When it comes to dirty laundry some dogs are excellent thieves. Does your dog steal your dirty clothing? Socks, underwear, towels, old t-shirts — nothing’s off limits when it comes to some canine kleptomaniacs. In this article we’ll look at why dogs steal laundry, why it’s a dangerous habit, and what you can do to prevent it. Show
So why does your dog suddenly run off with your socks? Why do dogs steal our clothes? The most common reasons for dogs to steal laundry include:
Some dogs (especially young dogs) will pick up anything that’s laying on the ground and use it as a toy. If you want your dog to stop picking up laundry the easiest solution is keeping it off the floor to begin with. Dogs Are Natural Scavengers“Hey get back here with that sock!” How many times have you had to chase your dog around the living room after he’s stolen your sock? Have you ever sat back and wondered; why do dogs steal laundry? With their history of scavenging our canine companions make excellent thieves. Although our domestication of dogs has made them less reliable on their own hunting abilities some of their scavenging behaviors remain quite present. They still sniff out opportunities for a free meal – or in the case of laundry something smelly, warm, or fun to play with. Whether it’s counter surfing, stealing out of the garbage, or raiding your laundry – some dogs remain opportunistic scavengers. So why do dogs steal laundry? Dogs Like Dirty Laundry Because It Smells Like YouOur dogs are great, not only do they love us unconditionally, but they also love anything that smells like you. Flattering, isn’t it? Your sweaty, stinky socks aren’t foul to your dog, they’re treasures. New dog owners can help puppies adapt to a new home by giving them a blanket or piece of clothing from their old environment that smells like their mom. The familiar scents make them more comfortable while they adjust to their new surroundings. After a week of being home my dog Laika was still crying at night so I decided to try out the clothing trick. She stopped crying at night after I put a t-shirt I’d worn in bed with her. Having a familiar scent around helps reduce a dogs anxiety when they’re left alone.  One of the reasons dogs steal laundry is because it smells like you. Dogs Steal Laundry Because They Like Soft StuffAnother reason some dogs steal your clothes is that they love soft stuff. Certain textures such as tissue paper, soft fabrics and paper are always going to appeal to certain dogs. It’s believed that dogs chew soft stuff because it’s a natural instinct, and that those soft textures are a lot like the feeling of chewing on fur & feathers. Soft stuff feels good to chew, and that’s especially true for young teething puppies. Dogs Steal Laundry Because They’re BoredDogs get bored just like us. If your dog isn’t being mentally or physically stimulated he’s going to invent his own ways of entertaining himself. This often leads to unwanted behaviors such as chewing or stealing objects. Tip: If you’re looking for some simple ways to keep your dog busy check out 26 quick ways to relieve dog boredom & 33 ways to keep your dog busy indoors. Stolen socks make great toys for bored dogs – they’re soft, easy to throw around, and fun to rip apart. Have you chased your dog around the house after he’s stolen something he’s not supposed to have? You might be making the behavior worse if you engage in chase. He might be looking for that game of chase when he nabs your sock because he’s bored and seeking attention. If your dog has access to the same toys all the time it’s likely that he’s grown bored of them. He might be stealing your laundry simply because it’s something new to play with. Instead of allowing access to all toys at all times you should consider rotating them. In our house our dog Laika gets a few toys at a time and it’s rotated weekly. When she gets her ‘new’ toys back she’s pretty darn enthusiastic about them.
Socks and other clothing items are popular targets to steal because they smell like you, they’re soft, and they’re often just left lying around. The Dangers of Letting Your Dog Play Chew on ClothingDog’s aren’t very good when it comes to deciding what they should, or should not, be ingesting. If your dog is left alone with a sock, shirt, or any other stolen object there’s always the possibility that they’ll decide to eat it. Earlier this year a 3 year old Great Dane was taken to the vet after he started vomiting. The x-ray showed a large amount of foreign material in his stomach so they opened him up and discovered 43.5 socks. Luckily the dog was fine and made a full recovery. A family in Oregon was shocked to find out the cause of their 3 year old Great Dane’s vomiting. He had eaten 43.5 socks. After surgery the dog made a full recovery. What To do When Your Dog Steals LaundryIf your dog is a laundry thief there are a few simple tips to get them to stop. Don’t yell when your dog steals your laundry. If you yell and chase you’re either going to promote a game of chase or cause your dog to become scared and defensive. If you chase after your dog and he was looking for attention to begin with you’re rewarding the behavior. The easiest way to get your stolen item back from your dog is to bribe them. Go to the kitchen and start rummaging through food or pick up one of their favorite toys and invite them to play. It might seem like rewarding bad behavior but you have to think of it from your dogs perspective. If you reward your dog for coming back to you with the stolen object they’ll be more likely to voluntarily return it the next time. If you chase or yell they’re more likely to run away or hide. If your dog is stealing laundry it’s a perfect opportunity to teach them a more appropriate behavior. Once you’ve gotten that sock back from them show them what you’d prefer them to do instead. If you don’t want to actively play with your dog at the moment invest in some interactive toys. Kong Wobblers, Puzzle Toys, and a stuffed Kong are all decent ways to keep your dog entertained. Our dogs look to us for direction; when they do something inappropriate it’s important to show them what they should be doing instead. If you just take away the stolen object without any further direction they’re likely to go out and find another way to entertain themselves. How to Prevent Your Dog From Taking LaundryKeep your laundry stored away in a hamper or somewhere closed off. If your dog has a habit of stealing your laundry don’t leave it lying around where it’s easily accessible. Dogs have a history of scavenging; if you leave lots of smelly, interesting stuffy lying around they’re bound to steal it. Keep your dog mentally and physically tired. Most dogs, especially the younger sporting and working breeds need a lot of daily exercise. A simple walk around the block won’t cut it. Add in some games of tug, fetch, and obedience work. There’s plenty of simple ways to keep your dog entertained. Adding a few play sessions a day will keep your dog happy, healthy, and out of your laundry basket. Is Your Dog a Laundry Thief?I still catch Laika stealing tissues occasionally. I don’t know if it’s the super soft texture or the fact that it’s so easy to shred, but she loves tissue. Luckily she’s easy to bribe with a game or tug or a carrot. Does your dog steal any weird items? Does he raid the garbage or laundry bin? I’d love to hear what weird items your dog steals – share your dogs thieving ways in the comments below. Check out out the Rest of Our “Why Do Dogs” Series:
Pet Dog Owner is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. If your dog has been rolling in your laundry a lot, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do to get it to stop doing it. So, why does my dog roll in dirty laundry? Possible reasons why your dog rolls on dirty laundry are that your dog likes the scent on your laundry, the scent makes it feel calmer, you have inadvertently encouraged the behavior, it is masking its own scent, it likes how it feels or that it is doing it for attention. Since there are a number of possible causes, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the most likely cause, it should become a lot easier to figure out what you should do about it. Why does my dog roll on dirty laundry?Below are a number of possible causes and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason. It likes the scentIt is likely that your laundry has a strong scent on it. The reason why your dog rolls on your laundry could be that it likes the scent on it. This would be more likely if it also does things such as roll around on your blankets or bed. It is anxiousThe reason why it does it could also be that it is anxious and rolling about on your laundry calms it down due to the scent on your laundry. This would be more likely if your dog tends to do it when you are not home and if it starts to become anxious when you are about to leave home. Encouraging the behaviorIt could be the case that it has learned that the behavior gets rewarded. If you tend to give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it rolls on your laundry, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards. Instead, it would help to give it rewards when it behaves the way you want it to and to avoid rewarding it when it does not. To mask its own scentIf it also tends to roll around on smelly things such as grass or mud, the cause of the rolling could be to mask its scent. This is so that other animals can’t smell it when it is near and so that they don’t know where it’s been. It likes the way it feelsThe reason why it does it could simply be that it likes the way that it feels to roll around on your laundry. This would be more likely if it does not do it excessively and if it rolls around in other places just as much. To get attentionThe cause could also be that it is trying to get extra attention from you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it when you are present, when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it extra attention when it rolls around on your laundry. Things to considerBelow are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been rolling around on your laundry. What else happened when your dog first started rolling in dirty laundryIf your dog did not always roll around on your laundry, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If your dog started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as learning that the behavior gets rewarded or something causing it to be anxious. What is different when it does itIf your dog does not always roll around on your laundry, it would also help to consider what is different when your dog does roll around on it. For example, if it only seems to do it while you are not home, it could be because it has some separation anxiety and the scent on your laundry makes it feel safer. How to stop my dog from rolling in dirty laundry?Below are some options you have when getting your dog to stop doing it. Avoid encouraging the behaviorAs mentioned above, it could be the case that your dog learned that rolling around, on your laundry results in it getting rewards. Instead, it would help to try to reward your dog when it behaves the way you want it to, to avoid rewarding it when it does roll on laundry and to try to redirect its focus when it seems likely to start doing it. Reduce reasons why it might be anxiousIt could be the case that it has been doing it due to being anxious. It would help to limit possible reasons why it might get anxious, especially when you are away. Things to do would include feeding it, letting it pee and giving it exercise before leaving it for long time periods. Keep your laundry out of reachIt would also be an option to simply put your laundry in areas where your dog is unable to get to it such as in a wardrobe or in a laundry basket that is in a raised position. Why does my dog roll on dirty towels?Likely reasons why your dog rolls on dirty towels are that your dog likes the smell, your dog is trying to mask its own scent, your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded or that your dog simply likes the feeling. It would help to avoid giving your dog rewards when it does it and to try to limit your dog’s access to dirty towels.
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Why does my dog like my dirty laundry
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