put a treat in front of them, and say "leave it" whilst making sure the dog leaves the treat. Soon as the dog shows ANY no matter how small, disinterest in the "target" treat, give them a treat from your hand (target stays there, and is removed PDQ after reward is given) this way the dog never gets the item it was meant to leave.

Personally, we seem to be pretty luck so far and Ziva doesn't go for everything, except poo (name an animal we get in the wild, she goes for it - unless its her own, which is annoying when its dark as we'd really like a clue sometimes to where shes left it!).


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