Toilet paper thief

[Gempress]

I need some help on this one. Zeus is an absolute fiend when it comes to toilet paper. He'll try to sneak into the bathroom every chance he gets, just to pilfer the roll and shred it. He's actually figured out how to tug the roll off the holder and sneak away with it.

It's normally fixed by just leaving the bathroom door closed. But I swear, Zeus becomes Mission: Impossible when it comes to toilet paper. If I just leave the bathroom door open for the second, he'll start sneaking around the door just to make a try at the toilet paper. And once he gets it, he'll act as if he's just gotten his hands on The One Ring.

How do I stop this? So far, all my training efforts seem to be in vain. He knows better than to take it when we're watching. But if we're not there, all bets are off.

I'm very tired of having to guard the Charmin like the Crown Jewels. :rolleyes:

[Mindy Miller]

keep the bathroom door closed? :D I know some other dogs who think that's the greatest game in the world...

[mjb]

Mine is a year and a half old. We still don't keep the toilet paper on the roller. We have to keep it in a basket on the back/tank of the toilet in one bathroom. In another bathroom, we do have it on the roller and keep the door closed. In that particular bathroom, if someone forgets to close the door, he will unroll the toilet paper. However, the trash can in that bathroom is more intriguing, so he usually is still going through the trash or has found a suitable treasure and taken it to chew or eat by the time we realize we've left the door open. The 3rd bathroom is behind an area gated off for a kitty haven (to keep him out of the cat food and litter box)!!

[coripc33]

Yup, same here - toilet paper roll is never on the roller anymore - on the sink, on top of the tank - never on the roller, 'cause Rory can get to it. I have to say that she calmed down some within the past few days, as in she doesn't dash to the bathroom every time the door opens - now she'll walk inside, but doesn't jump for the paper anymore. Still, the roll stays outside her reach - I am done collecting bits and pieces of paper off the rug. :)

They have us trained well... :)

[weiner-fan]

hmm lol sounds like my 18 month old daughter, turn your back for 3 seconds and I got a whole roll of toilet paper everywhere:D We just put the toilet paper on the countertop now, no more roller

[filarotten]

The charmin is finally allowed back on the holder at our house. It stayed off for months, placed anywhere but the holder. It was too tempting for Brutus.

Now that we have that mastered, we are facing a new Brutus passion. The bathroom rugs. He seems to feel he has a flair for decorating and must try the rugs in different rooms thoughout the house. Personally, I don't like his decorating style, I prefer the bathroom rugs to stay in the bathrooms.

[aelizilly]

I too have had to leave the toilet paper off of the roll. I keep it on a shelf behind the toilet, as Bailey loves to shred it. He discovered it about a month ago. As for the rugs and just about everything else in his domain "master bath/bed/living and dining room" the area is completely puppy proofed. I have had to move everything he was getting into to the guest bedroom, you can't even walk in that room. I will love it when I can have my house and decorations back! :)

[RedyreRottweilers]

I would claim the bathroom as my own personal space.

I would threaten this dog within an inch of his life if he DARED to even LOOK at MY bathroom. I would hover, stand up as tall as possible with shoulders back and chin high, advance, make direct eye contact, growl, stamp my feet, look angry. I would let him know in NO uncertain terms that I did not appreciate his disrespect of MY BATHROOM. I would DARE him to approach the door, or even look inside. If you understand body language, you can communicate this to a dog in seconds. It's more of an attitude, and body language than anything else.

I would keep the bathroom door SHUT so he has zero access to this room to make a mistake if you are not looking.

PS this should work for the rug thief too

[Renee750il]

Ah, yes, the toilet paper phase . . . Been there :rolleyes: I can't claim any magic formula, and actually, Bimmer has to get the credit for stopping both grrrrls in their tracks. He'd gotten into the toilet paper when he was a pup and I'd taken it away from him and told him I was very, very disappointed in that low, sad voice that worked wonders with Bimmer. He never, ever did it again, and when the grrrrls came along and started stealing it, he'd catch them and discipline them. It took a few go-rounds with Shiva, and a couple with Kharma, but they got the idea pretty quickly, lol!

If Zeus finds the scent of citrus offensive - as do many dogs - get one of those scented spindles in citrus and see if that doesn't curb his enthusiasm for the roll ;)

[Mordy]

You know - if he is so obsessed with toilet paper, you could use it as a great training motivator. :D But you'd have to find a way to restrict his access to it otherwise.

[Debi]

we went thru the 'great bathroom tissue rollout' when Ham was a puppy. one loud NO (I must sound so crabby) a few times and I guess he figured it wasn't worth it. lol used to be kinda funny, tho, to see it winding thru the house. I keep the door open, but don't allow either dog in there anymore...the toilet lid is closed, but they have a fascination for licking the side of the tub (they have their own water), and not only does it seem gross after I've cleaned in there..but there could be cleaning residue to make them sick. crabby mom does that big ole 'NO' thing and they get out quick! :)

[CanadianK9]

lol and if ya know dogs nothing is puppy proof

[Gempress]

You know - if he is so obsessed with toilet paper, you could use it as a great training motivator. :D But you'd have to find a way to restrict his access to it otherwise.

LOL! Mordy, I never thought of that! What's sad is that it would probably work, especially since Zeus is not very food-motivated at all. I can picture it now: me and Zeus at the park, working on heel with a roll of toilet paper in one hand. :p

[Fran27]

Boris is the same, except he eats it. He loves kleenex tissues too. Either way, the only thing that works is keeping the door closed at all times.

[mojozen]

If Zeus finds the scent of citrus offensive - as do many dogs - get one of those scented spindles in citrus and see if that doesn't curb his enthusiasm for the roll ;)

Hmmm... Mojo likes citrus. He's at my feet in a heartbeat if I eat an orange and my bf Neil even got him to play fetch with the rinds the other night. He's odd.

[MyDogsLoveMe]

All I have to say on this topic is GOTTA LOVE EM

[smkie]

at the burned house we had the mystery of the disapearing toilet brush..ewwwwwwwwwwwwww they simply were gone..one after another never found out who my culprit was (and i searched to trust me!) probably sally and she probably stashed them under the shed in her treasure trove..i wasn't THAT curious to climb under there

[mjb]

Had the same problem with the toilet brush. Couldn't find the one in my sons' bathroom. I never even thought of the dog, for some reason!! I was trying to figure out why my college age son who had visited the past weekend would need a toilet brush. I had bought him a toilet brush for his toilet at school and wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been used yet, so I just wasn't sure why he would take ours. I even called my husband at work to see if he had moved it for some reason. Then, I found it on my son's bed, yuck!! I knew Spanky was the culprit then!! He had never stolen that before. Fortunately, he hasn't taken it since, either. He is quite a thief, though.