THE STEALER

Question
My retriever puppy has this tendicy to steal FOOD !! WE R TALKIN about ,one time 2 pounds of chicken!! I got home and I always fed him HIS FOOD but he nver eats it NO WONDER cause he's been eating our food . My family is becoming IRRITATED and it hurts to think that we have a theif in the house and that not the way we want him to end up. IS there a possible solution to this PLEASE HELP!!!!

Answer
I am not going to claim I have a fix for that.  Dogs vary greatly within a breed.  However, it is quite common for Labs to eat more than they need and look for more.  Once when I had one at the zoo, I decided they want to build up a layer of blubber like the seals.  You just can't leave them with access to food.  

A mousetrap is very effective in making a dog leave something alone.  Most
dogs will stay away from anywhere they were surprised by a snap.  The best
part is that it is not you that is correcting the dog.  It works whether you
are around or not.  The mousetrap is very patient and is always on task as
long as you reset it.

Better than mousetraps when you aren't around is the crate.  Other dogs may
not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with.  Still your house and dog
will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away.  The dog may be
happier in its den than loose in the house.  It relaxes, it feels safe in its
den.  It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
its self.  Dogs that have been crated all along do very well.  Many of them
will rest in their crates even when the door is open.  I think the plastic
ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling.  They are harder for
dogs to open too.  Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with
something the dog can't pull in and chew.  Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys.  Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter.  Don't leave
anything in the crate the dog might chew up.  It will do fine without even any
bedding.  You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work.
Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate.  Praise it for going
in.  If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate.
Feed it in the crate.  This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding
time for more than one dog.

Some of my puppies have been fairly good about it, and some terrible.  Lucky became quite adept at taking stuff without setting off the mousetrap.  I tried tying the mousetrap to a cracker, and leaving the cracker on the corner of the table.  When I heard the snap from the other room, I came out to the kitchen and a very upset Lucky was standing there with the cracker and mousetrap on the floor.  When the professionals from the dog guide school heard the story, they just laughed rather than giving me help with more effective methods.  Some people may be able to teach some dogs not to steal food, but I don't think anybody can teach all dogs not to.  

Even my 13 year old Aster devoured a sample packet of puppy chow when I carelessly left where she could get it.  She is a retired dog guide.

If you manage to catch him in the act, and correct him, he may stop.  It never seemed to phase Lucky.  If you don't catch the dog in the act, any corrections will leave him puzzled about why you corrected him or what he ws doing when you found the theft.  

A seal like Lab is not a healthy Lab, and will have a shorter active life.  Here is a great illustrated guide to determining if you need to cut back both intentional and unintentional meals, http://www.puppychow.com/products/popup_body_condition.aspx