How do i stop my dog from stealing my clothes?

Question

when i leave him alone for hours he takes some clothes from my room...usually what i have most recently worn, and drags it to other places. he has not damaged anything but i'm afraid he might. the other day he dragged a 30 dollar t-shirt around the house and laid on it. how do i stop him from doing this? i'm not going to lock him out of my room nor am i going to be cleaner.

Answer 1

oh my gosh my dog does that too!! and she always eats my favorite shirts

Answer 2

Your dog is attracted to your scent on the clothes, and no matter what command you teach him, if you leave your clothes out, he's going to mess with them when you're not there to give the command.  He misses you, and your scent comforts him.  There are no bad dogs, just bad owners.  Don't be a bad owner.  Put your clothes where he can't get to them.

Answer 3

If you don't want to keep him out of your room or be cleaner, then you might just be screwed.  

Answer 4

Well, what do you expect if you let him have free run of the house and you leave your clothes in the floor?  You should already know the answer-pick your clothes up.

Answer 5

Well, I guess if you don't want to close the door or pick up your clothes and put them in the proper place, I would say that you have the problem and not the dog.  Just wait till you come home one day with a dog with an intesstinal blockage.  Maybe a $3,000.00 surgery or possibly loosing your dog will change your mind.

Answer 6

haha this is too funny! my pomeranian does the same thing! my best suggestion would be to put everything in drawers or up high where the dog cannot reach them.

Answer 7

Pick up your clothes so they are not available to him.  Give him one item like a old t-shirt you have worn.  He misses you and your clothes smell like you.  If you are not going to be cleaner than I guess you have to suffer the consequences for your actions. If you are not there to train him to stay away from your clothes and you can not expect him to learn.  ESP is not going to work.

Answer 8

Use the Leave it command

This command is a must have in any setting, but especially when you live in the city. There are so many tempting distractions, from diners enjoying a luncheon in the park, to children playing with a tempting ball, to all the pigeons and squirrels that inhabit the city, to who knows what it is that is smashed on the sidewalk (but for some reason looks appetizing to your pooch!). Once your dog masters this command, you will be able to tell her to not chase that pigeon or eat that piece of trash.

The concept: Your dog will learn that not going for an item/object is rewarded!

Step 1: Take a high value treat and hold it in your hand. When your dog attempts to grab the food from you, close your fingers around the treat and ignore all her attempts to get the treat. Do not yell, scold or make any other movements, just stand perfectly still and wait it out. The very second that your dog stops trying to get the food from your hand - open it! Praise!  She deserves the reward for settling down and "leaving it"!

Eventually (or quickly) your dog is going to start to understand that stopping the frantic behavior directed at something she wants is what gets her the reward. Lots of praise will help make this a fun activity.

Troubleshooting:

If your dog simply will NOT stop trying to get the food, maybe she is a bit too hungry for this kind of exercise. Do not try this training exercise on an empty stomach - make sure your pup has eaten beforehand, so she isn't too frantic to get her treat.

Answer 9

Well if you leave them around where he can get to them then the dog wins

He is missing you and wants to be around your smell so things that you wear give him comfort

he will not damage the clothing but if you really care about a 30 dollar tshirt then hang it up

I have a new puppy and he sleeps in a basket by my bed and when he crys in the middle of the night I will pull off my tshirt and give it to him and he shuts up immdatly goes back to sleep

Answer 10

He does it cause they smell like you and he misses you when your gone. You should make him a bed that smells like you by putting it in with your dirty clothes. You should put some of his toys in the dirty clothes too. Then make sure he knows what's his and whats yours by saying no anytime he's smelling around your clothes.

Answer 11

put them in drawers,close the door,or put them up high

Answer 12

Lol well if you're not going to bother keeping the clothes picked up where he can't reach them, I'm not feel bad for you when he destroys $30 T-shirts.  

Answer 13

Don't leave any of your clothes or shoes lying around but instead buy some toys especially made for dogs.

He is probably bored and needs something to do when left alone.

Answer 14

i'm laughing at your last statement.  Thanks for the heads up.  Teach him the 'leave it" command.  When he's in the room with you and he goes for your things, tell him to leave it the moment he looks at your shirt on the floor.  be consistent.  

Answer 15

he wants the smell of you when he sleeps

HE LOVES YOU!

:)