Strealing Food & Mounting

Hey guys,
I am new here, so you probably don't know much about me or Tucker (my dog). Tucker is a Golden Retriever/Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix. He turned 2 in September, and is quite docile and calm considering his B.C and A.S background. Anyhow, the problem I need some help with is stealing food. Tucker has jumped up on unsuspecting people and stolen food right out of their hand! He won't EVER do it to me, or anyone in my family. He will only ever do it to strangers, and especially small children. I am really worried because if he accidentally bit someone, then he could get in a ton of trouble. Not only that, but I often walk in a busy area when I don't have time for the park and I cant trust him anymore. I was on another forum, but they suggested that I just avoid the situation entirely. The only thing is I can't avoid it! Another forum told me to put him on leash and correct him when he tries to steal from a 'volunteer'. However, I swear he knows because he won't do it whenever I 'plan' it. I really need help, because I don't want anyone to think he is aggressive .
Also, Tucker has a mounting problem. When someone (including me) picks up a small child or dog, he will mount them! It is sooo embarrasing when he mounts a parent at the park because they picked up thier kid.
Any help would be appreciated.
~Emily

Can anybody help...?

If he's jumping up on strangers, he needs to be leashed at all times anyway, for the safety of both himself and others.

Darn...
I was hoping for some way to train him out of it, but I guess I'll just have to live with it. Thanks for the help, Zoom. If anyone else has suggestions, that would be greatly appreciated.

You won't have to live with it forever. You can train him out of this. But until he learns, he'll have to prevented from receiving a payoff for his behavior and he is receiving a payoff or reward everytime he jumps and gets whatever it is he wants. He has to be prevented from getting this. And a leash is only way for now. He needs to be given an alternative behavior...one which is incompatible with what he wants to do, or is about to do. For example....if he looks as though he'd like to leap up at someone, but you have him on a leash, you distract him... you can keep him down and immediately ask him for a sit/stay. (he can't jump up if he's sitting) And then you reward him for that with a yummy treat. Give him something else to do which will bring him an even better payoff than that which he gets from jumping up on someone.

With any unwanted behavior, if you be sure to remove the payoff he's getting, it will extinguish. You've got to figure out what it is he's getting out of this behavior...what is rewarding to him. Something is or he wouldn't be repeating it. You show the dog what he can do instead and reward with something he reeeeeellly loves, and I mean really loves. He will soon repeat the behaviors which bring him the reward. He will choose behaviors which bring him praise and treats and stop engaging in behaviors which do not. That is scientific learning theory and it works if you're consistant and observant about what payoff he's getting from behaviors.

For the mounting behavior...same thing. He needs to be stopped by distraction and given an alternative behavior to perform. Mounting is usually a display of a bit of unease about his "place" in the family....who is leading things. For that, I recommend implimenting some NILIF. He needs to be reminded of who is the one who is responsible for his life...who gives him food, toys, treats, attention, walks....everything he likes and needs for survival, he needs to earn...well...maybe not everything, but a lot of it. I recommend looking at this link and also working on obedience skills. All this will help him to see that he needs to respect human beings more.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/nothingfree.htm

Yeah, the above is what I meant to say, but I got lazy by the end of my post. It won't be forever, it can be trained out, but you can't train if you don't have any control over him. Hence, the leash.

Thanks, I'll give it a go!
~Emily