rdr71 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 hi Our GOlden retriever Sasha is now 6 mths, and when inside spends the majority of her time in the family room - this is a large tiled area - dining table, kitchen area and tv area. Problem is, I cant seem to stop her jumping up at the table to lick the table and see what crumbs she can find, and also in the kitchen she jumps up and licks whatever was on the chopping board. We growl no at her, and sometimes I grab her and put her confined in the laundry (ie with a baby gate stopping her from getting out but can see and hear us). Both my husband and I have once lightly smacked her out of frustration but prefer not to do that. We did puppy school, and began obedience but only got 2 weeks in before the xmas break. I tihnk obedience starts up agian in 2 weeks...but does anyone have any advice in the meantime? And also, it just feels like she will NEVER learn to listen...even in the obedience classes it felt like an uphill battle. What is the best way to deal with something like this that we REALLY dont want her to do. Thanks Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy beagle lady Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 spray bottle and lots of NO'S- very firm No's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdr71 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 excusing my ignorance on the details....just water in it or something alittle more interesting? And do i spray at her, or the counter? I remember reading something like that anyhow Thanks Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 She will learn but the key is the dog must respect the humans as pack leaders. Often its not so much an uphill battle but the communication between human to dog is confusing. You need to find a good obedience school that will teach you how to communicate with your dog . Remeber although only 6 months they are at an age where there a sponge for learning & testing the boundries . You need to look at what she does on a daily basis & decide what areas you think needs work on & what areas shes doing really well at so when you go to training you can discuss that with your instructor. Remeber training is an every day thing,make her site for food,teach her to stay on amat or the zone,when preparing food at night feed her outside & give her playtime /time out time,break the routine,do obedience whilst preparing food. It may sound like hardwork but it isnt & when done incorparated with daily routine its more fun & very easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy beagle lady Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 sorry... busy @ work... more details we use spray bottles filled with water, make sure the spray is not a fine mist... it just wont work spray the puppy everytime they jump up or to correct whatever behaviour it is that you dont want, make sure you are very firm with the no's and spraying them consistently until they understand- and they do quite quickly. she is still a young pup and testing her boundaries- make sure she knows that you are the boss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdr71 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Thanks Showdog. I find it very frustrating because I also have 2 frustrating skin kids to deal with also. I feel like that has prevented me from bonding with Sasha like I had hoped I would. As a kid the dog I had was my best friend...but I guess Sasha will be MY kids' best friends...so not sure what my relationship with Sasha will end up being, or is supposed to be! Anyway...that was a complete tangent... I have no idea how to get her to stay. She sits 80% of the time when i tell her, but the stay thing is a tough one. She seems to be incredibly clever and stubborn. Cant imagine thats an easy combination!! At the moment she is recovering from her desexing op, so she is probably more bored than usual. But I am not used to her being inside so much. And avoidance isnt really the solution. I cant keep her outside rather than deal with the jumping up. So I will hang out till obedience starts again and like you suggested Showdog, make a note of the positive and negative things so I am clearer on what I want to get out of obedience for her Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdr71 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Thanks CBL...but I dont think you have your priorities in order...surely DOL comes before work?!!!! Will definitely try the spray bottle approach Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 (edited) Does she only exhibit this behaviour when you're around? What if you're not? Here's a link to an earlier thread you might find interesting and helpful (it took me an age to find it, but I knew it was there!), as well as a link to "Scat Mat". Kitchen Bench Surfing SCAT MAT ETA: If you use the DOL search engine and search for "counter" and/or "kitchen bench" or the like, you should come up with some other threads where your current problem has been discussed also. Edited January 20, 2006 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdr71 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 (edited) Erny thank you so much for hunting that down. I do mostly use the search function - it is so useful and saves me posting about the same old topics....but on occasions I forget about it ETA: hadnt finished yet!!! Will look at those posts. Sasha does it when whether we are there or not. Doesnt seem to bother her if we are watching her. Still does it. RUth Edited January 20, 2006 by rdr71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidoney Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 I've not done this myself but apparently it can work. Put a scent in the water in the spray bottle, eg. vanilla. The scent becomes associated with the aversive. Then you can put some of the scent on the places where you don't want the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdr71 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 THat makes sense too Sidoney. good idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Erny thank you so much for hunting that down. I do mostly use the search function - it is so useful and saves me posting about the same old topics....but on occasions I forget about it No worries, RDR. I wasn't trying to make a point, by my post. I doubt you would've found it via the search engine .... I wasn't able to. The thread title doesn't reflect the actual topic, per sei, and none of the key words I put in worked. I also couldn't remember the name of Scat Mat at the time. I knew I'd posted there, though, so I searched through my old posts. Let us all know what you end up doing and what the outcome/s are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdr71 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 no, I knew you werent being pointed in your comment - but it mustve taken you a while to find the topic/post - so appreciate it! Truly though, I can spend hours on DOL just on the search function!!! Will let you know how i go. must say not too hopeful...but hey...have to try! RUth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidoney Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Oh and in case it hasn't been mentioned, while you are training, make sure she NEVER EVER gets rewarded for jumping up on the counters ... that means keeping them clean, even of crumbs (I grew up with Goldies and know how food motivated they can be!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdr71 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 yeh...good point that I hadnt thought of. She learnt VERY quickly that the best place to go under the dining table was my 4 yr old's seat!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 (edited) Will let you know how i go. must say not too hopeful... If you the experience of getting up on counters is unpleasant enough to counteract the reward of vacuuming up a few crumbs or treats, it should work. Sydoney - Oh and in case it hasn't been mentioned, while you are training, make sure she NEVER EVER gets rewarded for jumping up on the counters ... that means keeping them clean, even of crumbs (I grew up with Goldies and know how food motivated they can be!!). I agree, with this, although if you're anything like me, my life with dogs prohibits the time required for perfect house keeping! If the situation is set up where the dog can make the decision of where its best advantage lies (ie NOT on the countertops) with AND without the human presence and with OR without food being present on the countertops, this would be the most ideal. If the message she perceives is VERY CLEAR, it shouldn't take too long before her behaviour diminishes. Edited January 20, 2006 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missey's Mum Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 I tried the waterbottle when Missey was young, but unfortunately she thought it was all part of the game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zia's Nuthouse Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 sorry... busy @ work... more details we use spray bottles filled with water, make sure the spray is not a fine mist... it just wont work spray the puppy everytime they jump up or to correct whatever behaviour it is that you dont want, make sure you are very firm with the no's and spraying them consistently until they understand- and they do quite quickly. she is still a young pup and testing her boundaries- make sure she knows that you are the boss Absolutely. I am avid fan of the spray bottles. We put a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil in ours, as they hate the smell. When we want to correct a behaviour etc, now we only have to show the bottle. Even the cat gets a squirt if he's being naughty. Trust me it won't take long for your little one to discover it aint fun. Just make sure when you squirt her, that you say a firm NO to go along with it. yep spray is no good it needs to be on jet spray Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussienot Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 I once read some very good advice on a Rhodesian Ridgeback site. The best way to train your dog not to counter surf is to keep clean counters. The jumping up to see what's there is reinforced everytime there is something to eat. If there is never any food to be found, eventually the behaviour will stop. The only problem with an adversive correction is that you have to be present to do it, and most dogs learn to only counter surf when you are not there to stop them. So keeping clean counters is kind of a human training solution, not a dog training solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheyenne_Fury Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Know what you are going through RDR my lovely beagle cross boy used to do this all the time. The point Sidoney made about the dog not getting rewarded or paid for the behaviour can not be stressed enough. You need to make doubly sure that there is nothing that will appeal to your pup on the bench or table. As well as keeping my benches and tables completely clear of food stuffs that my boy will find interesting I tell him NO! in a deep loud voice each time he did it and he soon learned that it was not acceptable behaviour though we do have lapses every now and then and I just respond with a loud no. When he has gotten down I will give the command to come or sit or drop etc. and then will reward for doing the behaviour that I want. The water bottle that Craxy Beagle Lady suggested can also work quite well as long as your dog doesn't like it Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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