why does my pitbull keep taking my things into his cage?

hey guys, im new to the forum and have a question.. My boyfriend has a 5 yr old pitbull named Jaws (hes the nicest pit in the world, constantly gets beat up by my 3 pound chiwawa and does nothing about it) and he keeps taking our stuff!!

Alot of people have said he has seperation anxiety, but this isnt just when were not home.. Aside from this, he takes the strangest things! He takes our shoes, and clothes but aside from this he takes my tv remote control, my keys, my ciggerettes and even my cell phone twice!!! Pretty much anything he can hop up on the counter and grab with his paws! lol

Lastly, my boyfriend just lets him takes his shoes and what not because he never eats them, but for some reason all my shoes end up being teething toys..

Does anyone know why he takes our stuff, why he EATS my shoes and possibly how to stop it?

 

this is my jaws lol





he swiped this full pizza getting read to go in the oven off the counter lol

 

Sounds like he's possessive of your boyfriend and destroys your shit out of possible jealousy. Spiteful type scenario. Just a different look at it from how you explained it. Some of these dogs can just be down right straight up assholes lol. I'd correct the action by using a chain spot.

Did you both raise this dog or are you newer to this dogs world?

 

I'm just joking by the way about the chain spot. For your remedy anyway, I myself would really correct it that way.

 

my boyfriend has had him since he was 5 weeks old and i have been in the picture for 2 years now. he wasnt this bad when we first stred dating but now its getting worse. last night he took the remote from me as im watching tv and my flip flop. when he is upstairs with us if we dont let him sleep between us he starts taking my pillow to bring down to his cage.

 

its not even just my stuff, if i have nothing out he starts taking blankets, pillows,all the stuffed animals, the food container from our brearded dragon, etc. when i go to take it back from him he puts his head down and looks so sad so i feel like he knows he did wrong but we cant get him to stop,

 

He's a dog. He's taking it cause he wants to and ur not stopping him. Be it jealousy or just spite who knows but until u stand up and own the dog he is gonna own u.


Shotgun
Arkansas

 

what do u mean by stand up? as soon as i see grab something i go take it right back out but he doesnt give up

 

he takes Evrything. if my boyfriend leaves his shoes or clothes out he takes them too thats why i dont think hes jealous of the relationship. 3 days ago i came downstairs and he was sleeping with my boyfriends boxers lol.. he doesnt rip anything up except my heels and flip flops, everything he just colects in his cage and when i go to take it away or my boyfriend he growls but thats it. He gets so mean looking but he doesnt bite or try to bite , we take it right out of his mouth

 

Just correct the damn dog when he tries to take things. If you are watching TV and I come up and snatch the remote from you and take it with me are you gonna ask a forum for help? Probably not, and it will probabably piss you off a bit. I'm sure you could explain to me that you were watching TV. Explain it to the dog.

 

i get up and take it right away no matter what he takes, we correct right there and then but he doesnt stop, as soon as u take it away he goes around the house looking for other things

 

im asking for suggestions because obviously everyone on here has a dog and i figured they would be able to give me ideas because when he grabs something and u tell him no, he lets it go but he just goes somewhere else looking for something else to take, i have 3 dogs and hes the only one that doesnt stop. i dont know how to stop him from taking things

 

This is my experience with my pup. He is 1. He loves to steal all my daughters stuffed toys or pillows. We have been working on a drop command when as soon as he drops what he has in his mouth he gets rewarded with a treat or another toy of his that he can play with. It is getting to where as soon as he has something he stole I can say drop it and he will exchange for something of his. He used to love to run with the toys in his mouth so you had to chase him. Also does your boy get a lot of exercise? I know when I dont tire Willie out enough he is a real pain in the ass to deal with.

 

i will try that out thank you. yes he does, we take him out alot at the track down the road becasue its closed in a he gets to run on his own for miles. everyone keeps telling me he has anxiety but i dont believe it because its while we are home too. about an hour ago he took my daughters sippy cup and wouldnt let go of it for me to take back so i grabed a treat and he took the treat inorder for me to tak it back BUT as soon as he ate his treat he went right back for it.

 

Kick the damn thing every time he grabs something of yours and put him outside. He'll get the idea. Every dog is different and telling it no in a soft tone and playing thug getting it out of its mouth probably dont do any good. If it doesnt respect your stuff doesnt belong in the house just the way i see it.

 

Look, if you reward a dog with a treat every time it drops something it will continue to pick things up so it can drop them for a treat.

Second, the reason dogs do this is because they are bored. The dog now has in its mind that if it grabs something you will pay attention. Now, I know dog's grab things and chew them randomly but this situation is clearly beyond that.

I don't know how much physical and mental stimulation the dog is getting? I would think about increasing it.

Sleeping in your bed, between you?

 

Well I wouldnt let him pick up the item again. I would distract with a game of tug with his own toys or do some OB with him. You might have to give him a correction, leave his collar on and keep a leash attached to it so you can correct him. try to catch him before he even has it in his mouth. it is a lot of mointering but you could crate him when you cant watch him. every dog is different and this works for me and my situation.

 

Well hopefully you can wean off the treats or the reward but everybody's dog is different and people's training levels vary. Def. agree with the exercise increase. There is nothing better then a tired dog.

 

I missed the sleeping between you two part. You and your hubby need to set some boundaries. The dog clearly doesnt know his place or his rank in the chain of comman. Stop treating it as lover would be a good start too.