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!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Sue you did the right thing to help your girl and you're right it is so GROSS! Been there done THAT!!! 

I'm glad the socks finally came through but I agree with the other posters that it could at some point become a life threatening situation for her!!  I hope you can find a training method to help her past this challenge! I think you have gotten some good suggestions here. I wish you luck and hope it ends soon for all of your sakes!!

[Kyoko]

Oh, my....Good thing it came out!!!

[Stella]

You could consider leashing her to you any time you aren't able to watch her 100%.  That way she is not left to her own devices to go sock hunting!!

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

No, I hadn't considered that. Especially since she weighs about the size of a 10 year old kid ! I have started the "Leave it" training with the sock, clicker, treats and lots of loving technique that has always worked for me. She is a REALLY fast learner, and I have had just 3 sessions with her today and I have been looking at a pair of baby socks on the floor for the past 4 hours and she has only gotten close to one once. I am not saying she is cured, but it's a BIG step, because she usually inhales them before you even know it's gone.

Thanks for thinking of us though.

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

Today we had such good success with Bella leaving an otherwise irresistible pair of stinky socks alone! I was amazed. These were no ordinary socks. They were especially tempting as we are trying to potty train our little 2 yr old grandson and while he was running around in his pjs and socks he had a pee pee accident. So bottoms and socks were soaked. Grandma put them on the laundry room counter to be washed and
IttleEthan saw his pjs up there and since he loves to help grandma put things in the washer and dryer, he pulled them off the counter, but forgot to put them in the washer. So on the floor they sat. A while later I went back that way and there was one sock on the floor! " OH BELLA, DID YOU EAT A SOCK?". I scolded her and picked up the pjs and then found the other sock! Wow ,was I surprised. She had been in and out of the laundry room with Ethan, so I just assumed she is not nearly trained enough to leave it alone on her own! Especially a urine soaked flavored one! Way to go Bella!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Woo Hoo Bella!! Wonderful news Sue!  Who ever thought you would be thankful for a urine soaked sock? LOL!

It sounds like Bella's  training is coming along fabulously!

[BG and Gavin]

This is a GREAT success.  Shows us all what a little perseverence will do with this smart doods!

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

2 Days of training UPDATE:

So far we have been able to leave several pairs of socks strewn about the house with a LOT of attention from me to wait and ponce on either her NAUGHTY or NICE behavior. I have used "LEAVE IT" as she understands that and responds very quickly to that with most everything (but poop sometimes)

She gets treats or lots of smiles and loving when she stops midstream and leaves it alone. If she gets close enough to sniff there is no reward as she is so swift that I don;t want her even getting within tongue distance of one anymore.

I know this is an ongoing thing to train for as every sock has different scents and odors that she has found appealing, so we will continue. But for 2 days training, I'm feeling positive, as before this we just kept them off the floor as best we could and didn't really train or set a trap for her. I don't know why I wasn't more aggressive about this earlier. Just a doodle mom slip up I guess.

Thanks everyone!!! You helped set me back on the right track.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

What great news, and I really give you a lot of credit doing what's necessary to control this behavior.  Nice job, Sue!  Hopefully doing this training now will avoid any serious problems in the future.

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

I'm thinking so. SHe is such a fast learner!  Has been about everything we have ever taught her, (except poop eating ofcourse :)) so this really was MY problem of NOT training enough. The huge sock dingleberry really was an eye opener though. Thanks Jane.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

HaHaHa, we all need those "eye openers".  It took Murph trying to attack a poor innocent jogger for me to get serious about his training.

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

That would do it for me too. The thought of one of them hurting a person or even another dog is so nerve racking at times. I don't think anyone can say they know 100% what their dog will do in some situations, but at least with training, we minimize the danger.