The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Here's a question for you... The hubby and I are having a difference in opinion on how to teach my puppy to not steal laundry. Rocky LOVES laundry. Clean, dirty, adult stuff, kid stuff, you name it - he isn't picky. Rocks is only 5 months old. Hubby wants to put away laundry all by himself and have me stay with downstairs so he doesn't try to steal laundry. I think that we should do it together with rocky in the room so we can workon teaching him not to do it. There are merits to both paths. Has anyone had experience trying to desensitize a puppy to stealing laundry?

I vote for your hubby's suggestion or just include the laundry putaway in the "leave it" command

"Leave it" for the cocker and the husband

I think you are both on the right track - but at different points (with Rocky being at a third point, the very beginning of the track)

I don't believe in putting a name to a command until the pup knows it. Yes, it sounds confusing and "catch-22" when I put it that way. But for example, in teaching "sit" - you know how you'll see people who say "sit!" 5 times before the dog actually sits? That's because of the way they taught it ...

New owner: Sit, Fifi!
Fifi: looks at new owner all confused, never having heard the word "sit" before
New owner: com'on Fifi, Sit!
Fifi: wants to please - so she turns in circles all excited, is this what they want?
New owner: Fifi, No! Sit!
Fifi: hmm ... that wasn't it, maybe I should jump up all cute, that makes my new mom giggle!
New owner: Get off me! Sit! (starts to reach for the cookie in the pocket)
Fifi: ohh! A treat! I bet that was it! I'll jump again!
New Owner: Fifi! For goodness sake just SIT DOWN! (and does some exasperated hand gesture without realizing it, probably including raising the treat hand up higher a bit)
Fifi: Gotta watch that treat! (head goes up, butt goes down, to get a better vantage point)
New Owner: GOOD GIRL Fifi! Here's the treat!

So, eventually, Fifi is learning that it takes five "sit" commands to do it.

All this because dogs and humans speak foreign languages to each other. Fifi never knew what SIT meant when mom said it, BUT the treat lured her into the position.

In my positive reinforcement training classes, we shaped the command before ever putting a word to it. Our trainers gave us the $5 rule - we weren't allowed to say the command unless we were willing to bet $5 that our dog would do it the first time we asked for it verbally.

So ... back to your particular situation. First, I'm jealous that you have someone there to help! That makes it easier, I think (especially since Hubby does the work - laundry - while you play with the pup )

What is the first thing you do that signals laudry? Pick up an empty basket to take to the dryer? Go to a certain door where the laundry room is? What is the first cue to Rocky that the fun laundry is going to be within reach? Use that cue - you (the dog-player-wither) be by your husbands side at that cue, with a super high-value yummy treat (a piece of hot dog, a piece of cheese, a piece of chicken - something more super yummy than Rocky usually gets). Give that piece to Rocky (if he'll sit for you, taking his concentration off of the laundry temptation, have him do that first), show him the second piece and have him follow you to the room you want to play in while laundry is being done (if you can put a barrier between the play area and the laundry area, even better for now). Give him the treat. Play, cuddle, do 5 minute training in between (remember: play time can be training time too - in my home EVERY interaction is a training, masked by fun or feeding or whatever - daily life is training, if you really analyze it). Now Rocky is starting to get the association that the old laundry cue is now a cue to join you in the play room for a treat and special mom-time.

AFTER he knows the "leave it!" command, is when I'd let him watch laundry chores.

BTW: my first dog Kodak learned sit, stay, leave it, drop it and come - all from play time with the tennis ball!

PS: I almost forgot! The word that was never allowed in training classes was "no!". Think about it in terms of a 5 year old child. He's having fun throwing the ball against the wall. You say "no!" and take the ball away. So now he picks up a permanent marker and has art lessons on the wall. You faint, revive, say "no!" and take the marker away. He finds a piece of cardboard and goes "sledding" down the flight of 5 steps. You take the cardboard away and say "no!". Really now, do you want your five year old, with less than perfectly developed reasoning skills, to keep trying to guess what will bring a "yes! Good Boy!" from his beloved mom? Or wouldn't it be easier to just tell him from the start what some desirable options for him (and you) might be?

So not, just "leave it!" or "no!" but "leave it!" then offer the acceptable toy to chew on. Or "off!" to the jumping (instead of "no") and then "sit!". Don't just say what not to do, but tell them what they can do instead.

This is long, but I hope it's helpful!

Wow!! What Peggy said!

Another illustration. When I first got my new girl, I said, "Cricket, sit!" and she gave me a very puzzled look. Then it dawned on me- she lived with show dogs, so she was accustomed to getting treats while standing. I began to watch her carefully, and it was several days before I saw her sit the first time.

My daughter and grandsons were over, Cricket was a little uncertain about all of the teen boy noise, and came over and SAT beside me. I was delighted, and asked one of the boys to call her to him, as she answers quickly to her name, then I called her back, and she came and sat beside me again. I gave her a treat. We did this several times, each time she sat beside me and got a treat from my pocket. Finally, I said, "Good SIT, Cricket!" touched her hindquarters and gave her a treat. The next time I called her back I said SIT! and she stopped mid-stride and plopped her butt on the floor!! Sweet success! SIT was trained!