Puppy Training Basics - How to Get Your Puppy to Stop Taking Clothes

Puppies are like little kids in that they always need discipline and a very close eye to be sure that they can learn the rules of your home. Some puppies have huge behavior problems, while others show the typical scenarios, such as taking clothes and other small items around your home as if it were a game.

Puppies are known for taking anything that they can get their mouths on and then run away with it. At the beginning this little cute habit is very comical. However, after a while it needs to be seriously addressed because as the puppy grows older into an adult doghood, he will think that he is allowed to eat anything within your home, including your expensive shoes and nice furniture.

There are many ways to handle a puppy that is taking your cloths and other belongings from around the home. One way to get your puppy to drop something from his mouth immediately is to simply walk out of the room and close the door behind you. For instance, let's say you are in your room and your dog grabs a shoe from the corner closet and runs around the room avoiding you at all costs. This is just a game to him, but maybe not to you. So, what you need to do is immediately have him lose interest in the game by just leaving the room with the door shut. In less than 15 seconds your puppy will drop the shoe and start crying for you to come back.

Another way to distract your puppy from taking clothes and other small belongings is to distract him by running to the door and shaking your keys so that he knows that you are going to take him outside (dogs immediately associate the jingle of keys to someone leaving the home).

Simply take the dog into the yard or the sidewalk for just a few moments. If you do this enough, sooner or later your puppy will be able to stop playing his little annoying game anytime you shake your keys. It's all about distraction and training your puppy's mind to associate something else of importance whenever he tries to break the rules.

Lastly, as I always recommend dog owners who have behavioral problems with dogs, get yourself a small water bottle that you can use to spritz (squirt) him big time. Of course you do not want to torture your dog by spritzing them in the eye or anything like that, but a little water can actually go a long way when trying to get your dog to stop whatever annoying behavioral problem he keeps getting himself into.

Whenever you see your puppy grabbing something that doesn't belong to him and running around the home with it, give them a quick water spritz and a firm "no" command. He will be so surprised and shocked that he will immediately drop anything from his mouth while learning that this is one house rule he cannot break.