Reinforce?

[Shalista]

Bax's jam is socks, second only to underwear. He's the biggest sock thief in the world and loves nothing better than flinging them around. He's very good about trading them when i ask for them back. He also isn't really a toy dog so i kind of secretly love it when he goes nuts for his socks. I'm throwing out some old socks and I'm wondering how much of a cardinal sin it would be to just... let him have them? he loves socks so much already i feel like I'm not really reinforcing a bad behavior(bad behavior is already very much present). I already manage by putting away laundry promptly and keeping my dirty socks high. I've never tried to break him of his sock love and given how easy it is to trade away if he does manage to get one its just not a high priority. Thoughts?

 

[Janer]

Roxy loves playing with socks too, clean, dirty and anyone’s. After she’s had a good shake and throw around of them she will drop when asked. No one cares in our house she does the same with slippers too. My grandson thinks it hilarious lol.

 

[Shalista]

i love that he loves it, with poor bax not really being a toy dog i feel like he gets so little joy outside of our walks. I'm just wondering if it would be okay to give bax his own bin of socks to pull from when he pleases. though odds are if he can get them whenever he wants he wont WANT them... but still..

 

[Janer]

I would try it for him, throw them around a bit so he knows he can play with them and maybe play finding games with them, Roxy loves ‘finding’ things. Spike bless him is just baffled, why put in effort if it’s not food lol

 

[Shalista]

Bax LOVES chase. he knows the tradign game really well but he'll play keep away till t he cows come home

 

[JudyN]

I don't see any reason to deprive Bax of your old socks!

Jasper used to steal and guard socks & underwear. After a lot of time spent convincing him that giving me socks was a good thing, he then went through a phase of pinching them (and pants, and dishcloths, and hats, and hankies...) and presenting them to me in exchange for a treat. He would even snatch a sock back out of my hand so he could give it to me again. He still does it occasionally but still gets thanked and given a treat. And it's really endearing if I drop a hanky and he picks it up and brings it to me!

 

[Josie]

Maybe if he has his own special socks he will work out which ones are his and which ones are off limits?

The spaniel I walk found a pair of socks under a car and it took a lot of persuasion to get them back! I wonder what it is about them....