I checked out past forums and took note of the advice there, but nothing seems to work. Our 5 1/2 month old GD is obsessed with the kitchen counters. He is very large and can reach to the middle of the counter already! We have never fed him food from off the counter but he knows that is where all the good stuff is. We keep the counters clear when we are not there to supervise. I have tried two sided tape. He likes it and peels it off with his teeth and takes off with the long strip! The beast! We are at our wits end. I don't want to have to guard my counters for the next 15 years. Shouldn't he learn now that this is not allowed?? He is a very well trained dog and is in intermediate obedience and knows all of the commands. He is a smart, good boy, but for some reason it is like training a brick wall when it comes to this. I think it is time to consider some serious measures. I saw a device at the store that looks like a TV converter-you push a button that emits a high frequency noise only the dog can hear when they do something inappropriate.The dog does not like this at all and will stop the unwanted behaviour. Is this mean to do? I also saw some pads that you lay on the counter. If the dog jumps up, they are gently zapped!! I don't know about this one-we'll probably get zapped more than he will. Someone told me that there are indoor "Invisible fence" set ups which is probably similar to the counter pads I was talking about. Any help here would surely be appreciated.
Our trainer also recommended two sided tape along the counter edges. Apparently, the sticky sensation can be a great deterrent. Our four year old, Nimbus, has this problem. We have never been able to correct it. We just have to keep everything off the counters.
I still vote for the motion detector :-) I have never used it but it sounds like an excellent way to get the dog to quit counter surfing. HOWEVER--you have to be absolutely diligent to never leave anything up there unless you are standing next to the item. The reason is that anytime he is rewarded with finding a treat up there he will try to do it again. It's just the way the dogs brain works. He has to not find anything up there for months....
Can the kitchen be gated off? Can he be crated when you're not watching him?
Unfortunately, we cannot gate the kitchen off. Its one of those open concept kitchen/great room homes.Plus-he eats there and his water bowl is there too. We are getting smart about keeping the counters clear because last week I found my paring knife on our couch!! I love his company in the kitchen...even when he lies down on my feet with his huge puppy body but cooking (which I love to do) is a serious challenge when the food is out. The mechanism I spoke about is not a motion detctor-its a training device that we would activate by pushing a button which emits a sound that I guess humans don't hear. It is about $50.00 and I am thinking of getting it but I just don't want to waste money on something so rash if we can control this ourselves.
Permalink Reply by GBK on March 4, 2009 at 10:22am
This sound device worked for my Buddy, but not for Kona. She was the one I really wanted it for, and she could have cared less. Poor buddy suffered because when I tried to direct it at her, he still got the correction even if he listened.
Our dog is so stubborn-I'm really not sure the sound device would work either. Tonight he just laid down in the kitchen while I was cooking-not much jumping. Maybe he is getting the point. BTW to everyone-I set up the boobie trap with the cookie sheet loaded with spoons and a can full of coins. I left in overhanging the counter with a piece of chicken behind it. He NEVER WENT NEAR IT!!! What a little beast, it's like he knew it was a "set up" and would'nt be fooled. He is so funny, this huge puppy of ours.
Our trainer recommended using an empty pizza box balanced with the edge of the box just over the edge of the counter, behind it place something like fresh toast (smells good, but not a disaster if they do get hold of it and eat it). On top of the pizza box place three empty pop cans with a couple of pennies in side them. Leave the room so that the experience isn't associated with you, some people would for sure say this is a negative training method. If the dog goes for the toast, he will knock the pizza box over and the cans fall down, making a very loud nosie!! They won't hurt him but they will scare him. We only had to do it twice with our dog who was getting quite persistant with the counter, and he hasn't tried it since! We are still very careful about what we leave up there, but generally it is no longer a problem. Hope this helps!
I hope this helps a lot!! Thank you. I'd try it tonight but I don't have a pizza box. Figures! I think I will try the same procedure with a cookie sheet tonight. Tomorrow I will order pizza because I KNOW he will really go for the pizza box. As far as being a negative training method-it is better than us yelling at him and squirting him with the water bottle. Honestly, I think this is a very clever approach. Basically, the dog is learning on their own. Other than us humans setting up the booby trap, he is learning that his actions may have consequences that he will not like. I really hope this works, because he is VERY persistant. I'll keep you informed.
Debbie
Stella, we're going to try the pizza box! I'll probably just leave a little crust inside the box, . . Wrigs once ate an entire platter of leftover pizza. Grrrrrrr. She's never fallen for any of our other booby traps; she's too darned smart! She's actually gotten better, but I caught her checkin' for treats yesterday morning. AND y'all should have seen her about a month ago ~ I came home to a puppy with BLUE paws and a BLUE beard ~ she had chewed up an ink pen!
Our trainer suggested getting soda cans and stacking them anywhere they tend to jump in a pyramid. When they knock them down, set them up again and again until they stop.