Pet Behavior: Putting end to a dog's mischief-making

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It's a scene that plays out in nearly every dog household.

While the family is watching television, Angel grabs a treasure: a hand towel, a roll of toilet paper, a bottle of pills. She marches in, wagging her tail -- is that a bit of a smile on her face? -- and awaits your response. She doesn't need to wait long. The moment you lay eyes on her and her prize, your blood pressure spikes. As you descend upon her, muttering all sorts of threats under your breath, Angel takes off, and the chase is on. She circles the dining table, zips behind the sofa and streaks down the hallway, with you in hot pursuit.

By now, the kids have joined in, closing doors, shouting in excitement, blocking off access to other rooms. At last she runs under the bed, and you grab her, yank the item out of her mouth, and scold her properly. "Bad girl, Angel. I've told you a thousand times ..."

Why does Angel keep repeating this scenario, when it always ends in punishment? What can Angel's family do to outsmart her and stop this behavior?

The chase game continues due to the pleasure Angel gets from the activity, despite the punishment at the end. Before the scolding, she is successfully able to draw the family's attention away from the TV and get it involved in a thrilling game of chase.

One way to extinguish Angel's pattern of behavior is to ignore her when she has an off-limits item in her mouth. If no one pays any attention to her, either negatively or positively, then the snatching of the item will result in no payoff. Angel will eventually give up the behavior.

Another option is to let Angel know that you have something better. She enters the room with the item in her mouth; you casually get up and move away from her, in the direction of the refrigerator. Crinkle some plastic and talk about the treats you've discovered. As Angel moves to you to investigate, she may drop the item on her own. If not, trade her for the item. Turn and face her with a goodie in your hand and silently wait for her to drop the item. When she does, praise her and remove the item from her reach as you give her the treat.

It's often a good idea to have a light leash attached to the dog, in the event that the options mentioned above don't work. If Angel gets hold of an off-limits item, having the leash to step on will prevent her from leading you on a chase through the house. The key is moving toward her slowly and quietly, not facing or looking at her directly. This is a far cry from the fun of a family chase game. When you get within range of the leash, step on it. Only then do you face Angel directly.

Stand still and quiet, expectantly waiting for Angel to drop the item, which she is nearly guaranteed to do, since you've taken all of the fun out of the scenario. When she drops the item, lightly praise her, pick up the item and walk away. Angel will soon modify her behavior, which will no longer include the grabbing of off-limits items, as they no longer provide her a way to get the family's attention.

Lisa Moore's pet-behavior column appears once a month on the Weekly Pet Page. Write to her in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352.