Socks do get STUCK!!! 6 week UPDATE

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

 

Well, we are 6 weeks out from our viligent observation and training of Bella's sock fetish and I have to report she has been passing with flying colors!!! We have set her up repeatedly to try to catch her and time after time, she just looks at the sock, sometimes sniffs very quickly, and walks away. She doesnt usually know we are watching, and I have taken to leaving the clean clothes in the laundry basket again when we aren't home and DH and I have all matching pairs of socks with every load.

 

We are thrilled and we have progressed now into training to include not eating tissue out of the waste baskets in the guest bathrooms.  I am doing the same training, rewarding her when she stops a few feet from the basket so that she doesn;t even get close enough to inhale one before I get to her.

So, she's doing well in the sock department, however, has taken to counter surfing. Geez, I guess training is never really done!!!

I think everyone pretty much knows my Bella has a fetish for all things NON-food, but socks, little pairs of grandson's socks in particular, are by far her favorite snack.

The pair usually pass pretty easily, quickly and without much fanfare.

 Except today. No, nothing needing going to the Vet for. Just some minor assistance from me. Ofcourse, where is DH when you need him?

Bella was outside for quite awhile this morning. She is allowed out by herself when I have secured the area of lingering poops, as I just had earlier. After 20 minutes or so, I decided she'd been out enough and went to call her and found her dragging her little but on the brick pavers. Something she never has done before.

FIrst thought....anal glands, darn! Nah, she poops like a horse, can't be!!! Well, upon closer examination, I see a pretty good sized poopy bundle hanging from her bottom, with the visable signs of sock in the package. She shook, rolled, swung her hips, layed down to try to pull it out herself, but it was STUCK!!! Oh dear. Dr Mom to the rescue. However there are no nurses hand gloves in close proximity! What's a mom to do? Gotta get this out for her before she starts rolling all over in it! Not to mention, the poor look on her face was just screaming "Help me Mommy!"

I grab a towel, reach down and pull! And pull, and pull and about 18 inches later, out comes the whole deal!

Now I ask you, is this something that can be classified as going Above and Beyond the call of Doodle mommy Duty? 

Sorry, no pictures, and aren't you glad???

So we are a week into training Bella to "Leave" socks alone and I think yesterday she validated just how smart she is. During the day of doing laundry, there were no less than 3 times that a sock had fallen on the floor unattended by us.

One in the laundry room, that I know I had not been in since I emptied the dryer several hours beforehand and she had been in and out of several times. When I saw the sock still there, I casually called her to me, ignored the sock to see what she would do. She did walk over to it and stayed about a foot away, stopped, looked up and then walked away!!! I didn't say a word to stop her but praised her up and down. 

 She did this in the bedroom also with DH's socks later in the day when she acknowledged them on the floor, but stayed about a foot away and turned and left the room. That would NEVER have happened a week ago and I have to say, we really only practiced this maybe for 3 days. I still don't trust her 100% nor will I knowingly leave socks down yet, but this is a big improvement and I guess a habit that can be trained out of them. Thought you'd all like to know!

[Susan and Sasha]

Wow!  Great News Sue!

What A Smart Girl You Are Bella!!

Thanks for the update...

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Hi all, wanted to share the good report of Bella and the sock training we've been doing.

[Adina P]

Is your sock training here in this discussion somewhere?  I picked up no less than NINE poops with socks a week or two ago...Boca has discovered baby and toddler socks!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Not really in any depth. I do what I've always done, clicker train at first with treats. I started with putting a sock on the floor, watching her come into the room and when she got within a few feet I clicked and said leave it. I didn't want her even getting close as she inhales them before I can reach her even a few feet from me. I gradually stopped the clicker, just leave it and treats, and then gradually stopped the treats. I practiced with her almost daily and then started being further away from her and watched if she even looked like she was headed towards it or thinking about going to the sock. Then started testing her by leaving socks on the floor in rooms I wasn't in to see if she'd do it without being reminded or when I wasn't there and she has. I still don't think she'd be 100% "cured" if they were left out all day while we were gone. Not there yet, but when her last pair got stuck and I pulled it out, DKers suggested training, and since I do all my own, I just do what's always worked for me. Hope that helps.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Atta girl, Bella!! Isn't it a great feeling when you see them respond so well to your training? Not to mention having matching socks again!!!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yes, I am liking the matching socks especially.

[Shelley Rockefeller]

oh my!!!I thought my Doodle Sampson was the only dog ever with a sock fetish(or any fabric),,while reading your post I laughed thinking "This is my Sammy"..we have also ecountered some Pretty Colourful Poops..We keep a close eye on him especially during Laundry...

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yes, I have to admit, I've never had to be so observant of poop before Bella. But it's like a Cracker Jack box, you are always looking for the prize.

[Terra and Max]

We had a middle of the night emergency vet visit with Max last year for this exact problem. Just it wasn't a sock...it was one of my knee highs. 5 hours and $850 dollars later we were on poop patrol waiting for it to pass. It was rather comical when my son called me while I was in a meeting frantic cause the nylon was hanging out of Max and he didn't know what to do. My response of "walk up behind him and pull it" generated some quizzical looks. I am now much more cognizant of where I leave them cause he definitely has a fetish for them.