Ok, we all know an ounce of prevention, BUT… Let’s say you are getting ready for work, you need to leave soon. Your 4 month old puppy goes with you, so
you have him on a cotton line, bouncing along with you doing last minute things. You are almost out the door…quick stop at the counter to stuff some things in your bag, You look down at puppy, he’s staring back, an 8 ounce(open top) plastic cup FILLED with juice hanging from his mouth, lifted from the island behind you. Ruh-Roh Eeer Ummm Is there a clean way out of this situation??

You've caught him with the object. That's not a bad behavior in itself but you didn't catch him in the incorrect behavior of taking it off the counter.
Dogs don't look back in the the past (snatching the item)if they have gone on from it. He's now sitting on the floor quite proud of himself.
If a dog has been trained to stay off the counter and still does it then the training isn't solid enough. That's on the trainer not the dog.
Think about coming home and the dog has the trash can all over the place and happily munching on it. The owner jumps on the dog and corrects it. Was the dog corrected for dumping the trash? NOPE! it was corrected for chewing on whatever it had. It will continue dumping the trash.It will read the owners body language and learn to be very afraid when the door opens and the owner comes in if their is trash on the floor. It has nothing to do with "My dog knew better".
Obviously there is more time between this and you discovering the dog with the item in it's mouth but without training it to stay off the counter it has no clue.

+1


Management management management.

Because "If a dog has been trained to stay off the counter and still does it then the training isn't solid enough. That's on the trainer not the dog."

And if he has NOT, then he has done nothing wrong.

If he has NOT, then all you have (and it's a biggy!) is management management management.


Bottom line ..... no correctable event has occurred.

JMO!

This is not the O.P. situation, but how many times is this repeated to confuse some poor dog and damage his bond with the owner:

"Think about coming home and the dog has the trash can all over the place and happily munching on it. The owner jumps on the dog and corrects it. Was the dog corrected for dumping the trash? NOPE! it was corrected for chewing on whatever it had. It will continue dumping the trash.It will read the owners body language and learn to be very afraid when the door opens and the owner comes in if their is trash on the floor. It has nothing to do with "My dog knew better". "

How many owners say "He knows he did wrong" when they see the dog cowering in fear, when the dog is "knowing" nothing but what can happen when the owner comes home.

Correction??

 Quote: Tammy Moore

Correction??

Well, it wandered off to other owners.

OK, no excuse. I know you weren't asking about corrections.

"No actionable event has occurred" is what I should have said.

Ohhhhh. Were you asking how to get the full cup out of his happy little mouth without having to haul out the mop?

I'd say it's wet-wipe time Not sure that 4 month old puppies can be "proofed" on any sort of behavior yet. Prevent or pay is pretty much the situation there- I'd calmly switch the item for an appropriate one, swear under my breath as I grabbed the paper towels and asses the damage my forgetfulness caused. Sounds like you'll have a funny story to tell when puppy is older and the perfect housemate!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Ohhhhh. Were you asking how to get the full cup out of his happy little mouth without having to haul out the mop?

Yep!

 Quote: Amy VandeWeerd

I'd say it's wet-wipe time Not sure that 4 month old puppies can be "proofed" on any sort of behavior yet. Prevent or pay is pretty much the situation there- I'd calmly switch the item for an appropriate one, swear under my breath as I grabbed the paper towels and asses the damage my forgetfulness caused. Sounds like you'll have a funny story to tell when puppy is older and the perfect housemate!

Amy, he got an A+ for lifting it without spilling a single drop.