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You might be curious as to why your dog keeps taking your shoes if you’ve realized that the adorable little puppy you brought home has developed into a shoe thief. Perhaps your dog has destroyed some of your shoes, or perhaps you have trouble finding them when you need to put them on.
Perhaps you’ve had to repeatedly chase your dog while yelling at him to drop your shoes. Even while it might have been humorous at one point, odds are good that you’re not laughing as much these days and want to stop.
The causes of dog shoe theft and some fixes are listed below so you can stop your dog from stealing your shoes.
He Wants Your Attention
For attention, dogs steal shoes as one reason. If you give it some thought, your dog undoubtedly enjoys the attention you give him when he grabs a shoe and flees. If a dog feels that his owner has been neglecting him, he may take shoes or other goods like socks and mitts. Perhaps you’ve been busier than usual and haven’t given your dog the same amount of care as you normally would.
Dogs are intelligent creatures that are skilled at grabbing their owners’ attention. Your dog will always gain your attention by stealing something vital to you, like your shoes, which just goes to show how perceptive your little friend is!
You likely had a strong reaction when your dog took your shoes the first time, which may indicate that he is taking them to garner your attention. This indicates that your dog has discovered how to grab your attention by stealing your shoes.
Consider paying your dog extra attention all day long. Even if you’re busy, make time from time to talk to, pet, and play with your dog.
Try to disregard the behavior the next time your dog steals your shoe, provided the dog won’t destroy it or pose a risk of ingestion. If the dog steals the shoes in an effort to attract attention, not receiving any attention will assist to lessen how often this happens.
Your Dog Wants to Play
Your dog may be stealing your shoes to play with them. Your dog might have picked up rather quickly that stealing something from you results in a fun game of chase. Your dog might believe that stealing a shoe is a fantastic way to get you to play if you start racing after him every time he does it.
Don’t chase your dog the next time he steals one of your shoes. Wait until your dog no longer seems interested in the sneaker and sets it down. Simply pick up your shoe and place it somewhere out of reach for your dog.
Your Dog is Teething
Your young dog may be stealing your shoes if he needs to chew anything if he is teething. Any young dog going through the teething process may experience discomfort since the deciduous teeth are being replaced by adult teeth.
Perhaps your dog is stealing other items besides shoes to gnaw on. Your dog can be grabbing everything in his line of sight to chew on. The good news is that teething only lasts when the adult teeth are fully developed and then it stops.
Dogs chew a lot when they are teething. Give your dog a unique chew toy to prevent him from gnawing on your shoes. Purchasing multiple chew toys and scattering them throughout the house is an even better option so that your dog always has something acceptable to gnaw on when the urge strikes.
Your Dog is Bored
When dogs are bored, they frequently take items like shoes. Perhaps your dog is so bored that he has nothing better to do than steal your shoes. For amusement, he might walk or run away with a shoe and conceal it somewhere inside the home. Even the most cherished pets require stimulation, and if they don’t get it, they will look for something to occupy their time.
Spend extra time with your dog throughout the day if you think he’s taking your shoes out of boredom. Increase the number of walks you take and the amount of time you spend inside playing fetch with your dog. It’s a terrific idea to occasionally buy your dog a new dog toy that will keep him entertained. Look for a challenging toy for your dog, such as an interactive dog toy, that is age-appropriate.
Your Dog Needs More Exercise
Because he isn’t getting enough exercise, your dog might be stealing your shoes. Although all dogs require regular exercise, some breeds require more than others. Consider your dog’s breed because smaller animals need less daily activity than larger types.
You might find that your dog isn’t receiving as much exercise as he needs to in order to keep mentally stimulated and physically healthy.
Change your behaviors if you think your dog isn’t getting enough exercise. Increase the amount of time you spend playing with your dog by taking it on frequent, long walks.
Ask your kids to play with your dog outside more often if you have kids. Making a schedule to keep everyone on track is a terrific idea. A physically fit dog is less prone to steal shoes from people and chew on furniture, rugs, and other prohibited items.
Your Dog Likes the Smell
Your dog may be taking your shoes because he enjoys the scent of them. As you may know, dogs are frequently drawn to aromas that we find repulsive, such as the smell of sweat or old shoes.
Your dog may be stealing shoes because of the smell if you’ve seen him spending a lot of time sniffing them.
Your dog can be drawn to the scent of leather if he is just stealing your leather shoes. Giving him a leather dog toy that smells like his favorite leather shoes is a smart method to stop this behavior. If your dog is stealing any shoes he comes across, spritz your shoes with an anti-chew bitter to deter him.
Why does my dog lie on my shoes while he steals them?
Your aroma is emanating from the shoe, and the dog finds comfort in this. Your dog might enter your room when you’re not home and lie down on your shoes as a form of self-comfort. Dogs are extremely sensitive to odours, therefore anything that you as the owner can smell will be attractive to the dog. This is something you might notice about your shoes or about other things you possess, like a blouse or a pair of socks. Dogs frequently pursue scents that smell like shoes.
Your dog feels safe and secure because of the way you taste and smell in your shoes. Additionally, the smells from all the places you’ve gone are on your shoes. If you were wearing the shoes while working in the garden or going on a hike, the dog might adore their earthy scent. Many dogs enjoy the aroma that is left on the sides and bottom of shoes from all the places you visit.
If you own leather shoes or intend to purchase them, you should be aware that they have a “natural fragrance” that many dogs enjoy (and potential chewing consequences). Dogs find the fragrance of natural leather to be enticing, and leather shoes have a tendency to hold in smells in general.
What makes my dog guard my shoes?
Your dog might not be acting inappropriately when he steals your socks, underwear, and T-shirts; instead, he could be missing you. According to Stynchula, your fragrance is potent on these items, so by stealing and guarding them, your dog is keeping you—or at the very least, your scent—close.
Unless your dog’s guarding tendency escalates to aggression, guarding and stealing actions are normally nothing to worry about. Stynchula advises communicating with a dog trainer in the situation.
Why do canines steal socks and shoes?
It’s crucial to remember that your dog isn’t being malicious when he chooses your favorite designer tie over your budget option.
He has no idea of value other than the value of food to him. So don’t worry—not he’s keeping your belongings to trade for munchies. Furthermore, he is not being nasty, as is frequently but incorrectly inferred.
Attention
We realize that this is disturbing information, but generally speaking, a dog is happy the more attention he receives. The likelihood is high that your pickpocket is no different.
You’re not only giving your dog additional attention by chasing him if he decides to play keep-away with the stolen item, but you’re also getting up and probably inspecting your dog’s bed or crate for the item. Therefore, if you’ve been putting in longer hours or spending less time with your dog, this may explain why there has been a recent uptick in canine crime.
Desire to Chew
Dogs naturally chew things, so your four-footed friend needs a secure place to indulge this urge. If you don’t give him anything, he’ll probably start looking about for something amusing to chew on his own, and I can guarantee you won’t like what he finds!
When a toothy hound is present, shoes, socks, and dish towels are frequently the first items to sprout legs since they are so much fun to chew on and shred. This activity can be harmful if your dog ingests the chewed object or injures his mouth by biting on something he shouldn’t, in addition to being a costly annoyance.
Boredom
Dogs require both mental and physical activity, especially if they are working breeds like huskies, shepherds, or cattle dogs.
Additionally, bear in mind that a bored dog can cause all kinds of havoc in addition to stealing, such as tearing up pillows, chasing the cat, or rearranging your couch with his teeth. Make sure to provide your dog with lots of activities, both for the sake of their safety and your own sanity (see below for more information on dog-occupying activities).
Scent
It’s disgusting, yet some household things make enticing targets because they smell like you. Yes, this includes the seams of your pants and your underwear. They at least want to be close to you, right?
When you’re not around, people find comfort in smelling your aroma, which is why a lot of clothing theft occurs when you’re out and about. In your absence, your dog might use other objects to cuddle, such as pillows or plush animals (again, especially if they smell like you).
Anxiety
Sometimes stealing is a compulsive behavior, similar to excessive grooming, pacing, or looking at walls. And these actions frequently occur as a result of anxiousness.
Your dog may try to self-soothe by wrapping himself in towels from the bathroom or dragging your slipper around while a guest is over. Just keep in mind that dog anxiety is not enjoyable for our pets, so if you think your dog is a worrier, talk to your vet and a dog behaviorist about the problem.
When I’m not home, why does my dog steal my shoes?
A dog’s ability to pick things up and carry them about naturally. Even in their wildest days, they shared items with the rest of the pack by bringing them back to their lairs. Your dog is giving you a shoe to share in his own charming way. He wouldn’t have thought to consider the fact that it already belonged to you. If your dog came to the door to greet you and had your shoe in his mouth, it’s possible that he was comforting himself with it while you were away and hadn’t merely picked it up when he heard your key turn in the lock. Your dog can smell you on that sneaker, as revolting as that thought may be. He won’t miss you as much while you’re away if he gets a whiff of your scent, which will make you feel close to him. He’s probably been sleeping with his nose in your shoe if you have a foot odor issue. There is nothing better than being able to smell their owner’s sweaty feet in their nostrils for our four-legged pets. It is comparable to us spending the day perusing the most expensive brands of perfume at the department store counter.
Does your dog always bring you a shoe when you get home, regardless of the time of day or night? If he does, he might be responding to how you’ve been acting. If you comment, “What a clever youngster, you’ve brought me my shoe,” or ask him what he has when you see him bring the shoe. He’ll adore the confident tone in your voice and savor all the focus you’re giving him. If you reward your dog when he gives you your shoe, be ready to be met by an expanding collection of shoes since he wants that to happen every time you return home.
Canine jealousy exist?
April 16, 2021 — Yes, both you and your dog adore each other. Do dogs, however, also show some of the unfavorable consequences of intense affection, such as jealousy?
Yes, according to a study in the journal Psychological Science. Dogs would get jealous even when they can just envision their owners engaging with a possible rival, according to the study’s findings.
18 canines were placed in scenarios where their human companion engaged with a dummy dog or a cylinder of fleece. The artificial dog was the adversary, while the cylinder was the control.
The dogs observed while the dummy dog was set up close to the owner. Then a wall was built to prevent the real dog from seeing the imitation dog.
When the owners seemed to pet the phony dog behind the barrier, the dogs began to pull vehemently on their leashes. When the owners stroked the fleece cylinder, the dogs pulled much less firmly.
According to Amalia Bastos of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, who served as the paper’s lead author, research has confirmed what many dog owners fervently believe: dogs display jealous behavior when their human companion meets with a possible rival.
The study found that in prior studies, 80% of dog owners reported that their animals would exhibit jealous behavior, such as barking and pulling on the leash, when they paid attention to other dogs.
According to the new research, dogs are among the rare mammals that exhibit jealous behavior similar to what a human toddler could exhibit when their mother shows affection to another child.
According to the study, one reason animal cognition experts are so interested in researching jealousy and other secondary emotions in animals is because of the tight relationship between jealousy and self-awareness in humans.
It’s too soon, according to Bartos, to say whether dogs feel jealousy the same way that people do, but it is now known that they react to situations that cause envy, even if they take place out of sight.
Puppies grew irritated when their owners gave attention to a stuffed dog that had been designed to convincingly bark, whimper, and wag its tail, according to a 2014 study at the University of California, San Diego.
The owners’ jealousy only showed itself when they were caring for the plush puppy, not when they were preoccupied with other things.
