my alaskan malamute puppy who is now 13 weeks has taken to snatching items he shouldnt have. for example if i accidently drop something he will grab it going hell for leather at it. the other day he got hold of some plastic and i tried to take it from him as i was scared he would swallow it, he bit my hand and made it bleed. i dont believe its aggression as such, i just think he thinks thats now his item and im a nasty person taking it from him!! What is the best way to deal with this as i dont want it escalating (sp?) into something worse as he gets bigger!! Also, he has taken to chasing the cats and nipping at them (doesnt seem to do much else as the cats get out of the way)...ive tried shouting leave it, ive tried a whistle(which he listens to on his terms) occassionally playing with his toy to distract him works but mostly have to literally grab him. Would it maybe be an idea to use a water squirter????? Again, i dont want it escalating into something worse i.e actually harming the cats as i know this breed has a strong prey drive but have read that alot of people have malamutes with cats.

Have you done any work on the leave command? We taught it ours from a very young age by putting a toy or treat in front of her and telling her to leave before she could take it. We gradually increased the time she had to wait until she could get her treat and she now waits no problem for as long as necessary. We also started using the leave command when out walking her and in the house using it when she went to grab something she shouldnt and when out walking giving her a quick tug on the lead away from it. If she ever does take anything she shouldnt we use the command and she either drops it or if its something she really likes and doesnt want to drop loosens her grip on it and lets us take it away from her. I think if you use a treat your puppy really likes they are likely to leave the thing they shouldn't have in favour for the treat. Once the command has been taught you will not need to use treats as a motivator all the time and instead use play or plenty of positive attention. You dont want your puppy to associate taking things with getting a treat but you do want him to learn the command asap. Like youve said you dont want the problem getting worse as he will be a big powerful dog when hes older.

I don't know if this is the correct way to do it but I started to teach the 'leave' command by holding a treat in my fist and when he moved his nose away from my hand said 'leave'.  He then got a reward.
He learnt it really quick and then we could progress to leaving toys etc rewarding as described by pinkbrady to the extent he now drops things on command.  Well, unless it's cat poo :-o

he is good at the leave command when he wants to be, for example i can hold a treat in my hand that he really likes and ask him to leave it and he will wait until i give it to him, he will also wait to eat his dinner until i say ok. its when it comes to items such as dropped food by accident, the cats or even cat poo!!! he is so quick to grab it and as i get closer to him he tries to swallow the item whole before i can get it so i have to be like lightening, i cant always get a treat quick enough!! sadly i end up screaming leave it and grabbing him which im sure is making him want to item more due to the commotion im making about it??  typical malamute eh!!

Okay, first things first: he doesn't understand what 'leave it' means, so screaming it at him won't make a blind bit of difference - it's like me yelling "oojamaflip!" at you and expecting you to understand that I want you to change the channel on the TV. :-)

I would suggest for now that you get him on a houseline - a 6ft (give or take) lightweight lead - so that he's attached to you at all times.  That way, he cannot run off with anything; if you keep an eye on him, you can stop him getting hold of them in the first place, and it will also prevent him irritating your cat. :-)

re. the leave, georgepig's suggestion is a good one and is how most people IMO go about teaching a leave.  Treat in one hand, if he goes to take it close your hand so he can't get it, and when he backs off, reward him.  I reward from my other hand - to me, 'leave it' means 'you aren't allowed to have that at all' so rewarding a leave with the treat I'm asking the dog to leave seems a bit like defeating the object to me.  I would also start with a boring bit of his normal food in the 'leave' hand and something really tasty in the reward hand, so he learns that leaving it gets him something better.  When he backs off as soon as you close your hand, start to say 'leave it' as he moves away.

When he's leaving the bit of food on command, you can progress it - I start by putting the bit of food on the floor, with my hand nearby ready to cover it up (chances are he'll go for it again as dogs don't generalise; he may understand leaving it in your hand but the floor is a different situation so you need to go back a step).  Same process.  Then build it up - move further away from the food as he gets more reliable, add a bit more food, something more tasty.  When he's getting really good you can start to add movement - that's how I train it anyway.  Chucking a bit of bland food a little way (with me nearby ready to cover it - again, a different situation so back a step), then further, building to throwing it a few feet past the dog's nose and so on.  I've been doing that with the world's biggest chow hound - my 4yr old dobe boy - so it is possible!  I would also start working on some item swaps - offer him something low-value that he might normally pinch, then offer him something better as a swap.  Do that several times every day, and always swap for something better, to build in his mind that giving an item up is a good thing to do.  You're right - making a fuss over a stolen thing will make the thing much more attractive to him as he'll think it's very valuable.  It's a good way to et a dog that guards and believe me, that isn't fun!

For day-to-day issues, as I said I would use a houseline, and if you haven't already got one, a crate for when you can't watch him like a hawk.  Set him up for success - don't let a situation arise where he can get something he shouldn't and get in trouble for it, engineer situations so that you can work on the problem.  The more succusses he has (i.e. getting rewards for behaving as you'd like hi to) the better behaved he'll become and the faster his training will progress.

Also, and I don't mean this personally, but I speak from experience - stop the screaming.  Really, it won't help - it'll just teach him that you're not nice to be around or listen to.  Trust me!  I have four dogs, they are responsive and well behaved when I am calm and reasonable; if I start to lose my temper or am irritable for whatever reason, they pick up on it in a flash and become disobedient and ignore me.  I have generally obedient breed types - dobes, rott mix and a lab X collie - totally different mindset to a malamute so it's all the more important for you to create an environment that encourages respect and pleasant feelings on both sides.

I have found the best method for things that are stolen is to distract with something else drop something he can have and say ooh look what I have got, chances are the forbidden item Will be dropped.  Chasing and making a big deal over items will only make them defencive as you have found.

As for the leave command, any command this young isn't going to be understood in all situations.

<re. the leave, georgepig's suggestion is a good one and is how most people IMO go about teaching a leave.  Treat in one hand, if he goes to take it close your hand so he can't get it, and when he backs off, reward him.  I reward from my other hand - to me, 'leave it' means 'you aren't allowed to have that at all' so rewarding a leave with the treat I'm asking the dog to leave seems a bit like defeating the object to me.  I would also start with a boring bit of his normal food in the 'leave' hand and something really tasty in the reward hand, so he learns that leaving it gets him something better.  When he backs off as soon as you close your hand, start to say 'leave it' as he moves away.>

IMO this is the best advice on this thread. You need your dog to think that if he leaves something, he will get something even BETTER from another source, ie you.

Good advice Niki :)
Also, I'd add to ignore anything that he takes that can be sacrificed (try not to let him get things, but if he does...) and if there is something worrying he gets hold of, try something like ringing the doorbell to get him away from the item, then calmly close the door between him and the item and retrieve it at your leisure when he is occupied elsewhere.

Excellent tip LIndsay - that's something I've had to do with Soli in the past, and it does work very well!

What about teaching GIVE to get back contraband that is not particularly valuable to you nor dangerous to him?  But nevertheless you'd prefer to not be continually buying bulk packages of socks. :)  I did that with last puppy and now with Oban.  My reasoning is I can't remove every single item he might pick up but I would like them back.  GIVE for Oban is clicking in and working.

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/leaveit.htm
http://deesdogs.com/documents/leaveit.pdf

I never thought about the 'give' command - what a simp,e but good idea. George will leave if it's not in his mouth or will spit it out if he is.  I could have taught it really but it never crossed my mind!!  Something to think about for the future though.