Food thief he chance is given.

[CabanaBayLife]

Hi Guys,

Any tips would be appreciated.

When ever we have any food our puppy will try snatching and jumping all over you to get it he is a 10 week old Whippet Boy and learning very well re training sit,lay stay etc with use of treats. How do I stop the food thief?? Thanks in advance.

[Winteriscomingneedmorewood]

The other day a Mner posted that her ddog got treats if he sat in his bed while they ate. . None otherwise.
Think it was a beagle and he caught on quick,!!

[BiteyShark]

When my dog was a puppy if we were eating at the table as soon as he jumped up he got told ‘off’ and if he did it again he got put in his crate until we had finished. We never ever fed him from the table ever so now he is older he just goes off to his bed as he associates our food time with boring sleep time.

When we eat on the sofa he gets shoved off if he attempts to sniff it etc but we only eat with him there now he is older and knows the rules.

[bluetongue]

A whippet you say? They are notorious thieves. My seven month is shocking and a counter surfer as well.

Will be stalking this thread

[Kursk]

My tip would be Tabasco sauce! Smother some food in it and let them steal it, after the first couple times they will stop.

[tinymeteor]

@Winteriscomingneedmorewood that was me!! I feel famous 

@CabanaBayLife if you're using a crate I'd put him in there for mealtimes as a chillout time and to avoid reinforcing the bad behaviour while he's young and has no impulse control. 10 weeks is very early days. Work on general obedience including the leave command. When he's ready for more advanced training, reward him for doing a set good behaviour instead of jumping up for food. With our greedy bastard beagle that's sitting in his bed, in sight of the kitchen table but not in reach. No sitting on the floor, nearby, no cruising under the table, no paws up on laps. Only being in his bed gets the food. He couldn't have done it in the first year though, I just had to remove him from the temptation.

[Frouby]

Yeah. Knew it would be a whippet.

My whippet is 6. She knows she shouldn't. She doesn't when I am there.

The dcs are at permanent risk of being mugged tho. Anything not at least 5ft up stands a chance of being whipped.

The only thing that works is crate or outside. She isn't so bad when we are all sat at the table and knows not to prowl around then. But if I leave the table apparently it means it's an invitation for her to sneak in.

We never feed from plates. Treats she has to work for. Her food is down in a seperate area.

[Wolfiefan]

We never eat in leaping range of my dog. Food is eaten at the table with the door closed.
We did the treating for lying quietly on her bed. It's great. Telling her to go to bed means be quiet on your bed. And there's the possibility of a treat. It's a positive thing. She's there now!

[CornflakeHomunculus]

A whippet you say? They are notorious thieves.

This! Just wait until he's big enough to jump onto your kitchen worktops/dining table...

Are you crate training him? If so popping him in can be a really good option, as long as he's completely happy being in there for a little bit with the door shut. You could also train him to settle on a bed, there's a really good on the subject.

Also try wearing him out with a good play and/or training session then feed him (and make sure he's been the toilet) just before you're going to eat. Usually they'll conk out for a sleep after that and you'll have a higher chance of being able to eat in peace.

[Winteriscomingneedmorewood]

I feel I must confess I put some onion skin on our table to deter our bloody pig rottweiler!!
Instead our Lurcher now binbag raids. . Her fav being empty marg tubs and tea bags!!

[SparklingRaspberry]

You should never place your dog in its crate out of punishment bitey

[Wolfiefan]

Haha at all the lurchers that can reach food to steal. NOTHING is left out here. EVER!

[CabanaBayLife]

Thank you for your tips do put him in his bed but then he cries, howls and barks then I start feeling guilty maybe need to be tougher. This is the little food thief!

[Wolfiefan]

Perhaps a stairgate? You get to eat. He can see you but can't get the food.

[CornflakeHomunculus]

If he's crying, howling and barking in his crate then definitely don't put him in there and you need to back up a bit on the crate training. It should never involve them being unhappy in there. The same applies to shutting a puppy anywhere, being separated from you should never come with any negative associations. This is a really excellent guide to crate training and also covers teaching your puppy to be happy being left.

I'd go for the wearing him out and feeding him before you eat option, or provide him with something of his own (like a stuffed Kong or similar) to keep him occupied.

[BiteyShark]

SparklingRaspberry it worked for us and others. If other people don’t want to do that it’s ok as well and I would not criticise them.

[bluetongue]

Look at him.Too sweet No way he's a little thief

Mine has surpassed himself tonight. Was loading the dishwasher and the little terror nicked a sharp knife out of the cutlery basket and took it through the dog door to the backyard Luckily no harm done but just shows that nothing is safe with a whippet in the house.

[CabanaBayLife]

Bluetongue - I’m glad he’s ok. Mine has a think for shoes, bins and food as well as biting me at the moment bloody puppy teeth.