pickpocket and children

[Annie'scat]

Help, my dog Toby is a pickpocket, he loves to steal tissues and eat them, which mostly makes him sick, he can take them from your pocket without you knowing and off he goes. He also doesn't get along with children under the age of 7 years very well. He is either jealous or tries to round them up. Anybody over that he is wonderful with especially if they have come to play. He just loves the water hose in the summer and cries when he sees us unrolling it ready to water the garden and him!

[Dixieland Dancer]

What breed of dog are we talking about?

[Annie'scat]

Originally posted by Pollypuss2:
<STRONG>Help, my dog Toby is a pickpocket, he loves to steal tissues and eat them, which mostly makes him sick, he can take them from your pocket without you knowing and off he goes. He also doesn't get along with children under the age of 7 years very well. He is either jealous or tries to round them up. Anybody over that he is wonderful with especially if they have come to play. He just loves the water hose in the summer and cries when he sees us unrolling it ready to water the garden and him!</STRONG>

[Karen]

You have two different situations with two different answers:

The tissues - you have to be vigilant - as soon as you see him him chewing a tissue, say "No!" very loudly, make him sit, and take it away from him. Or, don't keep tissues where he can reach them - if you need or like to have them in your pocket all the time, consider putting them in a ziploc bag or something similar, so the bare tissue won't be there to tempt him.

Dealing with him with small children, it sounds like he's just not used to them. I would keep him on a leash the next several times you are near small children, and keep him close to you. He ought to feel more secure then. Make him sit, if he will, and invite the children, one child at a time, to come over and pet him, as gently and nicely as they can. After a while, you can let go of the leash, and see how he does. Do warn the children, though, if they're going to run around, the doggie WILL try to herd them, so they should not do that while he's around. Is he a Sheltie or collie of some sort? If so, you may never be able to break him of the urge to herd small squealing things that are trying to escape - they're just being bad sheep!

[yorkster]

I was also wondering what kind of dog it is- is he some kind of herding type? I have a border collie/black lab mix, and she chases & herds a lot of things she shouldn't like small kids if they are running around and small animals. I have had a hard time teaching her to not chase my cats, but she is good around them now. However, other cats that a are outside is a different story. I keep her on a leash most of the time now unless she is playing fetch, which she LOVES to do, and it seems to keep her out of trouble. I have also heard that agility training is really good for dogs that like to herd. Maybe it is worth a try for you, and it might be fun.

[Annie'scat]

Thanks people for your replies. My Toby is a Heinz 57 breed, he actually looks like a collie, but with a fatter nose and he is orange, beautiful, really.
About letting children near him to pet him whilst he is on the lead, will they be safe as he has nipped my nephew. Not to draw blood but just as a warning I think, not to come too near.
Thanks for the very sensible advice, though and I will put it into practice

[Dixieland Dancer]

Pollypuss2,
You have several issues that you need to work on. On the tissue thing. You can try spraying Bitter Apple on some tissues and when the dog takes them he will immediately want to spit it out due to the bitter taste. Saturate the tissue so the taste is really potent then let it dry before having it placed in a place the dog may try to steal it from. You may use a mild form of hot sauce if you don't have bitter apple. Make sure there is plenty of water for the dog available afterwards.

Young children are going to be a little more difficult. Basically because you can control your dogs reaction but not small children. When an excited, squealing child rushes up to a dog to pet it, the intense stimulation can trigger a chase or defensive response that could lead to a nip.

Controlling your dogs response is done by slowly introducing your dog to small children on purpose. Take him to a park and always have him on a leash. From a safe distance from any children playing you can reward the dog for calm behavior. When he looks towards the children give him a treat. Only when he looks towards the child. Move closer when you think it is okay. Repeat the procedure. Make sure the dogs ears are not back or hair standing or fidgety behavior is being shown and reward every time the dog looks towards the kids.

Keep moving closer till eventually you are really close to the kids. If they ask to pet the dog tell them no you are training. At a time when you feel the dog is calm and ready have a child you have preselected try to pet the dog. This child should be told how to approch the dog ahead of time and how to pet it. Most kids pet from the top down and they do it quickly, which violates the dog's concept of secure personal space. Teach them to pet from below the pooch's head. Extend a hand and let the dog smell the hand first. Have the child go slowly. You will have the dog by the leash and rapidly reward for good calm behavior. This is teaching the dog that when children are around I get treats. This isn't so bad after all. You are basically starting at the ground and socializing your dog to children.

It will take some time but a few weeks to a month are worth the fact that you won't have to worry as much around small children when your done.

[Doxiedoxie]

One of my dachshunds is a tissue thief also! Ever since she was a puppy she has done this, and now she is almost ten and still sneaks them out of pockets. Luckily, she doesnt eat them though, she just shreds them all over the house. Strange little quirk.
Good luck with getting your dog to accept smaller kids, sounds like a good idea to try to socialise him to little kids if there will be nieces and nephews around!