If you have a dog who is notorious for stealing food and you are frustrated each time you glance or walk away and your marinating chicken breasts are gone, listen up!

There are many reasons why your dog may be exhibiting this behavior. Take a look to determine your dog's specific trigger or reason for acting this way:

• Stealing food and other items is a self-rewarding. This means that when your dog steals something, the consequence is pleasurable and/or desirable. This means getting to eat the food he has stolen or receiving attention from you. This is a bad situation for dog owners because the thieving behavior is being rewarded and, therefore, reinforced each time your dog steals something. It also means the behavior is likely to continue.

• Some dogs steal food simply because they don't know any better — they have never been properly taught that it is inappropriate behavior.

• The thieving might be a symptom of separation anxiety. Dogs will often steal things like socks or shoes that have the scent of the owner/family who they are missing.

• Many dogs use their thieving as a tactic to receive attention. They learn that as soon as they pick up a shoe, food or cushion, it gets you to chase them — a fun game, for them, but not you!

• If you don't leave some chew toys or stuffed Kongs around for your dog, it is highly likely that he will find something else to chew on, like your expensive rug or pocket book.

• Obviously if your dog is hungry, he is likely to scavenge for food on counters, trash cans and tables.

• A lack of obedience training. Your dog may not respect you or may see himself as above you in the family pack. This means he will feel entitled to help himself to anything in the house.

• Boredom or a lack of exercise can lead to thieving as well as many other behavior problems.

• A puppy or dog that has yet to learn proper etiquette should not be left alone around food and other chewable items, some of which may be dangerous.

Management is the key to any unwanted behavior. To avoid stealing food or anything else, don't leave these items out in the open so that his temptation is tested and lands him in the penalty box. Do not hit your dog! It is partly your fault for leaving the items out in the first place.

Another way to avoid this is to deliver treats to your friend while he is behaving well and lying down.

Have your dog lie down a bit out of the way but close enough to make treat delivery easy. You can either give the treat by hand or tossing it so it lands right by him. Since lying down and staying put is the behavior you're rewarding, you don't want your dog to have to get up. If your dog reliably holds a down-stay for 30 seconds, keep those treats coming (rapidly at first — every10-15 seconds). Vary the interval so your dog never quite knows when a treat is coming. Over days and weeks of practice, lengthen the interval between treats.

Another way to stop the thieving is to get a plastic bottle and fill it with rocks or coins. Every time you see him attempting to steal, rattle the bottle; this should startle him and abort his decision to rob the item he is wanting. Do this every time and he will connect the dots. Eventually, you'll be able to just show him the bottle without shaking it, and he's sure to reconsider. A squirt water bottle also is very effective.

You're building a habit for a lifetime. The more solid your teaching, the more reliable the end result will be.

Leslie Gallagher of St. Charles owns K9Z Etc., a pet care and dog training business. She writes a monthly column sharing training tips and other information about dogs.