Our 8 month old rottie loves to steal socks. We thought it was kind of funny (but annoying) until he swallowed one over Thanksgiving and it took a trip to the emergency vet to get him to expel it. Now we are working with him to get him to leave them alone.

We are currently putting socks on the floor, and when he goes to them we give a "leave it" command which we've been working for a long time. This doesn't seem to be working all that well - he does what we ask and gets a reward (treat or pets) for dropping or ignoring the sock, but his urge to play with them doesn't seem much diminished and we've been doing this for a couple of weeks.

The only thing we've found that works for negative reinforcement is Bitter Apple. Just seeing the bottle is usually enough, but if not then a squirt in the mouth instantly stops whatever he is doing. Should we be using negative reinforcement rather than the "leave it" command over and over? What is the best way to get him to leave socks and other such things alone?

Thanks in advance for your help everyone, this board is great!

If he hates bitter apple... why not leave "baited" socks lying around? (Spray it with bitter apple and leave it in a tempting location). Likely your dog is smart enough not to take a sock when you are looking... so ... bait a sock and leave the dog alone with it - you KNOW he will try and take the sock and get a bad taste!

I would do this for at least a month - the dog will probably try "just one more" - and if every sock tastes bad - he should stop.

Make sure he has other toys to play with instead too!

What other toys does he like to play with?

I would make sure all socks are picked up and even close doors to rooms you do not want him to have access to. Or tether him to you so that you can correct unwanted behavior.

A rolled up towel may be one solution, but I would not let him have it on his own. Only when you want to play and then you make sure to end the game and put the toy away.

Is he crate trained? If you are doing something to where you cannot watch him, give him a safe toy to keep him busy and put him in his crate.

I agree w/Carol. My pup would do almost anything to chew on a shoe or boot. So, we just don't leave our shoes and boots laying where he can reach them. Problem solved. But I have 3 small kids, so I have to pick my battles w/the pup. Maybe it's worth it to you to tempt him w/a baited sock, and just teach him to leave them alone. If so, good luck!

Also, please don't use a squirt of bitter apple in the mouth as a correction. Bitter apple getting into his eyes could cause severe irritation. Couple that risk with the fact that it is extremely difficult to time a correction with a spray bottle closely enough to make it even remotely effective, and you'll quickly see that bitter apple is a dangerous and ineffective training tool.

I'm sure a well intentioned trainer suggested this, instead of a physical correction, but the simple fact is that a well administered leash correction has a much lower chance of hurting your dog (almost none) than a spritz of bitter apple in his face.

I'd do as others have suggested, spray down several different socks of different varieties. Let him get a taste. Couple that with what you're already doing (rewarding him for not touching socks) and you should see great success.

I agree with Carol and Kori though, an 8 month old puppy shouldn't have the freedom necessary to steal and eat a sock.

With that said, my dog has pooped a sock before. None of us is perfect, we all just do our best. But you might want to consider using the crate more, and keeping the pup tethered to you when he's free in the house.

 Quote: david eagle

With that said, my dog has pooped a sock before.

I used to be amazed at what came out of my dogs, and trying to figure out, "where the hell did they find that" became a common question.

Just when you think you are good at keeping an eye out.....

So I find myself scanning every room and the yards.

LOL... we raised a German Shepherd puppy for the Guide Dogs one time. That dog ate everything fabric that would fit down her gullet. Socks were a favourite as well as tea-towels, dish cloths, hair "scrunchies"... etc... We would *think* we had them put out of her reach, until we found them recycled in the yard or on the kitchen floor.

Reading your post has reminded me how lucky we were that they always came out again.