# Running away when she has something in her mouth she shouldnt....



## janz99 (Aug 23, 2010)

Bella has been starting to do something lately that has me a bit concerned for her well being. If she gets ahold of something in her mouth that she shouldnt, she runs from me when i try to take it out. 

She is little enough that she is pretty easy to catch, and she doesnt struggle much when i take it out of her mouth. The problem is, im worried one day that she will get into something that could potentially be toxic to her, and im going to be chasing her around the yard or house trying to get it away from her.

Ive been trying to teach the "drop it" command, and it works sometimes with items such as shoes. She normaly only takes a step or two and a stern "drop it" and she'll leave it on the floor. If we are outside though, she will run under the bushes, or try and sneak past me with something in her mouth. She will avoid me like the plague if its something she really wants to chew and she knows she not suppose to.


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## BamBam (Feb 14, 2010)

dont chase her. This will just make her run away more as she will think its a game. Have a REALLY tasty treat ready and offer her the treat, hopefully she will come to you and drop whatever she has in her mouth and take the treat. Praise her as soon as she drops its. 
Or have her favourite toy ready and offer her that, whatever works best for her


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

janz99

As badly as you want it, you need to act sort of disinterested, and BamBam is correct, don't chase her unless it's something really toxic, like Rat Poison or something.
Call her over to you and gently command out, giving lots of praise, and then as BamBam suggested, give her a treat or toy.
Before long, you'll notice that she "finds" things just to bring to you.


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## janz99 (Aug 23, 2010)

Thanks guys! i'll definitly try that.


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## fiona long (Feb 15, 2010)

i used to crouch down near the floor and pretend i was busy doing something - normally the pup was so nosey she's wander over too see what i was up too!


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## jp (Nov 24, 2009)

Agree with what has been said. We made the mistake of chasing her to retrieve objects, although to our defense even at 2 years old she will still often chew up many types of objects if she gets hold of them. Especially the young kids' favorite toys and dolls. But it did set the bad precedence of the chase game, which she uses and abuses with us.


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## Mercutio (Jan 18, 2010)

I agree too. gunnr is right if you can teach her that giving you things is rewarding she will start to just bring you things. I taught merc to "give" by standing next to hi with some of his favorite food and a toy. I gave him the toy then showed him the food in my hand and as soon as he started to drop the toy would say "give" then good boy and give him the food. He caught on pretty quickly and it only took a few weeks to progress to sending him to another room to get toys and then he started bringing me things when he wanted something. 

However I do have to admit he doesn't give up evereything- not dead things, my gardening gloves...


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## Penelope (Jul 20, 2010)

Will definitely try the "tasty treat" as nothing seems better than stealing the dryer sheets from the laundry.


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## Chilli monster (Sep 16, 2010)

Chilli was doing exactly the same thing so i was chasing her, then one day mt dog trainer said just ignore her when she is picking all sorts of rubbish in the park, at home... she was doing this to make us chasing her SUCH A FANTASTIC GAME... So after few days we do not have this problem anymore.... except socks at home... but now i am just asking her to bring them to us, then praise a lot and job done... they are mouthy dogs.... so it will be always something to pick up


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Yes, our dilemma is that Rosie likes chase even better than a treat for dropping it. Either way, we feel we're rewarding her for stealing, but it's rare that she has an object we feel okay completing ignoring. We try to ignore whenever we can, but if we have to get it back, we choose the treat method (paired with the word "drop it"). She never got to the point of dropping on command without a treat being shown to her. Our other problem is that frankly, she's so cute when she trots away and tries to entice us to chase her that we probably do reinforce it by laughing at her.


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## cooperman (Oct 26, 2010)

Cooper does this, in truth I think he wants to play, Am i being thick? He only brings things in like twigs, apples, etc when I am busy.


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

Kobi does this too....I simply don't chase him. It usually works because he can't stand not being in the same room as me, and will eventually come back (within a minute usually). The exception is if I think there is a potty risk, as that's the OTHER time he likes to run away from me.

Since he's so young and clumsy, he doesn't have the coordination and strength to shred something like a sock. He can grab it and chew on it, but he can't pull with his paws/mouth to tear it up anyways.


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## Moose (Oct 2, 2010)

Ah the game of Keep-away. I think it comes with the Vizsla territory. Don't chase her...she'll get bored pretty quickly, drop the item, and come back to get your attention again.


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## maple (Jul 22, 2010)

Does anyone else have an issue with toilet paper, paper towels, paper cups...basically anything that has anything to do with paper? if maple gets a hold of it she will eat an entire roll of toilet paper...even if we try calling her with treats. Most of the time she's pretty good with dropping it, but sometimes she'll even run upstairs and hide under our bed! Yesterday we were running her offleash in a fenced-in park...it was horrible because there were paper cups everywhere!!!! ..sometimes she has trouble getting everything out when she goes to the bathroom because of all the toilet paper she eats. I even had to help her the other day because it was just hanging there ???


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## cooperman (Oct 26, 2010)

Poor Maple, Cooper was similar with kitchen towel. If I am wiping anything with one he became obsessed and even when wiping your nose! Not pleasant at the best of times but when you then have a nuttie ginger coming for you...... Anyway, what we did was to play the wait game, put a tissue in front of him saying leave it or wait, only make him wait 1 second 1st time while then giving him a treat out of your other hand. Next time make him wait 2 seconds before he gets a treat, always out of your other hand. This may take a little patience, I played this game for 5 minutes every day with Cooper and 4 days later we can now blow our nose in peace!!!!


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Great treatment plan cooperman! Yes, Rosie has always loved to pick up anything paper, including towels you've used to clean up accidents. And maple, there ain't anything earthier than "helping" a dog with a foreign object that won't quite expel...I remember my mother telling the story of the knee high hose her terrier ate (well, you can imagine...And yes, I know, hosiery can be dangerous--lucky for the dog it was just a knee high and didn't tangle his insides).


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