Quote: angelique cadogan

Sandy,
If your dog knows the sit or down command put him in a down position outside the kitchen and do what ever it is you do in the kitchen and every time he gets up to come see correct him and put him back where he was (started) and keep repeating that until he no longer gets up.Make sure you give him a correction when he doesn't and a reward at the end when he has done the exercise properly .I had that problem with my 11 month old and I did the same thing I would put him in a crate and he would go crazy. So I did that exercise and it works I put him in my living room(he still can see me in the kitchen) but he stays and watch. The others can walk around cause they do not jump on the counters but Bandit ,he has to watch me from a distance.By the way I practised that with short steps first, like I would put him on a downn, walk to the kitchen open the fridge pretend to prepare something on the counter and then I would walk back to him and tell him good down and brake him and give him his toy, I repeated that several times, not all together but like every hours or so. Until he got the messgae.He downs quietly and stays and he gets a reward.He is very hard headed, so I have to be patient with him.He has a solid down on the field but when food is being prepared? He's crazy

Yes, this is more or less what I do. I get out the bowls, and then if anyone starts leaping around or moaning I give the command and point under the table, and stand there like a statue until everyone has settled down where they are supposed to be (under the kitchen table in a sit-stay). While I'm preparing, if anyone gets up and comes out into the floor in my way in their excitement, I point back under the table and wait.

Stay is much better done away from the kitchen, I admit. But it's good enough for me this way, for my pet dogs, with them under the table and quietly out of the way.

At first, I had to stop and put someone back every few minutes. Now I hardly ever have to.

This detail in Angelique's post is excellent, IMHO: "I practised that with short steps first, like I would put him on a downn, walk to the kitchen open the fridge pretend to prepare something on the counter and then I would walk back to him and tell him good down and brake him and give him his toy, I repeated that several times... "

I like your way too, I like using obedience foremost, not barriers.Obedience is a great thing, my kids call me the sergeant of the house (not hubby haha) I guess he's the victim

 Quote: steve mcdonald

I hope you are not correcting your dog for this.
One can only resist temptation so much. If my wife leaves
a defrosting chicken on the table and one of the dog eats it she gets in trouble not the dogs. A dog is a dog a snake is a snake and a crate is a crate?????

..and a woman is a woman. And with out a man, a dog listens. )

 Quote: MelissaCato

 Quote: steve mcdonald

I hope you are not correcting your dog for this.
One can only resist temptation so much. If my wife leaves
a defrosting chicken on the table and one of the dog eats it she gets in trouble not the dogs. A dog is a dog a snake is a snake and a crate is a crate?????

..and a woman is a woman. And with out a man, a dog listens. )

Ha Ha thats funy and just to clarify me and my dogs are really the only ones that ever get in trouble.

I really do recommend the scat mat for the poster whose puppy goes crazy jumping on the counter. The scat mat will zap his feet when he jumps up. He will QUICKLY learn that the COUNTER corrects him for jumping. You do not even have to be present.

I'll bet the reason your corrections don't work is because for whatever reason, the puppy isn't associating the correction with his action, or the correction isn't strong enough to deter him.

A scat mat is black and white for the dog. The correction comes at the instant his feet are on the counter so there can be no mistake. Also you can set the level of the electricity to enhance effectiveness.

The scat mat is safe if you have kids or cats that might touch it. It is even safe for people with pacemakers.

I really like my scat mat, it wasn't cheap but it has broken some stubborn habits in my dog.

The scat mat is made my Contech and you can buy it from their website http://www.scatmat.com or at PetSmart and Target stores.

 Quote: eva czarnojanczyk

Sandy, is there any way you could put him outside for a few minutes or have another member of your family do a spot of training somewhere else while you're preparing his food? It sounds like an awful amount of distraction for your poor pup at the moment & you can proof him later when he's older & better behaved.

Just want to clarify my use of the word "corrections" in my last post. I should have said "commands" since I use words like sit, wait, off - I also shuffle into where he's standing so he'll get down. All of which he'll do but not for an extended period of time. But I feel he knows he's not supposed to get up there - chalk it up to being 5 months old? Don't know.
I'm sure you're right about the level of distraction for him. Based on that, I'm going to see what I can do to cut the prep time in half, maybe combine some of his supplements so I'm not opening 1000 bags of stuff.

Have tried putting him outside - he threatens to go through the sliding glass door.

Concerning the "stay" command, I have tried that but decided against it because he breaks too early. I only started teaching him "stay" about 2 weeks ago, requiring a stay while I go on either side of him, then progressed to circling around him, and now to stepping a few feet away from him in front. He is doing well based on only 2 weeks, but if I put him in the position of constantly breaking the stay by having him around his food prep, I'm concerned with setting him up for a bad habit of constant breaking and constant correction.

Do you all think I should try the stay anyway, and just keep putting him back in place, no matter how often?

Angela, I just looked into the ScatMat you mentioned. That might be the way to go for my pup. The one for the counter edge is longer and will probably do the trick, except I can see it falling down everytime he touches it. Is there some way to adhere it to the counter edge? I'd have to buy 2, which does get pricey.

I'd still like opinions on my previous post about the stay command.

Sandy,
There are a few things here, one your dog is a very young puppy, heck I did not even begin a real stay with my dog until he was close to 9 months old. Him jumping on the counter is a puppy thing and is this going to be a working dog? I have not expected many manners from my dog as I want him to be a working dog one day and have kind of accepted the fact that he will not have many manners until he really begins his real work. Yes I expect him to act correctly but the first few months with him I bleed like a fool, he would get corrected for biting but nothing that would be considered a real correction by most, mainly re-directed him a whole lot but not much else. Your dog really is a puppy so have some patients with him. I truly wanted my dog to be a puppy for as long as he could be after all he will have most of his life I am hoping as a dog with manners, so in the beginning not many at all. I would create your dog and let him scream and bark all he wants to but not feed him until he has settled in his create, it will not take long for him to learn that being calm and settled will get him feed. I know we all hate to hear our dogs scream from thier creates, but they do learn that they do not get out when screaming and that they do not get feed when screaming.
My Two Cents for what it cost you.
Jay

To the OP,
Create, Create, Create Stops all things!!
Jay

Sorry Sandy, I haven't had a puppy for 18 years now. But my 2 older dogs (2.5 and 15 months) still can't stay very well. I'm sure the dog could be taught that if he moves, he doesn't get fed. Although at 5 months, he is a baby and I don't know how much you can expect from him.

As for the Scat Mat, you can get "extensions" that just plug in to the same battery pack that are much cheaper than buying 2 mats. You could use Stik-Tak or silly putty to glue it to your counter - just don't adhere it where the wires are (the mat is clear so you can see where the wires run through).

It took my stubborn hound (11 months at the time) 3 shocks all within one hour, and his behaviour has never repeated itself since then. He thinks that it is the area that corrected him, it is not a correction related to me. My scat mat is now rolled up in the basement gathering dust, but I'm sure I'll need it for my next dog or cat.