Springer Spaniel is a thief!!!

[eihpos]

My 9 month Springer cannot be trusted near food and steals at every opportunity.
Any ideas on how to stop her please??

[Jenga]

Don't you just tap them on the nose and say quite firmly "No". They usually get the message. I have only seen this on T.V so no dog expert. I do watch dog behaviour programmes so have learnt something.

[amsterdammer]

Yes. Keep food out of her reach. Most dogs are by nature, greedy, so your spaniel is no exception.
Be firm with her, no tidbits etc, Food only at her regular time,& dont allow visitors to feed her.

[YvonneM]

I have lost count of the things our 7 month old lab puppy has stolen Yorkshire puddings, loaf of bread, butter dish, sugar bowl carrots in the garden plus non edible things like hair brushes, slippers, wallpaper, door mat but do we love her Having had labs before we knew what to expect I am afraid the onus is on you to make sure everything is out of reach

[Solarjunkie]

If she is in crate when there is no-one near it won't happen.

Try putting a precarious stack of baking tins on the edge of the counter, with a bit of cheese on top.
The resulting crash should make her jump out of her skin and hopefully she should associate the shock with food stealing and do it less.

[~max~]

I don't have a dog, I have a cat, but she's only 6months, and a terrible thief too!!! I can't leave ANY food unattended, or she will go for it (yes, even carrots and brussel sprouts, the wee freak! lol). So, what I do is, whenever I catch her, I spray her with a little water. Now I don't even have to spray anymore, just grabbing the bottle sends her flying in the opposite direction! lol (mwahaha! makes me feel so in control, when I know that...ahem....she is in control and will be forever! lol)

That hasn't solved the problem of her stealing when I'm not there though....*sigh*

[hammerman]

You'll never stop a dog nicking food.....they're natural scavengers. We have to put our bin out of reach because our Springer will happily empty the contents and then drag it all to his bed....where he becomes VERY possessive over it.

Don't leave food out, never let your dog in the same room as you when you're eating and don't give him scraps.

I also never let the dog near the kitchen when i'm cooking either.

Springers aren't silly....but luckily they learn quickly. You'll need to be hard on him but he'll soon get the message

Good luck

[thugulike]

Not all dogs are thieves. My 7 month old English Mastiff can rest his head on the dining room table but has never touched anything although clearly, everything is in easy reach. I've had 2 previous mastiffs and 2 rotties and none of them stole food. Maybe I've just been lucky or maybe it's the breed. The bigger dogs don't seem so greedy or motivated by food. I will confess that he helps himself to fruit from the trees outside though. Does that count? He's taken plums, apples, pears, raspberries, and gooseberries and has scavenged walnuts which were on the ground. I'm not convinced that I'd be the winner if I dropped a banana on the floor either.