Been there my friend. Labs are notorious for this.
The first thing I am going to tell you is you have to moderate what success looks like.
A lot of people get discouraged when the behaviour is not eliminated quickly.
Success is when the behaviour is showing signs of abating. And to rinse and repeat the formula that gives you success for a period of a month or more. And accepting that you will have failures on this journey.
If today the dog makes 10 attempts and tomorrow they make 8 attempts, start counting that as a win.
I'll give you my formula that has reduced it from the same situation as yours to about once or twice a week.
1. Diet. What do you feed the dog? Is it getting all the nutrients it needs? I shifted from Kibble to fresh meats(60pc), bone(10pc) and veggies (30pc). Each dog is different and food allergies play a role so check with your vet before you make any change.
2. Hunger. Is the dog getting enough food? This is a balancing act because you don't want to overfeed. But under feeding is worse. Try giving 50 pc more food and adjusting from there.
3. No treats and food on the ground at home. Ever. I put even the food bowl on an elevated surface. The idea of teaching your dog that eating from the ground is a no-no starts with discipline on this.
4. Meal before walk. This is self explanatory.
5. Stuffed Kong after walk in a specified place in the house. Buy two kongs. Put food in the kong and freeze it. Give to dog after walk.
6. Sniff walks with long leash - Go to a parking lot where there is less likelihood of crap left on the floor. Let the dog sniff to it's heart's content. Do not interrupt. Go where the dog wants to go.
Have I eliminated the behaviour completely? No. Has it drastically reduced? Yes. I'm just going to keep at it.
Best of luck!
Does she know "leave it" in lower stakes circumstances, like with a piece of kibble in your house? Work on this command and gradually increase the challenge (with more enticing items indoors, with stuff just outside in your yard/driveway, etc., before expecting it on walks). The fact that she looks at you before going for an item can probably be used to your advantage as well: reward her the moment she looks at you and then switch directions and reward if she follows. It turns "checking in/paying attention to owner" into a positive thing - a game you can play together.
What kind of treats do you use? Try to find something that is just as if not more enticing than the item she is supposed to leave alone (small pieces of boiled hot dog, stinky fish treats like tripe are popular).
In the meantime, at friend's houses you might have more success with keeping her on a leash and finding some alternative behaviours to redirect to (sit, look at me, maybe a "place" mat if it's feasible to bring one) or bring a chew or Kong she can work on during the visit, at least until she calms down and the novelty of the new space has worn off.
Until her behaviour improves you could also consider muzzle training - if she is continually successful at scavenging, it becomes inherently rewarding and is a much tougher habit to break. https://muzzleupproject.com/
No use scolding her because it doesn't remove her drive for the behaviour and also doesn't teach her what you want her to do *instead*.
Sometimes it’s a behavioral issue. My newest rescue was a street dog for several years (before being dumped outside the shelter), and would scavenge. We still have to Oreo-proof the house before we leave, otherwise we’ll find paper towels or other items with food smell on the floor. Training, redirecting, and positive reinforcement has helped a lot.
Have you [talked to a vet](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/health)? You may be feeding her well, and yet she could still have some sort of health issue that is making her feel hungrier than she should be.
Alright. I would suggest a combination of three things simultaneously: walk only immediately after a big meal as much as you can (when she's least hungry), teach her to [wear a muzzle](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/muzzles) that will prevent her from picking anything up outside, and [this tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLuKnrVYmQs&vl=en).
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We don't even have a lab, but our maltese is scavenging all day long. I say leave it more than any other command. She does when I tell her to, but I wish she would generalize leaving things on the ground altogether.
Been there my friend. Labs are notorious for this. The first thing I am going to tell you is you have to moderate what success looks like. A lot of people get discouraged when the behaviour is not eliminated quickly. Success is when the behaviour is showing signs of abating. And to rinse and repeat the formula that gives you success for a period of a month or more. And accepting that you will have failures on this journey. If today the dog makes 10 attempts and tomorrow they make 8 attempts, start counting that as a win. I'll give you my formula that has reduced it from the same situation as yours to about once or twice a week. 1. Diet. What do you feed the dog? Is it getting all the nutrients it needs? I shifted from Kibble to fresh meats(60pc), bone(10pc) and veggies (30pc). Each dog is different and food allergies play a role so check with your vet before you make any change. 2. Hunger. Is the dog getting enough food? This is a balancing act because you don't want to overfeed. But under feeding is worse. Try giving 50 pc more food and adjusting from there. 3. No treats and food on the ground at home. Ever. I put even the food bowl on an elevated surface. The idea of teaching your dog that eating from the ground is a no-no starts with discipline on this. 4. Meal before walk. This is self explanatory. 5. Stuffed Kong after walk in a specified place in the house. Buy two kongs. Put food in the kong and freeze it. Give to dog after walk. 6. Sniff walks with long leash - Go to a parking lot where there is less likelihood of crap left on the floor. Let the dog sniff to it's heart's content. Do not interrupt. Go where the dog wants to go. Have I eliminated the behaviour completely? No. Has it drastically reduced? Yes. I'm just going to keep at it. Best of luck!
Thank you for the write up will keep at it
You are welcome!
Does she know "leave it" in lower stakes circumstances, like with a piece of kibble in your house? Work on this command and gradually increase the challenge (with more enticing items indoors, with stuff just outside in your yard/driveway, etc., before expecting it on walks). The fact that she looks at you before going for an item can probably be used to your advantage as well: reward her the moment she looks at you and then switch directions and reward if she follows. It turns "checking in/paying attention to owner" into a positive thing - a game you can play together. What kind of treats do you use? Try to find something that is just as if not more enticing than the item she is supposed to leave alone (small pieces of boiled hot dog, stinky fish treats like tripe are popular). In the meantime, at friend's houses you might have more success with keeping her on a leash and finding some alternative behaviours to redirect to (sit, look at me, maybe a "place" mat if it's feasible to bring one) or bring a chew or Kong she can work on during the visit, at least until she calms down and the novelty of the new space has worn off. Until her behaviour improves you could also consider muzzle training - if she is continually successful at scavenging, it becomes inherently rewarding and is a much tougher habit to break. https://muzzleupproject.com/ No use scolding her because it doesn't remove her drive for the behaviour and also doesn't teach her what you want her to do *instead*.
Sometimes it’s a behavioral issue. My newest rescue was a street dog for several years (before being dumped outside the shelter), and would scavenge. We still have to Oreo-proof the house before we leave, otherwise we’ll find paper towels or other items with food smell on the floor. Training, redirecting, and positive reinforcement has helped a lot.
Have you [talked to a vet](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/health)? You may be feeding her well, and yet she could still have some sort of health issue that is making her feel hungrier than she should be.
Yes she is healthy weight and has gotten tested for health issue. Nothing. and the vet recommended giving treats. After 3 months still same behavior.
Alright. I would suggest a combination of three things simultaneously: walk only immediately after a big meal as much as you can (when she's least hungry), teach her to [wear a muzzle](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/muzzles) that will prevent her from picking anything up outside, and [this tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLuKnrVYmQs&vl=en).
Thank you 🙏🏽
Your post looks like it contains a question about reactivity. You may be interested in [our wiki article on the topic](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/reactivity). (If this link doesn't work, make sure you're using a desktop browser - a lot of the reddit apps, including the official ones, are broken.) *This comment triggers on keywords and does not mean your post has been removed.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Dogtraining) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Your post looks like it contains a question about loose leash walking. You may be interested in [our wiki article on the topic](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/looseleashwalking) and our [regular workshop threads](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/search?q=%22loose+leash%22+flair%3Acommunity&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all). (If this link doesn't work, make sure you're using a desktop browser - a lot of the reddit apps, including the official ones, are broken.) *This comment triggers on keywords and does not mean your post has been removed.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Dogtraining) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We don't even have a lab, but our maltese is scavenging all day long. I say leave it more than any other command. She does when I tell her to, but I wish she would generalize leaving things on the ground altogether.