My Doodle steals a variety of foodstuffs!

[Marla Norton]

We confine Zoe to the family room, mudroom and kitchen when we are not home.  Notwithstanding her rather small size (25 lbs), she is quite the thief, stealing things from the island, counters and pantry, when the door is open.  Within the past 6 months, the items she has stolen and either eaten or distributed around the family room include the following: 

our parrotlet's birdfood (which does not digest as it travels through a dog's digestive tract)

a box of teabags, individual teabags ripped open and scattered about

1/2 a tub of Shedd's Spread (yuck)

an avocado (with no ill effects, notwithstanding its alleged toxicity)

a box of Kraft mac and cheese

a bag of apple cider donuts

several loaves of bread

a package of English muffins

a prime steak cooked with Montreal seasoning

a raw steak

numerous used feminine products (stolen from the bathroom trashcan certain times of the month)

a package of slivered almonds (also do not digest)

a head of broccoli (more shredded than eaten)

a package of loose tea

a package of pizza seasoning

dried beans

raw chicken breasts (did not seem to like these once distributed all over the family room rug)

a slice of pizza

a container of greek yogurt

strawberries

blueberries

1/2 a banana (left the skin)

a package of raisins

 

You would thing my family would learn to put stuff away in the fridge and not leave the pantry door open.  Sometimes we are merely in another room. 

 

Anyone else have a doodle that loves to steal?

 

 

[Adina P]

I think the cure for nagging is having stated rules and expectations and consequences for breaking of rules.  Now I am great at this with dogs, kind of suck at it with my own kids.  Because I want to give lots of chances and reminders and warnings.  But I find that as good as it makes me feel to give extra chances, reminders, warnings, it really doesn't help the situation or improve behavior much.  It just makes me into a nagging voice they ignore.  So my suggestion is to not only give convincing arguments for why they should do different, but actually make it a stated rule/expectation with clear and immediate consequences for the undesired behavior.  Is there a rule about not leaving food out, clearing the table, etc?  Are there clear consequences they are aware of?  Are you following through or just reminding and nagging?

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Marla - please understand that I am not being mean I only say this to keep Zoe safe.  IMHO it is time your 2 legged children pay consequences for leaving things out that Zoe can steal. Taking away the computer might help them remember to put things away before they get involved with their computer. A 15 year old knows right from wrong and about consequences.  It is your job to keep Zoe safe and if it means that your children 'hate' you for making them suffer the consequences for not following the rules, so be it. 

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Ops - hit the reply button too soon. Our newest, of 4, doodles Niña is a counter surfer - last night I cooked up chop meat that needed to be cooked or tossed out today. I left it in the pan on the stove to cool off, TG stove was off. When I went in to give it to them to my surprise 1/2 of it was gone! The 4 humans in the house at that time swear no one touched it. I can only surmise that it was Niña! But why only was 1/2 gone??? Guess that is something I will never know.

She likes to play with my garden gloves and has spread my garden tools all over the yard. I left my tool basket on top of the portable garden bench I have. She also 'helped' me open a bag of organic vegetable food also left on that bench. For Mother's Day my kids got me a long garden box so I have a nice looking place to store all these things. 

Every night before I go to sleep I make sure all the outside goodies (including my reading glasses, pens and phone chargers, Kindle, hand lotion!!!) are put away so in the morning when my eyes are still closed and all 4 doodles are playing outside I know that Ms. Helpful can't get hurt.