03/18/2026
Have a dog who likes to steal things?
Instead of yelling/grabbing them and reaching in their mouth, consider a game of “Naughty Dog”!
Start with a toy* and have some fun acting like they shouldn’t have it!
Make a game of it so they learn not to run away or “guard” and they learn to eventually offer it up so you can play more!
When they start to understand the “game”, they’re less likely to hide/guard or ingest a “stolen item” as quickly as they can and will begin to give those items back to you - at which point you can switch out for something safe!
Here, Drogo started out thinking I was going to take the stick - instead of running to hide, he gets to play, then happily gave me the stick. (We often played this with tennis balls while he was at the shelter, so he has learned to bring me a toy.)
Sometimes it’s fun to just feel a little naughty!! 😈
*(teach the game with safe items so the behavior becomes learned before trying with something that could be harmful to your dog - if your dog has not learned to give something back, start with trading for a high value treat, THEN get a safe toy to play)
