Task Training: Remove Sock

Things you will need to train your dog to remove your socks for you:

• Treats 

• Socks 

• Your body 

• Mild tolerance for having your toes bitten(if you have any acute pain conditions consider asking a companion to take the hit when your dog is first starting out) 

• A Command to instruct your dog to use their mouth more gently, my command is gentle 

• A command to have your dog pick things up. Here is a link to the tutorial I used for this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arcb9IBgh6c 

• A companion to help in case of mobility limitations

Some vocab before we start for simplicity's sake. I will use my command words through this tutorial but use whatever words or gestures your dog uses. I use “get it” when telling grim to retrieve a miscellaneous item for me. I use “gentle” when he takes treats too hard or paws at me too aggressively. 

I started training this task by utilizing a simple brain exercise that my dog has done in the past. I will show him a treat then cover it and he is expected to find a way to get to it. Normally I would wrap it in cloth, cover it with a cup, or close it in a box. But for this specific task I put the treat in the toe of my sock. 

Because of Grimms comfort with this game I knew I could put the sock on my foot right away and he would be able to understand the exercise. If your dog is less comfortable with this game it may be good to start by simply putting the treat in the sock and prompting them to interact with it. 

You should use a looser sock that goes up higher on your foot. Fuzzy pj socks are ideal. The most important thing is that the section of the sock that goes over your heel is not tight. If you have an ankle sock it will catch on your heel and make it difficult for your dog to pull the sock off. This can discourage them early on. 

Make sure your dog sees you place the treat in the toe of the sock. Before you put it on let them sniff at it so they know there is a treat in it. When you put it on leave ample room in the toe for them to grab on to. Don’t be afraid to leave the sock halfway off your foot. You will work up to it being fully on as your dog gets more comfortable. 

Once you have the sock on point to it, tap on it, move it near their face, anything to draw their attention to it. Tell them “get it.” As soon as they interact with the sock reward them with praise and treats if they are hesitant. Once they bite on it praise them heavily and begin to pull your foot away slightly. If they start to pull back praise and encourage them. At the start, there will be a lot of stopping and starting. You may end up with a soggy sock before your dog is able to fully pull it off. As always if you or your dog begin to become frustrated take a break. Do something you both enjoy and come back to it another time. 

Eventually, your dog should start pulling at the sock consistently. While they do this use your other foot to help slide the sock off your foot(or have a helper on hand to assist your dog in slipping it off if you do not have the mobility to do this yourself.) Once the dog has pulled the sock off with your help reward them heavily and give them the treat in the sock. Encourage them to do this again. After a few times of them pulling it off with your assistance stop giving them any treats before they pull the sock off. Only reward them when they have completed the task. As you make this transition also start commanding them to “get the sock” instead of the generic “get it.” Be patient and give your dog time to adjust to these changes. 

I was lucky and Grimm adjusted to this almost instantly. Once I knew he was comfortable with the command and the basic action I stopped helping him. I let him pull it off all on his own. I rewarded him with a higher value treat at this point as it is a much harder task. 

Once your dog is comfortable taking the partially off sock start to pull if further and further on until they are able to pull it off even when it is fully on. This is the point you may start to encounter them biting your toes a little too hard. If this is the case now is a good time to use the command gentle and only give them the treat if they do not inure you before you move on to the next step. 

The final step in this task is to stop putting treats into your sock altogether. You may need to alternate between having treats and not having treats before your dog is able to understand what you are asking of it. You may also need to go back to helping them get the sock off/ having the sock already partially off. Slowly work towards getting them to consistently take the sock off even if there is no treat. 

When your dog is consistent you can begin filtering out the use of treats if you desire. I personally continue to consistently use treats even when my dog is comfortable with a task because he has unionized and refuses to work for free. But if you are able to have your dog do this task without treats more power to you. 

Good luck! Remember to take it slow and give your dog time to adjust. It is not a failure to need to come back to training another day! It can save you and your dog from burnout or damaging your bond! 

As always if you have any questions feel free to comment them and I will try my best to answer!