Any suggestions?

[Kelly89084]

My dog will not stop stealing food!  She even tries to steal it when we're eating it!  Hubby is losing his patience with this dog and honest6ly so am I.  I can handle most issues but stealing food from my kids is not one of them!my kids have to sit pratically in my lap so they are close enough for me to protect them from the food stealing dog.  We've decided to put her out during dinner time but I can't leave her out all the time so I'd really like to fix this.  I haven't got the first clue how.  She has plenty of food but only seems to like people food, not dog food.  I even switched her to raw meat and while it helped, it didn't completely solve it.  She's the worst when we bring something home.  Does anyone have any ideas of how to fix this so we won't have to lock her out anytime there's food within reach (she'll steal from counters too!)

[wiss329]

This won't solve the entire problem, but we use a "place" command when we're eating and don't want Max too much in our way.  Create a defined area (such as lay out a blanket or use a rug) Say "Place" and have them sit or lie down.  If they get up to move, say "No, place" and move them back to the area.  They may "forget" to stay there, but be diligent.  Have them stay at that location until they are released.

We've had problems with the stay command, but Max does really well with the place command.  This command is especially good for when company is over for a meal.  They're not as tolerant about drool on the table during dinner.

[ZooCrew]

For starters you may want to work on some basic training, and leadership with her.  I don't think she believs your family is alpha to her or she would never try to steal their food away from them.

You may want to start her on NILF (nothing in life is free) training.  She has to do a command before she gets any kind of reward/feeding/walking/toy/etc. 

I take it "NO" isn't working?  How about "leave it"?  Does she know "stay/wait"?  These kinds of commands can be crucial to good dog behavior, and every dog should learn them.  Perhaps she just needs a refresher course?  My dogs go nuts too when I bring food home.......... .especially if it's in a paper bag b/c they know it means french fries.  But they are not allowed to beg for them.  So they have to sit and wait until I am ready to give them one.  If they don't listen, then they have to leave the room and probably won't get anything.  Even the two pups staying at my house right now learned very quickly not to jump into my lap when I'm eating.

I think once she learns who is boss, and that it's not her, she will listen much better.  Good luck.......... ..food motivated dogs are harder to keep from begging.

[Kelly89084]

Thanks for the replies.  You're right about the whole alpha thing.  I've been letting her get away with far too much because I've felt so bad for her being thrown away repeatedly and having fear issues.  She's so quiet and sneaky about it though!   We did work on her yesterday and she did much better last night.  She's improved greatly on her down stay too.  Even hubby has noticed a huge difference and is now willing to consider another doggy addition.

Training on hubby is coming along nicely too.

[paharts]

we usually eat on tv trays in the living room in front of the tv. when we had only Holi, she was sent to her "spot" at the end of the couch. she did quite well with it & got something in her food bowl after we were done.
then hubby started giving food from his plate while he was still eating. now they all sit under us while we eat. i do not consider this acceptable but cannot blame the dogs or cats. i think he's trying to make up for the 2 beagles they had when he was a kid -- they were always outside

i understand the rescued dog part. the beagle we are fostering was possibly abused & is very sensitive too. and she will steal food if she can reach it then be very fearful as if she was beat. [interestingly, we also have to be quiet when she's fed because she will run away as if she thinks she'll get kicked.]
whenever she is ignored, she will go lay down somewhere & sleep. i've found this to be the best method to keep her from starting to beg while we eat.

the 'work for food' method sounds great. but be careful that she's not getting food while you are eating.

[jaspers mom]

Is there any way you can block off the room where you are eating?  Could you use, for example, a door, a gate, or a verbal command?  Our rescue never came near our kitchen when we were cooking or eating for the first year he lived with us.  And like Kelly, he had no handouts from us until dinner was over and dishes were washed at put away.  This also helped with him being underfoot during "rush hour."

Then we started remodeling one room or another (including the kitchen) and as a result, we began eating in different areas of the house.  As we pushed into other rooms with our food and food smells, Jasper began to show an increasing interest in our food.  He didn't start all-out begging until recently, when we started feeding him people food; but if you look at the pattern, the dog out of the room was the best situation for all of us (including the dog). 

[GR8DAME]

I crated trained all my dogs a puppies, and during mealtimes, that is where they went. When the crates went away, their crate pads stayed in that spot, and they had so stay on the crate pad during meals. Now I can move their pads anywhere in the kitchen and that is where they go until the humans are done eating. Afterwards (like in any pack, the dominent eat first)they have their meal.
As for counter surfing, well I have a dane, and he will not stay off the counters. I have tried every trick in the book, and a few that are really harsh--like baited set mousetraps. We have had some battles!(Picture a 40 year old vertically challanged, horizontally gifted woman dragging a 130 LB Great Dane out from under the kitchen table by his tail, as he frantically tries to make a frozen 6 lb roast disappear that I had left out on the counter to thaw!) The only solution that I have found that actually works is not to leave anything out on the counters that is remotely tempting when I am not in there to supervise. The tail incident convince him that stealing when I was in the room is a no-win situation, LOL.
Stella

[Kelly89084]

The tail incident convince him that stealing when I was in the room is a no-win situation, LOL.
Stella

Ok, what did I miss there?

BTW, I'm now rethinking ever getting a GD.  lol

[longshadowfarms]

Stella, your story was too funny!  I'll note that when we had a Pyr in the house, I used to thaw meat on top of the fridge    I never won the counter surf war with him either.  The Labs are short enough that it isn't quite the battle. 

[GR8DAME]

The tail incident convince him that stealing when I was in the room is a no-win situation, LOL.
Stella

Ok, what did I miss there?

BTW, I'm now rethinking ever getting a GD.  lol

(Picture a 40 year old vertically challanged, horizontally gifted woman dragging a 130 LB Great Dane out from under the kitchen table by his tail, as he frantically tries to make a frozen 6 lb roast disappear that I had left out on the counter to thaw!)

Longshadowfarm s,
I tried the top of the fridge and woke up at 3 am to some strange noises, and Merlin, standing on the counter with his nose buried in the loaf of homemade bread that I had stored up there. If I have to leave something out to thaw, I leave it in the microwave with the door shut. It takes a bit longer, but Merlin has not figured out how to open the door....yet.

Kelly 89084,
I wouldn't trade my dane for anything, he is by far the most fun dog I have ever had. But they do come with their own unique set of challanges, LOL.In defense of the breed, I have know people whose danes never touched a thing on the counters.
Stella
 

[shangrila]

You have already recived some good advice. The most important things you can do are to make sure to establish your dominance, and work on some basic commands. As mentioned already, "go lay down" (or some other variation where you send them to a certain spot) and "leave it". But I highly suggest that you do not just teach "leave it", but also teach "take it". It is important that they learn a command for when they can have something, not just when they can't have it. Once "leave it" and "take it" are well learned, you should find that he will automatically leave things alone until you say "take it" instead of going after anything that you haven't said "leave it" about.

[Kelly89084]

(Picture a 40 year old vertically challanged, horizontally gifted woman dragging a 130 LB Great Dane out from under the kitchen table by his tail, as he frantically tries to make a frozen 6 lb roast disappear that I had left out on the counter to thaw!)

Kelly 89084,
I wouldn't trade my dane for anything, he is by far the most fun dog I have ever had. But they do come with their own unique set of challanges, LOL.In defense of the breed, I have know people whose danes never touched a thing on the counters.
Stella
 

Sorry, that's what I get for reading too fast.    Your post isn't the only reason I'm rethinking getting a GD.  After dealing with Holly's clinginess, I would much rather have an independant dog next time around.  I already have two sons and a hubby stuck to me 24/7 and now Holly.  I don't think I could handle another.