Counter Suffer - 2 lunches for breakfast
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So I guess I have to get more serious about the counters. Other than catching them in the act and saying no. I was wondering if anyone has other suggestions. I have heard about leaving a cookie sheet with empty pop cans on it just hanging a little over the counter. The idea is they jump up catch the edge of the cookie sheet and are startled by the noise. I have not tried it yet and am wondering if this might work. Thanks so much I really appreciate all the advice. Becky and Miley |
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| Have you trained your dog to "leave it" yet? I.e. can you put a treat infront of your dog and say "leave it" (or similar) and have your dog not touch the treat until you say "take it"?
If you haven't, work on training that command first. Then you can put a cookie/dog treat on the edge of the counter and say "leave it". Once Miley looks away from the cookie and looks to you, mark the behaviour and give Miley a treat from your hand (not from the counter). This will train Miley that treats come from you - not from the counter. Consistency is the key on this. Don't feed Miley from the counter (i.e. a little scrap of cheese when you're cooking) either. Good luck! Another advanced training of "leave it" is to be able to say "leave it" when another person offers your dog a treat. We are working on this right now. You can use a friend or family member to pretend to be the friendly stranger offering your dog a treat. |
| Have you taken Miley to obedience training? I am amazed at how useful the cues we learn at training are in daily life.
On a walk Barkley sees some garbage that looks yummy.... "leave it!". He starts biting at his leash because he wants to run and play.... "drop it!". Off leash he runs ahead a little farther than we want.... "wait!". Having reliable commands can literally save your dog's life!  |
| Steph's advice is great. I am going to once again recommend the indoor leash. If your dog is on a leash, he's not able to go off, jump up, and explore whatever he finds interesting. I used it extensively when I got Maggie and now I just need to use it from time to time to remind her that her job is to be where I want her. Of course, you can't leave the dog unsupervised with the leash. You have to watch, hold or step on it as needed. But it is very effective. |
Clearly the coffee had kicked in as I never thought about using the Leave It command.  We are still learning Leave it, so I doubt it would have worked as peanut butter is amoung her favorite things and it was a classic PB&J sandwich.
We took a break from obedience class from mid-Dec to now. We start againg on Wednesday. In hindshight I wished we had not stopped as I am better in working with her when its more structured. Miley has been a handful these last couple of days. I think it is my fault. I have been a baby about taking her outside. The weather has been really bad. I have been keeping our regular morning and evening walks I just skipped the outside play time and she is missing it. We have so much snow and I did not want to get her all wet and risk getting matted. It seems like I just look at her these days and she has matts. Thanks so much for your advice. I do appreciate all the great advice this forum has really been a help with sorts of advice and some of the stories just make me laugh. Becky and Miley |
| Sounds like you're doing all the right things. Once you start classes again I bet you'll find things get easier for both you and Miley. How old is Miley?
Barkley is almost 9 months and I noticed he "forgets" certain commands... then I realize it's my fault because we haven't practiced that command in a week or so. We really have to keep practicing every day. I made myself a list of everything we've learned (which I'll continue to add to) so I will remember what we need to keep practicing. Short little training sessions are great - and they're a great way to get Barkley to eat his kibble! 
I'm the same as you - I appreciate the structure that we get by being enrolled in obedience classes. This is our 3rd session so far. Take care, |
| But I do want to mention that many sheepies are infamous for their counter surfing abilities. Tasker is a counter surfer extroidinaire. He is perfectly behaved when we are home but something springs loose in his brain the moment we leave the house and everything on the conter is fair game. |
| We were NEVER able to get our Jake to stay off the counters. Mulligan NEVER counter surfs in the kitchen, but does love stealing paper napkins from ANYWHERE else. |
| Hi,
Ahhh the counter surfers! I solved the problem by having meticulously clean counters which would have never happened if I didn't live with three dogs.  So to them I'm grateful!
Good luck with Miley and cute name by the way! Marianne and the boys |
Marianne wrote: Hi,
Ahhh the counter surfers! I solved the problem by having meticulously clean counters which would have never happened if I didn't live with three dogs. So to them I'm grateful!Good luck with Miley and cute name by the way! Marianne and the boys Oh how I try but usually FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| I do not at the moment have a problem with Obe and counter surfing. This could change and will deal with it when necessary. For some some reason I have this big wood coffee table and in the last month or so I have noticed that he likes to get up on it if I am not paying attention. Does not destroy anything just either sits or lays down. So we are learning that the couch is okay but not the table. |
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