Does anyone else have problems with their corgis taking things that don't belong to them and refuse to give them back? Oppy is almost 7 months old now, and if he decides he wants something, and he actually gets it in his mouth, good luck getting it back any time soon. Corgis are so quick that it takes me and Hilliary a couple minutes to corner him and take back whatever it is he's stolen. What's even worse is that recently he's starting grabbing things off our desks when we're in the bathroom or kitchen. He's already ruined my headphones by eating the padding off of them, and just this morning I found Hilliary's camera case on the floor (luckily he didn't get inside it, it's just held shut by a magnet). We used to punish him by shooting him with a little squirt gun (similar to the squirt bottle), but he doesn't seem to be affected by it much anymore. I don't know what to do, it's making it hard to trust him, especially now that he's getting a little older and we were hoping to start leaving him out of his crate little by little when we weren't around.

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Thanks, that all makes sense.
Whoops, two other things I forgot to mention:

1) Jack was not fully broken of stealing things til he was approaching a year and a half old, and
2) Outside of the initial lure-based training, the ONLY time I would offer the food FIRST to entice the dog to "leave it" would be if the dog has something dangerous, such as a big ol' candy bar or a sharp object. He should not "leave it" because you offered a treat; he should get the treat because he willingly left it. Again, the exception is the initial lure-based training of the command, and any time doggie is in danger.

And of course, at 7 months training sessions should still be very short. Once he understands the command, I would practice daily, or maybe a few times a day, but never more than 2 or 3 repetitions at a time.
I posted this on the Spoiled Rotten Corgi group page. I think it applies to what you are saying...

If I like it, it's mine.
If it's in my mouth, it's mine.
If I can take it from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
If I think it's mine, it's mine.

Twinkie loves her toys, the other dogs' toys, my kids' stuff and all other things less than 18 inches off the ground! Have fun!
I am sure he will grow out of some of this behavior....but I know it is very annoying when they go through these it's all mine phases. You might have to keep him kenneled I to was resitant to this and as a result had to live with some deviant behavors until they grew out of there chewing the carpet behavior....YAH I said chewing holes the carpet....HAHAHAHAHA
Ella (age 1) is a sock stealer. The second a sock is left unattended, she will sneak by and grab it. The sock and her will usually end up under the table or under our bed. Paper is also a problem, especially toilet paper, the bathroom door now stays closed when we aren't home. One day when I came home from work there was a line of toilet paper strung from the bathroom through two rooms and ending in the kitchen (and she didn't tear it off the roll, it was all still attached).
Oh yes and cords (like phone or computer ones) no longer go anywhere near the floor anymore. In the 4 months that she's been with us, I have lost count of the things she has chewed. Now she owns lots of chew toys.
Heather
I found six $20 bills hidden in Al's crate when I vacuumed this week. Now I know why my wife's been criticizing my spending habits for the past 6 months. He took Gwynnie's cell phone, too.
I'd thought he was just a ball hog.
Beth, that was really, really good! Thanks for taking the time (I'm sure it took awhile) to type that up for us.

John, you never fail to crack me up. Thanks :)
I just grab one of Bear's squeaky toys, squeak it a few times and he drops whatever he's got and comes running.

At first he would stand by the dryer while I was pulling out clothes, hoping for a find...now, he still sits there, but when something falls out, I just growl a "no." And he leaves it.
Shelby likes to steal hair bands, toilet paper rolls and especially my shoes. When I get home she waits for me to take off
my shoes and will grab one them in her mouth and takes off with it. She likes when I chase her to get my shoes from her.
When Shelby wants an extra treat somedays she will steal my hair bands (which she knows I dont want her to have b/c she
might swallow them) and she will come sit right in front of me with it hanging from her mouth, I tell her to drop it right away for a treat and she does...
Ah yes, entering the teenage stage. Sounds like this is a young active fellow that has learned how to get your attention and play the chase game. May I suggest prevention as the first mode of training. Yep, sometimes we have to change our lifestyle a bit to make sure our little pals dont ruin some of our favorite things. Training will play a part as well. I think this boy needs more of an outlet for his physical and mental energies. I feel you would do well to start playing retrieve games with him with some of his own toys. As he learns the game you will incorporate him dropping or gently giving the toy back to you. Having a second toy on hand is often a good trade off. Do not chase him....if he doesnt bring it back find something else to throw. Many corgis love the game of chase. By taking part you are fulfilling his need. When he gets the retrieving part done then start adding sits, downs and other commands to make him "earn" the game. You will be amazed at how quickly they will learn. Good luck!
When Jack was maybe about six months old, I started teaching him the names of his toys, starting with his then-favorite (now destroyed) toy, his puppy Nylabone Keys. If he was getting into mischief, after I'd stop him I'd say "Are you bored? Where are your keys? Get your keys?" And he'd trot off merrily to find them. That sort of taught him that if he was going stir crazy and wanted to play, he had an appropriate way to let me know; he'd bring his favorite toy. It was better than actually giving him a toy to replace what he was trying to get at, in that it made him be the one who went off searching for a toy instead of me being the searcher.

Keys are dead and now he uses his rings for the same purpose. Even though he rarely actually plays with the rings, if he wants to play generally he will disappear and show up a few minutes later, with his rings in his mouth and a glint in his eye.
My Callie would do that with socks. Even though she still likes to steal the socks I can get them away from her easier now that she is older.

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