too food motivated

[loverocksalot]

Went out to a street fair in town yesterday. Expected there to be idiots but felt a good time to do some therapy training. As we got close to the street fair in a very small town not a large crowd but of course more people and dogs then we would encounter on a daily walk. I had become very aware of surroundings after encountering the same dog twice roaming around with leash attached to him. 2nd time I got guts and yelled please keep your dog with you to the lady with him. It was close at being a scene as this dog followed me and Rocky around a table as I tried to get away and block Rocky from seeing a roaming dog. He would have freaked.
Anyway we get to a tent of dog stuff turns out someone in the community owns a mall store and has nice stuff. She was showing me a neat harness that clips in the front and has this Martingale hugging thing on the back. She had asked me to try it and Walk Rocky around to have him demonstrate. While showing me how to put the harness on I noticed behind me someone approaching with a small dog. Well I need to learn to have eyes all over because being focused on that I did not see a toddler who's dad was not paying attention walk right up to Rocky, when I heard the sound of paper rustle and crunching and a foreign accent saying no, no, no I looked over to see Rocky munching from the boys pop corn bag. As I pulled Rocky back the man pulled his son away and left. It scared me to see Rocky munching right near this childs hand. Close call could have easily turned into a bad scenario. Worst is Rocky just got a big reward for stealing food from a little one. Who of course was at the perfect height.
Rocky is way too food motivated. Although if I am quick enough if I tell him to leave it he will. But there was so much pop corn all over that he did grab a few here and there. I worry about pills and other items that could be on the floor in a hospital. We have worked the leave it so hard that I cant imagine him getting any better about it. This is not the first time he tried to steal food from a kid. He seems to think they are giving it to him since they hold food right under his nose.
Anyway anyone have any ideas on how I can work him more on leaving food a child is holding in his face.
BTW I keep him very close to me in these situations I am holding him by the traffic handle that is about a foot long. I do not allow children holding food to pet him. I ask them to let parents hold food. I am talking about the ones who pass by close with a hot dog hanging out. or this little one who walked up to Rocky holding out a popcorn bag.

[mcgregor]

my yogi is food motivated too , he once ate a bottle of allopurino pills, 55 pills! when he was 1year old, fortunately he puked out an awful mess and that probably saved his kidneys..., hes five now, no after effects. I did not realize I dropped a bottle ..... yogi is well behaved around the other pets when it comes to food, the other ones dont eat all their food at once , yogi does but he wont touch the others food unless I tell him to. man does he ever want to eat, in fact hes my number one dish washer.

[suziriot]

You've done so much good training with Rocky, I don't know if I have any suggestions that you haven't already tried. I assume you do the "mine/take it" game? Otis used to be really bad about trying to steal food but "mine/take it" pretty much cured him of that.

[loverocksalot]

Im not sure if I do Mine/Take it game? Maybe I do it already. He mostly seems to think he can steal from little kids. He is not around them enough so after getting a reward of stealing from them a few times he always checks there little hands for food. I wish I knew more people with young kids like 5 and under so I could get him around little kids more.