Doggy Day Care Worries, Counter Surfing Worries, All The Worries

[Binny P]

Hi all --

Mr. Burt Reynolds is now fully recovered from his surgical adventure and -- oh sweet jebus and -- got a clear Giardia test. I still feel like I can't quite trust it, but the vet promises me it is true (and would probably enjoy if I stopped calling).

So, now that we are pooping with just the ordinary level of grossness and have our testicles in a medical waste jar and no longer twisted in our bellies, we are on to other joys of puppyhood. Which brings me to my current set of questions and concerns.

First: doggy day care. We started Burt at Doggy Day Care this week, because while I love having him in the office, he gets bored by 2:00 and wants to bark and play, and that is not exactly condusive to either one of us having a productive or enjoyable afternoon. So for the sake of my sanity, his sanity, and my continued gainful employment, we checked out the world of Lots Of Dogs In A Place. I like the place so far and I appreciated that the temperament testing to get in was more than just filling out a questionnaire or them meeting the dog, but rather having him there and introducing dogs with different personalities one at a time to see how he would react. They have webcams, which are poor quality and remind me of watching store security footage of shoplifts but provide enough detail that I feel confident that dogs are not ignored, people are around, and everything seems to be as they say. And he definitely comes home tired, which is nice in terms of curbing the 8:00 monster who usually takes over the house with 10,000 teeth.

BUT. You knew there was a but. Worried puppy momma ALWAYS has a but. BUT I am worried it might be too much exercise for him as such a young age. He is only about ~18 weeks and I don't trust that he will self-regulate to take naps in that environment. On the webcam, I do see dogs napping, but never him. Do any of you have experience with doggy day care or thoughts? Our plan is eventually to only go 2-3 times a week and for me to bring him into the office the other days, but this week, due to other circumstances, he has been going everyday (well, all three days this week has had). Should I worry about too much running around and playing? Or (and this is another real concern of mine) that he going to learn bad habits I can't undo, like constant barking? Are there things I should worry about that have not even crossed my mind yet? Tell me what to fear, dear doodle-heads. 

And on to my other problem. Our dear sweet boy is growing up and up, and up now so high that he has realized he can counter-surf and that such surfing is sweet, sweet fun. We tell him off and he mostly listens, for a second, but then jumps right back up. He hasn't been able to sink his teeth into anything really delicious up there, but it is not for lack of trying. Us, our dinner, and our cats would really like to discourage this habit.  Just saying "Off" stops the behavior when it is happening, but doesn't prevent it from happening to begin with. Any thoughts or success teaching a counter-surfer to stay four on the floor? 

Mr. Reynolds at 18 weeks and 26 lbs, a giant ball of joy and mischief! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Burt is adorable, and I'm so glad to finally learn his name, lol. Congratulations on the negative fecal, paws and fingers crossed that that's the end of the poop issues, and good riddance!

I wouldn't worry at all about his getting too much exercise or not napping at day care. It won;t do him a bit of harm, and his natural instincts will kick in to let him know if and when he truly has had enough and needs to rest. I would also not worry about bad habits developing. Dogs are situational learners. Excited pack barking at day care isn't going to translate to nonstop barking at home with you.

I've never had a counter surfer, but consistency and overall general obedience training is the key to solving every issue, including that one. Hopefully, some others here will have some good advice for you. 

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

I have my girls at doggie day care at least 2 days a week.  We had Skadi there since she was little.  My girls  also come to our dental office, but they get more exercise and stimulus at doggie daycare.  Tires them out.  Skadi ended up with a torn cruciate ligament before the age of 2.  But I let her run crazy in the yard and jump off our deck.  This probably wasn't good.  As for doggie day care I think it's pretty safe and good exercise.  I don't think they let the dogs get too crazy.  You can request that too.  They will keep an eye on him.  Our doggie day care does not allow constant barking...they tell me my girls never bark when they are there.  I would not like them to be allowed to bark without quieting.  

As for the counter surfing I feel for you.  My girls never did any of that either.  I use an e-collar for habits that I have tried to break and failed.  I know it's controversial, but I was at my wits end with our rescue doodle's behavior.  They can be the right tool used properly.  I was reluctant to use it at first, but my trainer was extremely informative and the response is incredible.  I'm glad your baby is doing better.  I think you should let your conscience be your guide.  

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

I did something similar to this:

https://youtu.be/1DSPNTpAfhg

which is very effective.  At almost 9 years old Haley does not counter surf.  (Hope I haven't jinxed it.)

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I did the same type of thing with a hotdog at the edge of the counter. The food was tied to a string that was attached to a plastic tray of coins. Wally grabbed the hotdog, which tugged on the string, which pulled the tray of coins off of the counter, and they all came tumbling down making a racket and scaring Wally. He never counter-surfed again!

[Wendy and Myla]

That is exactly what Myla's breeder told us to do.  She said that doodles were known for counter-surfing and if Myla did, we should use a hotdog as bait, tie it to a bunch of tin cans filled with coin. She said to do it as soon as we find out she counter surfs because if we waited too long, the benefits of counter-surfing would out-weigh the fright.   So far, Myla has not counter-surfed so we never had to try that.  Good luck!

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

That's amazing...I bet that would work well!

[Lynda Kamrath]

Relax and start enjoying life.  Your dog will survive and you can find things to be thankful for rather than worry about.  I learned at obedience training that you can "claim" the areas you do not want your dog to bother.  My puppy was a book chewer so I "claimed" all the bookcases in the house.  She no longer bothers my books.  Maybe sign up for some classes with your pup.  You might both enjoy the experience.

[John Deutinger]

What we have done is when Guinness starts to counter surf we shoot him with a squirt gun filled with water and quickly hide the gun so he does not see it - one good blast is usually enough to stop him as it startles him, he is quickly learning that if his feet hit the counter he gets squirted from out of nowhere. The look on his face is priceless :)

[c zoomer]

Just to see that look would be worth a go-pro camera!