severe counter surfing times 3

[D.Schäferhund]

Hi guys, i need some ideas, i ran out of all i had....

My three girls are severly countersurfing...

I had that issue before, with Kessy, but after trying several tricks, I had to give up she was just too smart, traps doublesided tape and such all failed....
but than i had the easy fix with the luxury of a door to the kitchen, now Brisa started it again and all joined in...
but i have the problem that i do not have a door to the kitchen anymore it is open to livingroom and diningrrom, no doorway... just counter....

tonite it was my own falt because i left meat on the counter in the shoppingbags, becuase a goat got out and I had to catch it.
my three girls stuffed themselves with about 8 Lb of meat!

but other than that, brisa gets on the counters, gets dishes off and breaks them, even when we are in the room and have an eye on her, she does it on purpose... to have a little fun...
We lost about 5 glasses 3 plates and soupbowls over it, and with my workschedule i am just not sometimes getting to wash and dry the dishes....

Problem is, that my meatbags come in 15 LB bags, i have to defrost in the kitchen, garage is outside but too warm and it rotts before it is defrostet in the summer.
So i have to keep meat out but Brisa will be tall enough soon to reach on the counter further back.

My other two girls might be not very innocent either. but it was quiet with that for the longest time.... no stealing.
Brisa is extra mischivous so i have to catch it fast.

I need some hardcore tricks for harcore dogs...


any ideas????

[Punkygirl0101]

Have you tried crating them every time you cannot keep your eyes on them? If you are going to the bathroom, stepping outside to get mail, leaving them alone for a few seconds...put them in their crates. And when you can watch them at all times, have them out of them, and do basic training...you see them on the countertops, firmly say No and make them sit, etc.

[D.Schäferhund]

thanks punkygirl, but crating I do not do in the house...
i do not want it, and is just a quikfix, i have alot of going inside and outside to do and they would be more in the crate than would be good for them, i currently can't take them outside to do chores with me, because some cat decided to put some kittens in our shed and they are definatly in danger when i take my bunch outside, one allready had to pay, this way i found out.

i try to leave them tired when I leave from work, but that does not last 5 hours, atleast not with Brisa in the house, she is a roudy rascal....
and makes the other dogs feel mischivous, too.

They know that they are not supposed to be on the counter, and moms and Were preety good about it until little Deamon arrived...
no it is all over and times three...

It is other stuff, too. that gets legs, dishes broke and stuff chewed up, eventhoug she has chewtoys, and yeah while i am gone that crating might be ok, but it does not help when I am at home, and have stuff to do in the house, she has to have plenny time with me... or she gets worse...

[Rivsky]

Is there any chance she's doing it to get your attention - you say it's some sort of game for her so maybe putting her outside (away from you and the other 2) when you catch her in the act might me more effective in getting it through to her that it's not on?

[CdnRottieMom]

I'm not sure what traps you have tried, but have you tried using scat mats? I've been told that they don't give a shock like an e-collar does, just a small stick shock (like a static shock when you walk on the carpet and touch someone's arm). You can clean everything off of the cupboards, place the mats down on the cupboards with small pieces of hotdog bits to tempt them to counter surf (setting them up to fail, in order to correct the behaviour).

[D.Schäferhund]

I just read about them, and this is probably something I will try, i wasn't up to date on the newer stuff out, i was trying the oldschool, bakingpan, pot traps and boobytraped desired objects with rattlecans... and such things..

I will get me a scatt mat to try it out, for my older girls i have not much hope that it will do something... but they were pretty good before Brisa started that stuff...

Rivsky:
Yeah, good luck getting cought to put her up, that chase game is what she is waiting for, and nothing makes her come if she doesn't want to.... so no chance in putting her away, without giving her some sattisfaction...

I try to ignore it when I can so she get's no reaction from me, wich is partially working, she drops that item and then i divert her and get the object she stole... that can be a sock or a lighter, what ever she thinks might be valuabe to me, and might just get a rise out of me, so unless take everything out of the room, so she can't steal anyhting she might be good.

she makes me feel like a total beginner with dogs....

Smart as something else and so mischievous, we are still working on the coming inside thing, when she does not want to...
I tell you she has nerves!!!!

[Rivsky]

Originally Posted by D.Schäferhund

Rivsky:
Yeah, good luck getting cought to put her up, that chase game is what she is waiting for, and nothing makes her come if she doesn't want to.... so no chance in putting her away, without giving her some sattisfaction...

I try to ignore it when I can so she get's no reaction from me, wich is partially working, she drops that item and then i divert her and get the object she stole... that can be a sock or a lighter, what ever she thinks might be valuabe to me, and might just get a rise out of me, so unless take everything out of the room, so she can't steal anyhting she might be good.

Ahh now I see your problem - unfortunatley I've got no other suggestions for you sorry - hopefully the scat mat works.

We still have the same problem with River particularly with the lighter - he grabs it just so he can have that chase game but since I stopped chasing him for it and instigating the game with him when he's got one of his own toys he hasn't been quite so bad with it - they sure are smart little buggers!!

[kalija]

Is there anyway you could put a gate up in the doorway?Another quick fix I know. Last night I saw a show on animal planet - the dog was opening the oven door to climb up on the counter - then peeing on it! They put some kind of alarm on it that make a noise - kind of like a scat matt I guess but just a noise.
My other thought would be to have her trail a long leash so you could catch her in the act perhaps instead of the chasing?

[D.Schäferhund]

Ewww what a nasty habit: climbing on the counter to pee... but though, a very clever dog, using tools to get where he needs to go....

The more i think about them scatt matts i might try it, because that takes me out of the picture, and it is somthing that is there when i am not, so that might just work...
speaking of the devil... i can hear her trying to get on the counter, but there is nothing there foodwise anyways....

[muggsmom]

When I couldn't keep Muggs from getting in the garbage I set him up. I covered the garbage with cayenne pepper. It took 3 times, but now he's decided the new garbage tastes terrible. Maybe you could deliberately leave something on the counter that you have made unpleasant. Another thing that works is alum. It's used in pickling and you can find it with the spices. It tastes very, very bitter. Mix with some water and dip some meat, bread, whatever and then leave it on the counter.

[Ritz459]

I sympathize with you. Chloe loves to put her paws up on the counter and table and eat anything that is deemed tasty. She drives me up the wall. We can't even set the table before we eat without her getting in the way. We'll be standing two feet from her and she just jumps up.....She doesn't grab things and run, she just stands there and laps it up, so I know booby trapping it wouldn't do a thing.

And as well with us, no crate (just a kennel outside), no door, and no gates. And since she doesn't jump up onto the counter, a scat mat wouldn't work.

Keeping the table and counters clean is about the only thing I can do, but when I have idiot siblings who get something to eat and leave the food half eaten on the table or counter, then we have issues.

I've really been toying with the idea of getting one of these:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...N=2033762&Ne=2
It wouldn't solve the problem by any means, but it would save me a lot of grief.

[AVA]

I have no suggestions other than the scat mat but to help with the
meat temptations, put the meat in the cabinet on the plates, thats
what I do, its out sight, but at room temperature and behind the cabinet doors, and if its a bigger meat I use a big bowl, that way
it catches the juices. Good luck

[D.Schäferhund]

hi guys,

Well i am not fond of them collars, but If you have to just protect the edge of the counter them scatt mats have strips you can put there, so if she puts the paws up, it is enough....
that is waht i am hopeing for....

well my dogs know atleast not to get things when i am arround, beeing in a little distance and didtracted is a different thing....
So we keep a close eye on our dinnertable, too.
They know they are not supposed, too but smart enough to use that split second you do not pay attention....

If it just would be a stakesize thing with the meat, that wouldn't be an issue but my meatbags are bulky and house arround 15 to 20 LB of meat, very juicy, so they just fit on a bakingpan....

[Sweetpea]

I just came across this video on counter surfing. I wasn't sure what it was at first. This might help in the long run. Here is a link to the video. http://www.petvideo.com/index.cgi?category=57

[Ritz459]

Originally Posted by D.Schäferhund

Well i am not fond of them collars, but If you have to just protect the edge of the counter them scatt mats have strips you can put there, so if she puts the paws up, it is enough....
that is waht i am hopeing for....

I didn't know that they made strips. Do you have a link for them? I'm not fond of the collars either, but right now that is sounding like the best thing....