Any ideas about how to stop my naughty Labrador stealing others dogs balls?

[ProofBy1nduction]

Hi our Labrador is nearly 7 months old and is generally a big loving puppy who we all adore.

However all his training, recall, and general manners go completely out the window when he sees another dog with a ball.

He races over and steals the ball. This then initiates his favourite game of being chased by another dog.

He knows the command 'Drop it' perfectly at home and all other situations. He listens but ignores it when he has a stolen ball.

I have tried showing him treats in my hand to persuade him to come to me when he has the ball, but he just looks at them as if he is weighing up whether the treat is better than being chased and he always picks being chased.
I don't want to keep him on a lead at all times as he needs to have fun and exercise, and he doesn't bother other people, just other dogs with balls.
It has taken ages to get a ball back at times.

Have any of you had any experience of this? I would love some advice! Thank you in anticipation. I've attached a photo as he is really a lovely boy.

Ohhh no help at all I'm sorry - just coming on to say he is GORGEOUS!!!

TheBrokenMothership - thank you he is! He is just very silly as well 😂

My collie does this! I have to throw something else for him to drop the other ball, if I don’t have my own ball then I throw a stick for him until we are far enough away for him to forget about it.

Keep him on a lead if there are other dogs about until his training is such that you can recall him. He shouldn't be approaching other dogs anyway

Your own ball

And cheese (no shit treats, they just KNOW)

He is gorgeous

Myview - I have tried that but will try again. He is not interested in his ball when he sees someone else's!

Toughdaay - he loves playing with other dogs and it would be a miserable existence for him to be permanently on a lead! You are right about working on his recall though. It's like he forgets everything when he has the stolen ball in his mouth.

Does he like a squeaky toy? You need a high value treat, a hungry dog, and a high value toy.

Lauriefairycake - yes! More enticing treats maybe needed. He does love his food

Picklemewalnuts - I hadn't thought of a squeaky ball. Will try that.
I'm thinking the high value treat is the way to go, although he'll probably start stealing balls specifically to get the treat then!
Thank you for the ideas!

Keep him on a lead if there are other dogs about until his training is such that you can recall him. He shouldn't be approaching other dogs anyway so you seriously think that all dogs should just walk alone in the park and never approach each other? Get real.

Dogs like to play in parks. They’re dogs and it’s what they do.

Agree that approaching dogs on lead needs to be discouraged, but approaching off lead dogs is fine.

OP, does your dog come back to treats and a whistle? If not then teach him this, and don’t just use standard treats, buy some liver paste - they love it.

If possible stay away from human foods as treats because they’re really not good for them, but liver paste is a high value treat, just hold the open tube and squeeze it a bit and the dog will lick the paste off the end.

Once you have the dog coming back knowing that it will be getting liver paste, the chances of getting him back when you most need to will increase.

My lab is 9 and still does this.

I'm thinking the high value treat is the way to go, although he'll probably start stealing balls specifically to get the treat then! use high value treat i.e. liver paste or similar for all recall. The incentive is to come back when called then, not just at certain points, iyswim.

Oh he’s gorgeous! Me and my dog would be thrilled if he nicked our ball, we’d happily help you spend ages chasing him to get it back

AlternativePerspective - thank you so much! I've not tried liver paste and am now thinking the treats we give him are very boring and sometimes just part of his food allowance.
I will buy some liver paste tomorrow!

Bestforlast - 😂😂 they need to meet up

CaledonianSleeper - I wish we would bump into you too!

Better treats !

lots of training to bring ANY object to you - and give it up. Use gloves, hankies, toys, balls. You want to train for a default of all objects in the mouth to be handed over to you on command. You are reprogramming his mind .... it will take time and patience, most of the work gets done with no other dogs or balls around, it has to be a really strong habit.

In the meantime, buy some NICE tennis balls from a sports shop or Amazon, proper tennis balls not dog balls. Keep a couple in your pocket to give to other owners to replace the one he's taken. If they throw that new one for their dog, yours might find it more attractive and drop the original - otherwise they get a nice new ball.

I had a flatcoated retriever once that could manage 3 balls in his mouth at once. Hopefully yours won't develop that skill!

If an alternative to liver paste is needed, fish sticks are good. We chopped them up a bit, or peeled them into smaller pieces. Cheap as chips, low cal and smelly and tasty from a dog perspective!

There's a dogs behaving badly episode on this with a football thieving dog. I seem to remember they retrained the recall from scratch. Worth having a look on the channel 5 back catalogue

Catsrus - I will definitely work lots more on his general recall. He can be excellent but is not consistent at all.
I'll do the tennis ball idea. It will be interesting to see if he still wants the stolen ball if the other dog loses interest.
3 balls!! 😬😃

Pickle - I'll get some fish sticks too. I feel bad now about the rubbish treats we have been using!

GuyFawkesDay - I'll watch it. I have loved watching dog related programmes since getting him.

Dogs often steal my dogs tennis ball , he won’t chase them he just looks to me to magic up a new one ( I generally have 2 or 3 ) so I agree with a pp that you should just carry some good quality spares to hand out . I actually don’t have an issue with other dogs nicking our balls if the owner at least looks like they are making an effort to get it back , it totally pisses me off if the owner treats it like some kind of joke that myself and my dog should join in with as frankly we are both getting on a bit and don’t find it that funny .

Some dogs will get very possessive over their ball so do be careful. I meet a spaniel on walks who carries one around with her and who will growl and snarl at any dog who comes anywhere near it!

I have a ball thief. The second I spot a chuck-it or a ball being thrown, she's on the lead. She will usually recall, but I tend to carry a spare just in case.

We have loads of tennis balls. Like, a dozen in the boot of the car. These are all ones she has found in the bushes. She found a nifty orange one the other day and was very pleased with herself.

You can spend thousands of pounds on the best treats in the world but that will not stop your dog from stealing other dogs balls.

You need to work on proximity training at home and in novel locations for a while. There are loads of exercises and games to help with this.

A huge study has shown that once dogs are over 2 years 98% of them do not want to play with dogs they do not know. Most choose or try to avoid interaction with unknown dogs bounding over to them.

So the idea on this thread that a dogs existence is not good if they can not play with other dogs is wrong. I agree that juveniles do like to play (but this does need to supervised and be an agreed arrangement) but this should be on the owners terms not on the dogs.

A lead really is your friend in this situaton

Consider why your dog is looking for entertainment away from you? If you are 100% the best place to be your dog (even a young lab) will choose to be with you because of the fun they get with you. However that takes time expecially when your dog has learnt that fun happens away from you.

You need to look at proximity games, games for recall, relationship games.

You do need to prevent the ball stealing the more it happens the harder it gets to solve

@ProofBy1nduction Have you tried bubbles? Our lab has very selective ears until the bubbles comes out! We've even put his food down at the same time we're blowing bubbles and he ALWAYS chooses bubbles!