#3 He Started Barking At The Door, When I Got Up To Look Outside He Ran Back A Stole A Slice Of My Pizza. No One At The Door
To find out more about why our pets love stealing food so much, Bored Panda reached out to Kate Mornement, a qualified animal behaviorist and consultant based in Melbourne who runs the animal behavior consultancy “Pets Behaving Badly.”
Kate said that some pets are notorious food stealers because “they're more motivated by food than other pets and their prior attempts to steal food have been reinforced (rewarded).”
The animal behaviorist gave an example: “a dog who has successfully stolen a whole roast chicken off the kitchen bench is likely to repeat the behavior given future opportunities.” If the act of attempting to steal food really pays off, the chances are high your furry companion will repeat it.
#6 Just Want To Apologize To Any Of Our Neighbors Who Are Missing A Full Rack Of Ribs
Kate explained that stealing food, which is also known as "counter surfing," is “an opportunistic behavior.” It is solely based on realizing that such behavior pays off, so animals are drawn to repeat it.
“It has nothing to do with being dominant; rather, it's influenced by previous experiences finding food on kitchen benches and tables,” she concluded.
#7 When A Cat Runs To The Fridge Every Time It Opens, A Sign Is Necessary
#8 When Mom Turns Her Back And You Steal The Leftover Corn Muffins From Dinner
#9 My Girlfriend's Cat Likes To Steal Bagel Bites, When You Catch Him He Pretends To Be Asleep. Meet Neji
The good news is that you can indeed train your pet not to steal food “by making an incompatible behavior, such as staying on their mat, more reinforcing than investigating food in the kitchen.”
Kate said that this can be done by frequently rewarding your pet with high-value treats for staying on their mat while you are preparing or eating food. “It's important to avoid leaving food on countertops and tables outside of training sessions or when you cannot supervise your pet,” she added.
Be patient, and “over time and with repetition, your pet should be less likely to steal food,” the pet behaviorist concluded.
#10 The Nefarious Mr. Sugar Paws Caught Red-Handed Trying To Steal Some Raw Cauliflower, Which Is Inexplicably One Of His Favorite Foods To Nom
#16 Sneak Thief Caught In The Act - That's A Nose In The Hole
#19 Doggo Steals A Pupperoni Pizza
#20 He Tried
