I need some help!
So, I have a 8 month old baby and a 7 month old corglet. Lately the corgi has decided that all the tasty things my son eats is hers. She's even started taking them right out of his hands. It just happened a minute ago. The baby was fussy and eating a rice cake in my lap. I look away for 2 seconds and Ein pops up and takes it right out of his hands. Thus sending him into a screaming fit and making my husband very angry. She's getting so bad with the food stuff. She tries to steal my daughters snack as well when she eats watching TV or playing. Anything I can do to teach the puppy to stop stealing my kids' food? I'm tired of the constant reprimanding, redirection, ect and it's becoming very stressful.I get that Ein is a puppy, but it's one of the few things she does that truly is very bad. Thank you for your help!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ludi on
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Does Ein know "leave it" and "drop it"? How is her general obedience training (good manners) coming along? I understand with a newborn that it is difficult to juggle both a puppy and the baby, but it is crucial that Ein learn these things NOW instead of becoming an unruly adult.
There's loads of videos on Youtube to teach "leave it" and "drop it". Corgis are clever dogs, but they are generally driven by food. I suggest for the time being that you install a baby gate to keep Ein out of the area where your child will be eating. It is a very bad idea to mix babies/children, dogs, and food as if food guarding develops in the dog, the baby may end up being nipped or worse. Generally speaking you'll want to restrict Ein's interaction with your baby w.r.t. feeding time until you've worked your way up to her being able to "leave it" under all circumstances. Be safe!
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Permalink Reply by Andrea on
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Well, Ein has gone through puppy class already. She is OK with leave it and great with sit, stay, and wait. We're also working on her come, stay, and "got to bed" commands. We'll be starting our next round of puppy class in a few weeks, but it's atrick pre agility class. We may do it along with the intermediate puppy class.
As for the other suggestions, we can't just make the toddler eat at the table. We don't have a table for her to eat at. We use a folding table since we don't have tons of room. We will start putting Ein on a leash or in her xpen while we eat meals and such though. I'll start working on her leave it and go to bed commands more so that Ein will leave my poor baby alone while he eats his nom noms. I don't like Ein's new motto of "Taking candy from a baby".
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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You have two babies at the same time so this will take quite a bit of work on your part to correct it. First off I would enroll in obedience with your puppy. It is the same as with children, if they don't learn rules and boundaries, they become tyrants! A leash in the house being dragged around will help you control her while she is learning basic commands. The most effect way to keep a pup from stealing food is to have the child only eat at the table or high chair and make that area off limits for the dog. Many puppies (and adult corgis) have huge appetites so this training goes against their basic instincts. I never allow my dogs to be near us when we are eating. They can watch but must be far away. Now that my kids are grown my husband has retrained them to be right on him, but that is another matter(spouses are much harder to train). Teaching a good stay and leave it at this age is very important. I teach sit and always make them sit before they receive a meal or treat. I also teach a "watch it" command to insure that I can get their attention. Hold a treat in your hand up by your eye and say "Watch or look", as soon as the puppy looks you in the eye give a treat with your other hand (puppy must be sitting while you do this), practice this regularly and you will have a dog that will look at you immediately even when they are focused on something else. Until her training is farther along I would put her in another room or tie her up in the house when the baby is eating.Would your husband be willing to do the classes too? It would help him realize how to work with a baby (puppy) without getting angry.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Bev wrote exactly what I was going to write: "The most effect way to keep a pup from stealing food is to have the child only eat at the table or high chair and make that area off limits for the dog" I've had a lifetime of multiple dogs, children and granchildren and have never had any problems because that has been a FIRM RULE in our house, all the way up to the teenagers! It has the extra benefit of avoiding food and dirty hands all over the house and furniture. With a high chair, I would place a plastic tablecloth under it and clean it up well, as well as cleaning tray and hands before the child was removed. Only then could the dogs approach the area. My dogs are not allowed around the table or under it anytime there is food involved, they lay down at a respectable distance. If you are consistent about this rule, it will serve you very well.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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It takes a lot of very diligent work to train a dog not to take food that is so easy to grab and it's a lot to ask of a seven-month-old. She is not being "bad"; she is responding to her instincts as a forager to get easy food where she can. I hope that you and your husband won't get angry at the puppy because she is not doing something that instincts tell her is wrong.
Confining her away from the baby when the baby eats is the kindest thing for everyone.
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Andrea, That is great that you have been in classes and will do more! It is important since not having your human baby eat food at a table isn't practical for you that Ein learn to go away from the baby while she is eating. Practice giving your baby food while Ein has a leash on, when she focuses on the food use the watch me command to get her attention and give her a treat away from the baby. I used to have our family dog when my kids were little trained to "go to your place". He had a safe rug in the kitchen where my kids were not allowed to bother him. I used it when people came to the door so he would not be overwhelmingly friendly (big dog) and if he was being too pushy with the kids. Give whatever words you want to use and take her to the spot with the leash and give a very nice treat (chicken,small hot dog pieces) while saying stay. Practicing this randomly will teach Ein to like that spot and go there when you tell her to. Ein probably still sees your daughter as a litter mate and feels that she is entitled to take things. Your training and consistently applied rules will teach her at this critical age to respect your daughter. Remain patient because Ein is still learning the rules and boundaries. Remember to release Ein from the stay when eating is done.
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