In need of dog behavioral advice.

[86121]

I have golden retrievers that "collect" unique items. Because I don't want to discourage their retrieving of items I just praise them big when they bring me whatever they find ( usually clothing, shoes, remotes, cordless phone, cell phone, pop bottles, vacuum cleaner attachments) and put it up out of reach. I also daily remove the treasures from the dog's beds. I would suggest the scat mat and just putting everything up or away. This is why my salt shaker is in the microwave and my shoes are hung up in the closets
Aprille

I wish he would bring them to me :/
He just collects them all in a pile and either sits on them or chews on them. I wish he would bring them to me Lol!

 

[DuckyLou]

Have you taught him the "leave it" and "drop it" commands? Also if he likes to chew try getting him an Elk Antler, they last forever and maybe he would stay preoccupied with it, you can order them online. Another thought would be (if you haven't already done this) make him his own basket of odd things that you don't care that he has and when he goes to get something of yours tell him to drop it, leave it and take him to "his" basket of odd items. Give him a "place" teach him his place and what he can have when he is on his place. You may have already tried these things..... Hope you can get him to carry around and chew on his own things!!!

 

[86121]

Have you taught him the "leave it" and "drop it" commands? Also if he likes to chew try getting him an Elk Antler, they last forever and maybe he would stay preoccupied with it, you can order them online. Another thought would be (if you haven't already done this) make him his own basket of odd things that you don't care that he has and when he goes to get something of yours tell him to drop it, leave it and take him to "his" basket of odd items. Give him a "place" teach him his place and what he can have when he is on his place. You may have already tried these things..... Hope you can get him to carry around and chew on his own things!!!

We have elk antlers already. Bones don't work with him. He knows the basic Leave it command which is a firm "AH-AT!"
He will wait for us not to be looking before he goes and gets it. Though ever since yesterday when I flung a pillow at him for stealing the phone he seems to have left at least that alone.
I'm trying the "Make a huge fuss and sound like he just tried to rip up a 100$ bill" technique every time he steals something. (No throwing things is not apart of it, this was the first and last time the pillow will go airborne)
Also with the warm coming back he seems to be happy collecting sticks outside more then the odd things in the backyard.
Perhaps turning this into a game of some sort might be a good idea. Any tips? Never had to train a dog like this before.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I don't know if i can offer any help or not. I've never had a sight hound that would fetch or carry. But I have owned a lot of sight hounds and I think you will get a lot further with polite requests.

My sight hounds have always complied with polite requests, but give them an order and they stare off into the distance and ignore you.

With my collector GSD, I had her bringing me things all day long. it was vocabulary building, not an attempt to stop her from collecting. But she loved it, and it did teach her to bring me any treasure she found. Bring me your spinning bowl, bring me Daddy's socks, bring me your squeaky squirrel, go get in Daddy's chair........ It kept her busy and burning off energy.

Then, if she had something she shouldn't, I would "trade" for it. No disappointment. I would just say, oh, you don't want that. Come here and trade. Then I would praise her for the new item and start a new game with her.

She would choose one family member and collect all their small items after we went to bed. It taught the child to pick up after himself if he didn't want to retrieve his things from the dog's bed in the morning. Just one person per night, but we all got a turn. I never tried to stop her, but if I'd wanted to stop her, I would have crated her at night.

She did learn "leave it". That training is done on-leash.

Puppies tend to grow out of chewing. None of my sight hounds liked to chew on hard items, and that might be some of your issue. The pup needs to chew, but needs something soft to chew on.

 

[86121]

I don't know if i can offer any help or not. I've never had a sight hound that would fetch or carry. But I have owned a lot of sight hounds and I think you will get a lot further with polite requests.

My sight hounds have always complied with polite requests, but give them an order and they stare off into the distance and ignore you.

With my collector GSD, I had her bringing me things all day long. it was vocabulary building, not an attempt to stop her from collecting. But she loved it, and it did teach her to bring me any treasure she found. Bring me your spinning bowl, bring me Daddy's socks, bring me your squeaky squirrel, go get in Daddy's chair........ It kept her busy and burning off energy.

Then, if she had something she shouldn't, I would "trade" for it. No disappointment. I would just say, oh, you don't want that. Come here and trade. Then I would praise her for the new item and start a new game with her.

She would choose one family member and collect all their small items after we went to bed. It taught the child to pick up after himself if he didn't want to retrieve his things from the dog's bed in the morning. Just one person per night, but we all got a turn. I never tried to stop her, but if I'd wanted to stop her, I would have crated her at night.

She did learn "leave it". That training is done on-leash.

Puppies tend to grow out of chewing. None of my sight hounds liked to chew on hard items, and that might be some of your issue. The pup needs to chew, but needs something soft to chew on.

Pardon? I have not said or done anything rude so what was the cause of your reply? *edit* Oh you mean the dog, woops XD

And another Edit:

I used to show Whippets and now they have evolved into Greyhounds, so I know a lot about them like you. However the normal training techniques that I've always used aren't working.
The "polite" request that your referring to is normally what ALWAYS works, but with him he walks all over me when I do. If I don't get firm and almost angry with him he will ignore me and just continue with his task.
It is the most bazaar thing I have ever encountered. Hes more like a Beagle then a greyhound Stubborn, hard headed, and selectively deaf.
The trading only half works, though I will keep at it, as he will spit it out and then wait when I'm not looking and go right back to stealing it. You ever see a Greyhound jump onto the counter to reach a phone? Hes obsessed!!! I'm seriously stumped.
Though I did purchase a scat mat, so for today the phone is safe.

So, basically the main advice is to keep up with the trade and verbal training? I'm sure I can do that.
Thank you!

 

[MBagel]

I have a aussie/pit mix that collected things horribly and kept it all in one place, my sons clothes he pulled out of the hamper, fiances socks, and my bras to. When we moved he became a outside dog and started collecting things like sticks, any type of bottle, all his dog toys are always in a pile. We got him a friend and slowly he has quit collecting things. Maybe your dog is just in need of something to keep him busy. Keep in mind it just might be your dog is OCD (that really happens). I hope you get it figured out!

 

[86121]

I have a aussie/pit mix that collected things horribly and kept it all in one place, my sons clothes he pulled out of the hamper, fiances socks, and my bras to. When we moved he became a outside dog and started collecting things like sticks, any type of bottle, all his dog toys are always in a pile. We got him a friend and slowly he has quit collecting things. Maybe your dog is just in need of something to keep him busy. Keep in mind it just might be your dog is OCD (that really happens). I hope you get it figured out!

That might be the issue I think, the OCD.
Ive gotten a few good training ideas to try though, so hopefully they will end up working.
Were going to start taking him for daily walks around the town common in hopes that the new and different will help work his brain.

 

[RHRanch]

I think you need to make sure this dog knows what thigs are his to play with and which isn't. When he grabs something in your presence that he shouldn't, squirt him with a squirt gun and say "no" every time. Make sure to give him his own toys. He probably would like kongs stuffed with peanut butter. When you can't supervise him, crate him with a kong or similar toy.

 

[86121]

I think you need to make sure this dog knows what thigs are his to play with and which isn't. When he grabs something in your presence that he shouldn't, squirt him with a squirt gun and say "no" every time. Make sure to give him his own toys. He probably would like kongs stuffed with peanut butter. When you can't supervise him, crate him with a kong or similar toy.

Lol he collected the squirt bottle last time we did that.
But in all seriousness I think I have fixed the issue. I turned it into a game like many sugested, and rewarded him when he brought the items to me. After once or twice of this, he figured out that he would get a treat. So now he collects everything once a day, and appears to actually be slowing down with it. Its no longer constent and hes always bring them to someone.
Now all he collects is the teddy bears on the couches (I dont blame him)
So, thank you everyone for your advice It seems to have worked!