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First teach him a solid "drop it" command so when he does get a sock, you can get it away from him. Then teach a solid "leave it" command so if you see him going for a sock you can stop him before he grabs it.
I had a similar issue with Pepper, but instead of socks it was dish towels from the kitchen. I quickly discovered that her stealing the towel was a way of getting my attention and having me chase her around to get the towel back was great fun for her!
Pepper wasn't really interested in chewing on the towel so I just started ignoring her when she would grab it. She would come around and stand in plain sight to try to get me to notice. Eventually she'd get bored and lie down. Then when I would reach for the towel she would quickly snatch it up again. So I would just ignore her completely and eventually when she left the area I could pick up the towel without her noticing. Of course she got better as she grew up and matured, but even now every once in a while when she's bored or restless she will steal a towel.
Of course 3GSD4IPO's suggestion of NO SOCKS is the best/easiest solution in the short term anyway. You can break the habit, but the dog has to get no socks ever for a while. Eventually he will forget how much fun they were and move on to other things. How old is he now?
I had a similar issue with Pepper, but instead of socks it was dish towels from the kitchen. I quickly discovered that her stealing the towel was a way of getting my attention and having me chase her around to get the towel back was great fun for her!
Pepper wasn't really interested in chewing on the towel so I just started ignoring her when she would grab it. She would come around and stand in plain sight to try to get me to notice. Eventually she'd get bored and lie down. Then when I would reach for the towel she would quickly snatch it up again. So I would just ignore her completely and eventually when she left the area I could pick up the towel without her noticing. Of course she got better as she grew up and matured, but even now every once in a while when she's bored or restless she will steal a towel.
Of course 3GSD4IPO's suggestion of NO SOCKS is the best/easiest solution in the short term anyway. You can break the habit, but the dog has to get no socks ever for a while. Eventually he will forget how much fun they were and move on to other things. How old is he now?
