We have a four year old lab that likes to get on the counter top while we are gone. She will leave it alone for days then one day she will get up there and go after stuff that has been there all along. We usually leave sugar and stuff up there and she will ignore it and then one day we come home and it is everywhere. What can we do to fix this? She won't dare get up there while we are home. She has just started this about two months ago.
i use mouse-traps hidden under a towel to cure counter-surfing. works really well for me, scares the snot out of the dog, and the towel (just a regular kitchen towel) takes most of the injury potential out of the trap.
the other option is to cut off their tail (works for cats, too)--right behind their ears <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Eva Czarnojanczyk Webboard User Reg: 10-25-2006
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Loc: Southern CA
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I second the mouse-traps. Works really well on cats too <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> One thing you might want to keep in mind is that your lab might associate the towels with the mouse-traps & stay off only when the towel is there. Can you put your dog somewhere else with less temptation & maybe with a kong or something? Doggy TV?
Howard Knauf Webboard User Reg: 09-24-2003
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Loc: Melbourne, Florida
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A web cam, laptop and e-collar should fix it. Get him from down the street.
I did a slight variation of this with an answering machine turned all the way up and recorded it with a video camera. My rott would get on the couch the minute we left. I simply called the house and waited for the answering macjine to pick up. I scolded her for being on the couch I knew she would be on. The video was hilarius <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Janice Jarman Webboard User Reg: 04-19-2005
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Loc: Mid Missouri USA
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Hi Brian. Your dog can't counter surf if it's in a crate. I'd say crate the dog when you are not at home, instead of giving it free range of the house.
Read Ed's articles on line,especially this one: http://leerburg.com/philosophy.htm
Seems pretty simple to me, dog in crate=no counter surfing.
<img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
Mike J Schoonbrood Webboard User Reg: 04-30-2005
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Loc: Toronto, ON
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Set the dog up for failure n correct like everyone else said. A dog that practices a behavior learns a behavior and it becomes a habbit. The longer the habbit continues the harder it is to break. If you can't stop it from happening, then don't let it happen to begin with. Not crazy about the mouse trap idea myself, but to each their own I guess.
We usually leave sugar and stuff up there and she will ignore it and then one day we come home and it is everywhere. What can we do to fix this? She won't dare get up there while we are home. She has just started this about two months ago.
Might I point out the obvious...don't leave crap on the counter <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> ! If you don't want to crate your dog, clean up the counter by removing everything edible. I don't know if he's getting into canisters and such but, if he is, change their location. That's a lot easier than cleaning up a sugar mess (yuck) and worse. It can't take more than an extra 2 to 3 minutes in the morning to do this. Why tempt him?
Of course, the ideal situation is to train (or untrain) him but, in the interim, don't make it easy for him to make these mistakes.
Also, after removing everything food related, clean your counters with Windex or some strong smelling cleanser that will NOT be inviting for him and will clean up any leftover spills that may be lurking that you can't see but he can smell!
Sandy Moore Webboard User Reg: 07-25-2006
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Loc: AZ
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Quote:
... Not crazy about the mouse trap idea myself, but to each their own I guess.
I'm not crazy about it either, what if the dog manages to uncover the trap by jumping on the newspaper in such a way that the paper lifts up and the dog gets snapped in the nose while the owner isn't home. Either crate or do what Judy said, leave nothing on the counter and clean with a smelly cleanser. If there's nothing there, the incentive to jump up goes away.
alice oliver Webboard User Reg: 09-14-2005
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how very clever, howard! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
how about not letting your dog have access to the kitchen when you are out? confine the dog to the laundry room or a bedroom or some other location where it can't get into mischief, if you don't want to crate.
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