hi i have a question-our little guy is 6mths old and has devolped a habit lately of pulling things off the washing line and dragging them around the garden

im washing the same items over and over again because of this

he knows its wrong because when we see him do it he immediatly drops the item and hides

dh is actually going mental over the whole thing

any tips to help with this or is it a case of puppy play and he will grow out of it

Dont chase him or he will think its a game and its great fun. Make him come to you and drop/give what he has taken.

If you have no luck maybe give this a try.....When we were kids our dog loved robbing socks off the line and it drove my mother mad. A friend of hers told her to hang a few rags with mustard on them up on the line as the dog wouldnt like mustard and would stop. So my Mam did this, but our odd dog loved the mustard and ran around the garden with the rags! My Mam got so mad that she dipped the rags in tabasco sauce and put them out. The dog never stole a sock again! Just make sure theres plenty of water out! Our dog hates brown sauce so that could be an option before the tabasco.

Yeah agree not to chase. we made that mistake when we first got our dog (he was 15 months old) and spent night after night running around after him like fools!
Then one night he took yet another tea towel and as it was an old one we decided to totally ignore him. He was so funny, couldn't understand why he wasn't being chased! My dh sat on edge of coffee table (dog was under it with towel) and dog kept inching over towards him with towel in his mouth. Eventually he sat in front of dh and shook his head as if to say 'eh hello, look at what I have in my mouth'. After few minutes he dropped it and now doesn't take the towels anymore. His latest thing is the remotes as he knows well we won't leave them with him! He's too bloody smart! he'll wait till patio door is open and then grab one and leg it down the garden. Great fun!We have the anti chew spray, must stick some on them

the thing that worked for me was get a sports cap bottle full of water and wait around until I saw her in the act of taking something off the line and then run out and spray at her head. you may have to do it a couple of times but the shock of the water should do the trick. don't spray right into his/her face though!!

only had to do it once and my little one got the message only problem has been since we moved i put some of her blankets on the line to air them out so they were very tempting!!

This was on A Dog's Life facebook page so have copied and pasted it. It's about children and dogs and keeping both safe


Over half of all dog bite victims are children and most child dog-bite victims are bitten by a dog known to them.
The imminent arrival of a baby into the family or a dog’s behaviour around the family children are commonly given reasons when getting rid of a pet dog.
It is clear then that the area of children and dogs is one that must be paid close attention. Dog bite scenarios often have common ingredients so there are things we can do to prevent bites and keep dogs and children safe and happy.
It is possible to have dogs and kids living together successfully in most situations but care and understanding is essential.

Things we can do to keep dogs and kids safer:
■supervise dogs and children at ALL times – there are no exceptions to this rule
■when supervision is not possible management strategies must be put in place – this may include separating the dog and child using a closed (and sometimes locked) door, crating your pet, leashing the pet, taking the dog out of the room with you for example
■parents, babysitters, dog sitters and dog owners must develop an understanding of doggie discomfort behaviour and signaling so that situations that are too much for the dog can be avoided
■advice regarding dog-child safety must be passed on to all adults who will care for the dog and/or the child
■dogs must be thoroughly socialized and training exercises implemented to prevent resource guarding and handling issues
■dogs should be desensitized to baby equipment, baby noises, baby smells and other child related stimuli – ideally this should take place before baby is born but will need to be worked on continuously
■its important that your dog has a safe child-free den of his own so he can escape from all the action
■the presence of babies, children and all their bits and pieces should mean good things happen to your dog
■babies and children often throw or knock food to the floor and of course dogs love to play clean-up crew; make sure that food is dog safe and that your child is not at risk should they try to reclaim the dropped item
■prepare your dog for disturbed routines and less attention prior to baby coming home
■make sure that your dog wears a collar and ID tag and that care is taken opening doors – babies and children often mean lots of visitors and open doors so keep an eye out for an escaping dog
■step up your dog’s training on basic manners exercises so that he is responsive and easily controlled when baby and children are around
■have your dog seen by a vet before baby comes home and regularly if living with children so as to make sure that he is healthy and fully up to date with parasite control




■For lots more on child and dog safety check out this and the included resources: http://pawsitivedawgs.wordpress.com/201 ... idsandk9s/

and a handout on child-dog safety (download and print in Word doc. format): http://petcentral.yolasite.com/resource ... %20K9s.doc



More excellent dog-child safety advice here:



http://www.doggonesafe.com/



and here



http://www.livingwithkidsanddogs.com/index.html



If you have children or likely to have children and are planning on adding a dog please discuss this with us. Think carefully, especially if you have children under seven – dogs and children can be great together but it truly takes lots of effort to make sure everyone is safe and happy.



.

Found another post giving advice on A Dogs Life facebook page - I'm on hols from work for 2 weeks for Easter so ahve too much time on my hands!
Anyway thought this was was useful, especially the month day to day training. Going to print it and get it cracking on more training with our brat!!





All dogs will benefit from basic training and as such we ask that families adopting an A Dog's Life dog enrolls in an approved pet dog training class within a month of bringing their new dog home.

■when looking for an approved trainer that will use only dog-friendly methods, practice in an ethical manner and be insured, qualified and assessed check out http://apdt.ie/ to find a trainer close to you
■when choosing a trainer it is truly buyer beware; some advice on choosing the right trainer http://pawsitivedawgs.wordpress.com/201 ... gatrainer/
■contact us for help making a decision - we are in touch with lots of doggie professionals in various roles so will be able to give you a recommendation
■month long program of daily training plans here: http://pawsitivedawgs.wordpress.com/trainyourdogmonth/ ; each daily plan is there to download and print too (in Word doc. format)
■month long daily training and socialisation plans for puppies too: http://pawsitivedawgs.wordpress.com/syp-month/

■there are lots of basic training handouts available here to download and print (Word doc. format): http://petcentral.yolasite.com/printables.php
■inclduing a full puppy training program: http://petcentral.yolasite.com/resource ... 20Pack.doc and one for adult dogs too: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A ... oc&h=197c8
■DogStar Daily has lots and lots of free pet dog training resources: http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/di ... g-textbook
■lots of training articles and links to other resources via our behaviour consultant's blog too: http://pawsitivedawgs.wordpress.com/ plus lots of great resources here too: http://petcentral.yolasite.com/training-resources.php
So no excuses - get training!! Good training keeps dogs in loving, forever homes and is a great way to bond with your new family member. You will learn as much as your new dog too!

Taken from another thread - kids and dogs - great advice

http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/kids- ... -with-dogs