Two Puppy Questions!

[BooBooBear]

Humphrey has just discovered how to try to jump up on the furniture both the couch and the kitchen chairs - he's putting his front paws up and trying to grab at things. Any suggestions on how to avoid this?

Also, he barks when I am preparing his dinner. Seems to be the only time he does this. Any idea why and how to handle this one?

thank you!

[Loraine]

He needs immediate correction and perhaps removing from the kitchen whilst you are preparing his dinner, until he has learned to sit and wait. As for dining rooms, I ban small pupies from the area until they have mastered the sit and stay commands.

[BooBooBear]

Thanks so much Loraine, great ideas, will give both of those a try!

I'm trying so hard to be a good mummy but it's so hard

[corvus]

You know what works real quick with barking and food? When they sit and are quiet for a moment, pop them a tiny little bit of food from their bowl. Then when they are sitting quietly, pop them another little bit. You gradually increase the amount of time you expect them to sit quietly without a treat until they are sitting quietly for the full five minutes or whatever it takes to prepare their meals. We did this with Kivi.

However, we also did it with Erik and while he picked it up very quickly, it all fell apart a few weeks later when he started getting incredibly over-excited about meals in general. So we started preparing his meal and leaving it on the counter until he was calm and then fed him. That worked brilliantly and he now sits quietly awaiting his meal along with Kivi.

[BooBooBear]

That's great Corvus, thank you for that. Will definitely try that too!

I actually did walk out of the kitchen after I'd prepared his dinner and went and did a few things in the garage before I came back, made him sit and then gave him his dinner. Tried to teach him that barking wasn't going to be rewarded with dinner to stop the barking

Like I said I'm trying so hard

[Serket]

Gypsy tried the barking thing while preparing dinner for a week or so.

I very pointedly stopped making her dinner, and did something else for a bit, and then went back. If she barked again, repeat. She got the message pretty quickly and has never done it since.

You might also want to try the Triangle of Temptation program linked somewhere around here (puppy forum? training forum? general? Sorry, lazy tonight)