Disiplining a puppy.....

I need a bit of help, I have an 11wk old Kelpie pup, he is fantastic, really well behaved, responds to basic commands ie:sit, drop, No,down, out etc BUT he is stealing shoes, not chewing them just pinching them which isn't a huge issue except for the fact I went to put my boots on the ther day and they were in the yard and full of water cos it rained!! lol

When we got our old dog if he chewed a shoe the shoe got tied to his collar for the day, he hated it and it only took a couple of times of him dragging a boot around for the day to stop it.
We tried that with Mater and he loved it!!!!
He wasnt chewing them before that but when I tied my boot to his collar he thought he had his own chew toy for the day! lol

SO what else can I do, I growl at him, if I see him I tell him drop and he does it straightaway, I gave him a light smack with a thong that he had stolen, but i just went to put him in the stable and there was about 3 pairs of shoes in the bit of garden he likes to lay in!!

An yes I know an obvious answer is find a different spot fo rthe shoes but personally I prefer to get rid of a habit than to rearrange things for a dog.

Any advice would be appreciated

Put a light sprinkling of pepper on the shoe. I have heard that works!

I never thought of that, might do that with some old shoes, though of he is anything like my cocker spaniel he'll like it, I once blew out chook eggs and filled them with a paste of pepper curry powder & chilli sauce hoping he would stop stealing eggs, nope he went back for more!!!

LMAO Jess, sorry I am still laughing about you tying a shoe to your cockers collar as punishment, that's brilliant LOL

As for what to do with Mr Kelpie, sounds like you are doing the right thing. Maybe if there is an old pair around that you are willing to sacrifice then give him those when you catch him and teach him that they are his shoes, worked with my dog and soft toys many moons ago when she still had teeth. LOL

Im probably not one to give advice as I still cant control my 1 yr old rottweiler..but our dog trainer showed us what to do with shoe chewing and toe biting..at 10 weeks old it is ok to put a choker chain on your dog..I hated them at first, actually I still do..and we used the choker chain everytime he did it..it especially helps that your puppy understands the comman 'sit' as we had to pull the chain and get him to sit..after about 2 days he didnt chew a shoe or bite a toe again!
But dont ever ever leave a choker chain on your puppy as he can hang himself with it by accidant!

I used chilli powder to stop my puppy from chewing stuff, worked straight away!

My 2.5 year old king charles spaniel is nicknamed Imelda. She just adores shoes. Every night she has to have a shoe before she will go to bed. She will scratch at the door all night if you don't give her one. She doesn't chew them, just sleeps with her head on them.

She used to accept old shoes but now it has to be a shoe that you wore that day. If you take your shoes off when you come in she pinches them and goes to sleep, she is very cute. She doesn't take them outside though, that must be really annoying!

citronella! Fill up a squirt bottle with water and add a few drops of citronella oil. Give your shoes a small spray or spray it in his face (try avoid the eyes but aim for the snout as it's the smell they hate) whenever you catch him doing it! Great for when they've dug holes too. If you can, search your nursery for a citronella plant they're easy to grow and the leaves come in handy for all sorts of things from puppy training to keeping bugs and mozzies away just rub the leaves over your skin smile
Good Luck! x