# Jumping on counters and stuff in crate...



## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

This may not be the answer you want to hear, but my nine month old pup has a crate mat in his crate for the first time ... successfully...this week. I tried at different times and he just shredded everything, so he has been sleeping on his bare crate floor. I even got him a big play pen to be in that he managed to scoot around the room and suck items into. Again, this last week he has been in his play pen successfully! I think he is growing up. The best solution to counter surfing is to have really clean counters with nothing tempting on them. Like that's going to happen! You can physically block off the kitchen. I have also heard some training places recommend the use of the canned air correctors such as, Pet Convincer or Pet Corrector. I don't have any personal experience with them. I do know that puppies need to earn their freedom and that if they are given too much freedom, too soon, they will get into trouble.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Counter surfing is very self rewarding and almost impossible to break. Like charmed said, keep NOTHING on your counters he can get into, and if you can't watch him he needs to be crated. I would remove any padding to blankets, not worth the vet bill. Some grow out of it, some don't.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I usually put a folded flat sheet in the crate, one I didn't mind being chewed on a little. I figured a little chewing on a cotton sheet would be ok. Until a dog is a year or more, that is all he gets in his crate.

When cooking, either have an assigned safe place for the dog if you want him in the kitchen, or ban him from the kitchen using baby gates. After meals, leave NO food on counters. This is a long term thing, not something you can do for a while and think he is cured.


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## PoodlenPrada (Aug 13, 2014)

There's a lady in our group class with a VERY HUGE 5 months old doodle dog. She asked the trainer about the counter surfing and the trainer told her to put all of her metal pots and pans lids on the counters so when the dog jumps on there the crash will startled the snot out of him and scare him from jumping up there in the future. She told her she may have to do it more than once to get the point across.


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## PoodleRick (Mar 18, 2013)

The pots and pans sounds like a good idea. Also, and I know it can be a PIA, but what about tethering him to you when you're in the kitchen. That way you can correct him instantly if he does it. I've got nothing for the chewing, sorry.

Rick


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Rick I like your idea. I will say we tried almost everything under the sun to break countersurfing: booby traps (cans, pots), spray bottle (Lily thought that was funny) mouse traps, double sided sticky tape (major PIA), etc. She still surfs. Once a dog has self rewarded themselves for that behavior it is nearly impossible to break the behavior. Keep your counters immaculately free of interesting objects and maybe your pup will lose interest.

I would not leave anything in the crate. The pup will mostly just sleep when you aren't around. We went through many crate mats and beds that Peeves took apart when they were young before we decided no beds for a while. It was getting expensive.


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## itzmeigh (Apr 28, 2014)

And as they get older and taller don't forget about sink diving. After they surf their way along the cleared counters they will reach right in the sink and help themselves to that yummy chicken you have thawing there. Why no, no... The Princess Hazel would NEVER counter surf or sink dive! How could you think such a thing about THE princess!! She just looks at you with the look of complete bewilderment when she's caught with her nose chicken deep in the sink. She tries to blame it on the cats but it never works!

The nosy fiend is just not allowed in the kitchen when food is out anymore. She is pretty good and she doesn't even try if I'm in the kitchen with her, but turn your back and she'll take the opportunity to take a look around! (I can't say I blame her really. I haven't been able to teach my 9 year old human child to not pilfer the kitchen for treats, I have no hope of teaching the dog not to! At least she hasn't learned to open cabinet doors (Shadow Cat, I'm looking at you!) yet.)

Good luck!


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## mom2m (Dec 24, 2014)

When we adopted Finn he had just turned 2, and not been allowed in the kitchen. In our home, you have to go through the kitchen to get to the dog door.

I've lined the kitchen counters with my cookie sheets and muffin pans. It's easy to pick up (the cookie sheets are large) and if he tries to counter surf they make a banging sound. If he knocks one onto the floor it makes a really loud noise. I'm also trying to train the people to leave food on the counter. 

As for the chewing, I have no idea. Our darling Midnight went through a chewing stage as a puppy...


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I leave thawing meat on a plate in the microwave or the oven. She can't reach the microwave and hasn't figured out how to open the oven.

Beware of eating sponges left around the sink. They smell yummy too.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

The problem with punishment of any kind is that often it is either too harsh or too mild to do any good. And it's hard to judge what brand of punishment to use. Too harsh can cause a _whole host _of other problems you didn't think of. It can cause fear of something you didn't intend instead of fear of the counter. (which I wouldn't like anyhow personally) Punishment by you can cause the dog to avoid the behavior only in your presence. Dogs are pretty smart and can often guess that the punishment came from you even if you're not present...that it is associated with humans. Too mild a punishment doesn't work because they get habituated to that. It's very hard to judge the sensitivity level of each dog and one dog might be more sensitive to one kind of thing than to another. You have to be absolutely consistent or you put it on a variable reinforcement schedule which strengthens the behavior. Punishment can _suppress_ a behavior but it is often short lived and again, only effective in the presence of the human.

When you want to extinguish a behavior, the dog must not be reinforced for it. So, yes...keep the counters absolutely free of any tempting morsel...anything that smells like food. But whenever you discourage a behavior, you MUST give an alternative and incompatible behavior for which the dog CAN be reinforced...at least for better learning. He needs to learn that there are plenty of other behaviors he _can_ do that will earn him a treat...and that doesn't include counter surfing. 

Teach him to go to a designated place in the kitchen, like a special mat just for him. Show him, reinforce him, add a cue to go to the mat once he's getting onto it, not before. Click/ treat when he does. Next, start adding duration but very gradually. Next start hiding around the corner, out of sight but pop back very quickly and click and treat. Don't try this until he can stay pretty well. You want to be able to click/treat before he moves. As you add duration of your hiding, click while you're out of sight and then in a few seconds, treat him. Use high value treats. Show him that going to his mat is where and how he gets treat when in the kitchen.

Then have him move off the mat and do something else for a few seconds. In other words, you're starting a new repetition. Then cue him to his mat and click/treat. Repeat after you leave the room for a few seconds. Now mix things up....work in the kitchen, put some food on the counter like you're preparing dinner. Ask him to go to his mat. Treat. Walk out of the room like you did before. Come right back, treat. Now you're changing the context a little, which dogs need. Now it's real life. There's food on the counter and he's getting some WITHOUT going to the counter himself. _Leaving_ it is _getting _him it. lol. 

When you're not home or near by, I would still not leave food on the counter. Dogs are by nature scavengers. But in time, he could learn to leave things alone on the counter when he discovers _all kinds _of other behaviors that work to get him treats. Depending on how long he's been practicing this behavior and being reinforced for it will make a difference in how long it takes for it to extinguish. 

Remember to always think...what is reinforcing this unwanted behavior? And remove that reinforcer. And...what behavior do I want him to do _instead?_ Replace that unwanted behavior with something you _do _want and reinforce him for that. It always is useful to make sure it is an incompatible behavior...something he can't physically do if he's doing the other behavior. He can't jump up on the counter if he's lying on his mat. This goes for any behavior. A dog can't jump up on people if he's sitting. He can't chew up the blanket if his mouth is busy doing something else or if there is no blanket to chew.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> I leave thawing meat on a plate in the microwave or the oven. She can't reach the microwave and hasn't figured out how to open the oven.
> 
> Beware of eating sponges left around the sink. They smell yummy too.


I left a sponge on the vanity in the bathroom last winter, just when we had all that snow and cold weather. The sponge disappeared, not to be seen again, not even a crumb anywhere. I watched the dogs' digestive processes for days after that, finally decided they couldn't have eaten it. I was wrong. After all the snow melted, when I was policing the yard, I found bright yellow sponge-poop. Don't know for sure, but I'm blaming Blue. I'm pretty sure he's the one who ate two sticks of butter from the kitchen counter, too. He must have a gut of steel, as neither sponge nor butter caused a problem.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

My dog, Lyric use to go for sponges too....very enticing I guess. I'd find them torn to smithereens all over the living room rug. I learned not to leave food out. But then I discovered how much fun he had with the sponge and had to learn that too. lol. I never worried much about eating it. There were little pieces everywhere.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

Good advice already given. Don't think the top of your fridge is necessarily safe either. I once had a Great Dane and left a loaf of bread on top of the fridge to thaw. DH and I went out for a few minutes and the entire loaf disappeared, along with the wrapper. Amazingly, the dog had no ill effects or blockage. I know Danes are bigger than Spoos, but Spoos can jump really high when they want to!

I'd take all blankets/beds out of the crate. The dog needs to earn this privilege, which may or may not ever happen. I'd leave a tough chew toy - maybe a stuffed Kong to entertain him.


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