"Game" is not funny......how to train "leave it"????

[Trixie780]

Tucker is a challenging dog.  DS and DH wanted a puppy.....I did not but he somehow ended up mine.  I walk him, feed him, train him.  Tucker's favorite "game" is stealing things and running away with them.  If he's caught, he runs, but will "swap" for a treat.  If he isn't caught, he will chew the stolen item to peices.  He never seems to tire of this game.  I have tried teaching "no" and "leave it" but to no avail.  If I catch him with something and say "no" or "leave it" he will start yipping and dancing around sometimes even nipping at my hands.  This morning he grabbed DS's retainer and bit a chunk off it before handing it over.  This is an incredibly costly "game" now and DH is furious.  He wants to call the breeder and send him back.  It's been a very long 12 months with Tucker. 

We have had trouble with food guarding, toy/treat possessiveness, stealing items and destroying them, chasing our son and jumping on him, and general hyperactivity with Tucker.  We have had him assessed and was told that he has some OCD and anxiety issues which cause the guarding issues.  We have him on anti-anxiety meds and are working on behaviour modification.  We have him on a high quality chicken-based food and feed him only whole cheese and chicken treats (and very little of those).  Honestly, he is an incredibly smart dog and we're doing all that we've been told to but it's getting really tough.  We have worked with a trainer and are working with our vet but it just doesn't seem like anything sticks.  I'm very frustrated. 

Any guidance or words of advice would be MUCH appreciated right now. 

[cdpops]

No words of advice,  just lots of these . Hope you get some advice soon.

[luckyone]

I can sympathise as Lucky is a monkey for nicking high value objects and taunting us with them. The latest is the tv remote control, my glasses, daughters lucozade bottles. i know its tough but when she gets our things i get annoyed with us for leaving them within her reach - it is a costly game and only last week she shredded a cheques I'd been waiting for. i know this probably sounds crass but i expect her to be crazy (she's approaching 9 months)- sounds like yours is a bit more serious tho. i work in child mental health and its interesting that conditions like ocd etc are used to refer to dogs.....high anxiety/ocd we usually look for trauma base....? I imagine you#ve been down the behaviourist route. My lucky is brill with the clicker (thanks Mark) and will drop any item as soon as she hears it and run for a treat...worth a try.

[Trixie780]

We started clicker training with Tucker and he ate both clickers!!!  Seriously, I know part of the problem lies with us being more careful with possessions that we don't want Tucker getting in, but it seems as though there must be an effective way to train "leave it" so he doesn't grab it in the first place. 

It is believed that Tucker is just generally anxious and shy and that his OCD behaviours stem from him trying to control his anxiety.  Tucker is VERY submissive around other people and dogs.  We try to create a calm environment and have given Tucker a "safe" place for his crate and food etc.  We have had him since he was 8 weeks old and there has never been a traumatic incident that we are aware of.  The resource guarding started early and we got help immediately - we hand fed him for weeks but it would come and go in spurts.  Now we just feed him when no one's around and he is not allowed high value treats/toys unless it's in his crate. 

I understand that a lot of his "naughty" behaviour is normal puppy behaviour, but I want to be sure that we are doing our best for him. 

[Karma]

You really need to break the habit of his game - each time you chase him and swap the item, you reinforce a) the running away with stolen items and b) the need to dispose (ie chew) of stolen items before he gets caught!  (I know you know this, but it's so easy to lose sight of things like that when you're going through it all!!!)

Because this is so established my normal recommendation of just ignoring him when he has stolen something isn't practical, as he will just chew them... so I'd be tempted to approach it from a completely different perspective.  Get a bunch of stuff that it is safe for him to have and train him to pick them up - eventually you could either train him to return them to you or if he finds this too difficult, find a box that you can train him to put stuff in.  Once this is established, anything he picks up (to steal) rather than chasing him down and it being about him having done something wrong, you can praise him for picking up and ask him to put it in the box... 

Sometimes you have to approach a problem from a completely different angle to find a solution...

[Trixie780]

Karma, I love your suggestion and will certainly try it.  My concern is that Tucker is rarely interested in the things that he's allowed to have.  He gives those up without any chase or fight at all.  He seems to inherently know what he's not supposed to have.  Have I mentioned that he's incredibly clever?  If I were to leave out a stuffed toy, a dog bone, a peice of liver, and my reading glasses......he would without fail grab the reading glasses every time and make a run for it.  I swear he knows exactly what he's doing.   

[Karma]

That's cos he's learned it's more rewarding to steal things he's not allowed than pick up the stuff he IS allowed.... 

You need to make the stuff he IS allowed more exciting... have manic games with them, make them hugely rewarding etc. 
Dogs love to play chase so you need to meet that need without him needing to start it off by stealing something.... maybe playing with a football in the garden or something... anything that works!!! 

[Trixie780]

We went out last night and bought some balls that look exactly like our sons play balls - except we put away those and just left out the new doggie ones.  He was very excited to be "allowed" to play with those.  Mind you we'll have to keep a hearty stock of them as he managed to destroy two during our 1 hour play session.     I'm also planning to pick up some stuffies for him to destroy (I mean play with) in the house.  That's been the challenge.....finding things he WANTS that he can't destroy.  I guess we'll just have to find a cheap supply and keep lots of everything.  LOL 

Thanks again for your advice.  It's nice to know that there's such a knowledgeable base here when needed.  After having had a cocker for thirteen years I thought I was prepared for anything.  Then we met Tucker.