Help,Pepper keeps stealing dogs balls!

[*MaryG*]

Pepper keeps stealing other dogs' ball when we are out. He runs off with them and refuses to give them back.  >:DAfter much embarrasement I usually catch him and give the ball back but feel awful.Generally his re call is good he is very sociable  and he loves playing with most dogs. I try to put him on the lead if i see a dog with a ball, but sometimes I am too late. I do understand how annoying it is but please tell me how to handle it.

[vixen]

How about taking spare balls out with you so that you can give these to the dog who has had his ball stolen by Pepper. 
I know it doesn't solve the problem but at least you will make the other dog (and his owner) happy. 

[black taz]

thats a good idea Vixen, certainy better than the one a guy on our park came up with.  His dog ran off with Taz's brand new ball and he didnt even try and get it back, all he did was give us the one he has apparently just found - which i can only describe as "dead"   OH explained that the one his dog was a brand new one, and he just shrugged his shoulders and said "well, thats all i can offer, i wont be able to get the ball back now"

Could you train him to swap?

[Flickabella1]

This is a tricky one! Dogs constantly steal beaus balls and I am stood there like a lemon waiting while in vain they are trying to get it back! I feel for the owners as they look sooo embarrassed!! I buy beau squeaky kong balls so certainly wouldn't be happy with a swop of an old dead ball  will he not swop them for delicious food? I guess it depends on the dog as beau would much rather have a bit of chicken than his ball!!!

[MaggieR]

You have my sympathy - Maggie is a master ball thief, even to the point where she goes up to dogs at the park and stares at them till they drop their balls... and one dog seeks Maggie out and brings her the ball  I can get the ball back with a treat - but its a double edged sword as she now sees that as a reward for getting any ball and bringing it to me.
I used to take my own ball with me and use that as a distraction for her, but she's not supposed to chase balls and she gets so hyper if she knows I have one thats not being thrown its counter productive...
So my tactic most days is try to guide her away from the dogs with balls and kit myself out with treats for when she does pinch one...

[*MaryG*]

Thanks for the replies..... I have tried taking balls and high value treats for pepper but neither have worked. I do try very hard to get the ball back and have not yet failed to do so, but it is very embarasing for me and annoying for the other person. I think getting the ball back is actually part of the "game" for Pepper. last Friday a lady wasn't bothered and walked on and I ignored him, he dropped it very quickly. I was able to put him on the lead and return the ball ...will keep trying.

[Karma]

Training a reliable give and leave is the way to go...
But from experience I know it's a very hard task when you have a determined ball thief....   

[black taz]

this has just reminded me of another episode we had at the park when Taz pinched someone elses ball.  The guy was shouting at him "give me the ball back - give me the ball back" over and over, following around the skate park. Unfortunately at the time i had a bad back so it took me a short while to get over to him - then the guy shouted at me "can't you train your dog", i just turned to Taz and said "leave it" and he dropped the ball - the look on his face was priceless.  I just walked off with Taz, feeling very smug but very grateful that Taz had listened to me.

[Nicola]

You have my sympathy - Maggie is a master ball thief, even to the point where she goes up to dogs at the park and stares at them till they drop their balls... and one dog seeks Maggie out and brings her the ball   I can get the ball back with a treat - but its a double edged sword as she now sees that as a reward for getting any ball and bringing it to me.
I used to take my own ball with me and use that as a distraction for her, but she's not supposed to chase balls and she gets so hyper if she knows I have one thats not being thrown its counter productive...
So my tactic most days is try to guide her away from the dogs with balls and kit myself out with treats for when she does pinch one...

   Tilly is exactly the same right down to the not being supposed to chase balls thing. She's a terrible ball thief and will stalk people with chuckits and dogs with tennis balls to steal them, I have in the past had to literally drag her away from an active chuckit  I've got the voice of doom 'LEAVE IT!!' down to a fine art now and if I say it in time 99% of the time she'll come away - undoubtedly while doing the Cocker equivalent of giving me evils  but if I don't see it in time she'll be in there for the kill and then I have to haul the ball out of her gob. Treats mean nothing to her compared to a ball; if I bring a ball for her and let her carry it she stops trying to steal but then she doesn't really enjoy her walk properly as she's fixated on the ball the whole time and I can't throw it for her because of her osteoarthritis. I generally just try to head her off at the pass and either stop her seeing the chuckits/balls or tell her to leave them, I guess luckily if she does nick a ball she will come to me when I call her so I can get it off her again although I've had to take the same one off her 2 or 3 times in a row before

ETA - on the plus side I haven't had to buy a tennis ball in years as Tills manages to find an abandoned one on almost every walk we go on - she's become renowned for it at Hearing Dogs, she can sniff out a tennis ball from a mile off

[starboy]

Not Theo but Apollo our springer is our ball/stick thief. If possible I try to spot any one with balls before he does. The worst time was when a bloke was throwing a ball for his 2 JRT and Apollo kept racing them for ball and taking it back to the owner and dropping it for him to throw again. When I eventually reached them the owner was really put out and quite angry. I apologised profusely but he wasn't have any. Said he was throwing for his dogs not mine.     

[Flickabella1]

Ahh that's a bit mean!!!!! Beau always chases the ball/ dog when someone is throwing a ball but doesn't want the ball just likes running around after anything!!!