how to keep dog off counters and table tops

My dog, Roxy, is a ~13 month old mix breed (beagle/hound?). She is a
WONDERFUL dog who I adore and who listens very well, except in the
kitchen. She puts her feet and snout on the counters and table tops
CONSTANTLY. I tell her "off" and she gets off, then I tell her "good
off" and then within a few minutes, she is back at it. It doesn't
matter if we are sitting at the table or not. She's brazen! I've
started putting her out on the deck during meals, where she can see us
eating (and she clearly wants to get in), but when we are done and I
bring her in after the table is cleared, she's right back at it. If
there is anything on the counters (even though we push it out of her
reach), she's on those, too.

Paula...

We got our dogs to not beg at the table by having them sit away from
the table. Periodically, I toss a treat from the table way over to
the other end of the room where they are sitting. If they sneak over
toward the table, I am sure to toss the treat to the other side of the
room so the one who inched closer doesn't get the treat. Since you
only have one dog, that might not be as reinforcing, but you can use
the same general concept. Tell Roxy to sit away from the table. Toss
treats periodically her way while telling her "good sit." Never ever
feed her anything while she is near the table or a counter top.

You also have to back things up a step now that Roxy gets that she
needs to get off when you tell her to. Watch for the signs that she
is going to jump up and tell her "no" then. You need to give her the
"don't even think about it" message or else it can be perceived as a
game of the dog jumps up and down, only realizing that the down part
gets him a reward, not that there was anything wrong with the up part
in the first place. Worse, some dogs come to think of jumping up as a
good thing because then they can get your attention and praise for
jumping down afterward.

I am currently working on a dog who barks more than I like to hear him
bark. He is good at shutting up when I tell him to knock it off or
that's enough, so now we are working on giving him the message that he
shouldn't even start. When he starts toward the fence where the evil
chihuahua lives, we tell him, "No, Sammie!" because once he gets
there, we know he's gonna go on a barkfest. When he runs out into the
hallway when the doorbell rings, I tell him, "Get your butt back in
here" and give him belly rubs when he runs back to me instead of off
into the hall. He's not allowed to bark at the doorbell any more
because while the German Shepherds do a warning bark and leave it at
that, he goes crazy. He's learning it and dealing with it. You can
use the same principles with Roxy and the counters. Add to that not
leaving anything on the counters or table that will be a great
temptation to her. If nothing works, there are electronic fences that
can block off zones of your house. A friend has one, but she swears
that innotek's version is not very good while the petsafe one works
much better and more safely, in case you do go that route.

Let us know how it goes!

Lynne...

Oooh, thank you, Paula. You've given me some great ideas! I'll let
y'all know how it goes, but I can already tell it's going to take some
time. We do need to back up in our training a bit and work on some
basics so that she is more reliable. It wasn't until I started looking
to adopt a second dog that I started to realize that Roxy needs some
more training first. She brings me so much joy that I have been a
little more lax with her than I have been with my other dogs. My other
dogs were Shelties, too, and they were very easy to train.

Roxy responds very well to positive reinforcement in every area of
training but this one. She used to jump on me all the time for
attention, but when I got tired of that, I started making her sit
before I would give her affection. She has learned that very well. I
am consistent with what I'm doing, but it's consistently not working
for me in the kitchen, so obviously I'm doing something wrong.
Suggestions?

pfoley...

=============
This is just a suggestion, and I don't know if it would even work. I have
never had a counter surfer or a dog that bothered me while in the kitchen.
I guess first, I would never allow the dog in the kitchen while eating a
meal at the table; I would put the dog outside or command the dog to leave
the room at that time. My dog will leave the room and lie down in another
room while we eat, but as soon as we finish eating she comes in for a small
leftover snack, that I put in her dog dish. Another thought would be, when
you have finished eating your meal, and maybe even after you have cleaned up
the kitchen, put a leash on your dog and bring the dog into the kitchen.
Maybe you could tie the leash around your waist to free up your hands. When
the dog attempts to jump onto the counter or table, step on the leash or
pull on the leash to bring the dog down and say the "dog's name" and "off"
in a firm tone.
Since I trained my dogs to leave the room when I eat, I never have to tell
them to leave; they just always do it. I never ever hand a piece of food to
my dog while I am eating at the table; I always put it in her dish and only
after we have all completed our meal; this keeps her from begging at the
table. The leash idea is just an idea to try out; I don't know if it would
work or not. The dog might get tired of being pulled down off the table
and counter and eventually stop doing it. If you have to leave your kitchen
for awhile and the dog is inside, you could always pick up a couple of baby
gates at yard sales and temporarily lean them against your kitchen doorways
to keep the dog out while you are gone.

diddy...

Mousetrap the counter, and put anewspaper over it.
Or yell NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Lynne...

I hope you are kidding about the mousetrap, but I should clarify, I do
say "NO!", then "ROXY, OFF." And she always listens, so I praise her,
but I don'[t know how to get her to stop getting on in the first place.

diddy...

You PRAISE her forgetting on the table?
The mousetrap is UNDER the newspaper. I'm not kidding. She snaps the trap,
and as it closes harmlessly on the newspaper,it makes a racket and the
surprise backs her off. Makes her rethink counter surfing. Or throw the
penny can if you see her doing it. Distract, redirect, THEN praise
when she does something productive. But don't praise her for doing the
counter thingo.

Lynne...

I praise her for following my command to get OFF the counter. I see
that I am leaving out the redirect part here.

I would do the mousetrap thing now that I understand, but I have cats
and I'm afraid of them getting hurt. I will figure out what I can

Suja...

The other thing you could do with the mousetrap is to leave it upside down.
The probability of someone getting hurt is lower still.

Something else to try. Duct tape. Long strips, attached at both ends to
make a loop (unless they make them with both sides sticky, which I don't
think they do). Put it down around the edges of the counter, so that when
the dog jumps up, her feet end up sticking to the duct tape. Shouldn't take
very many repetitions; might even get the cats off the counter.

distract her with that she hates the most and go with it.

Judy...

So, it's all right with you if the cats are on the counter?

Lynne...

No. They are not allowed on the counters or table. The kitten has not
discovered them yet, but my 3 year old cat does go up there sometimes.
As soon as he hears me coming, he jumps off. Cats are not as trainable
as dogs... I won't risk injury to my cats with a mousetrap, though. Or
my dog, for that matter.

What's strange is that my dog has never been rewarded for counter or
table surfing. Because I do have cats, we NEVER leave food out
unattended. When there is food on the counter, it's pushed out of
Roxy's reach. Yet she is always trying! We also don't give her food
when we are sitting at the table eating. I guess that beagle nose
makes checking things out irresistible? We're working on it, and I'm
also enrolling in a training class, which I know will help.

I like the duct tape idea. Around here we call it "Kentucky chrome".
It's applications never cease to amuse me. Don't try it for hair
removal though. It doesn't work as well as wax and it HURTS. ;-)

Thanks! I know this stuff is simple to most of you, but us average dog
owners appreciate the help.

diddy...

I'm an average dog owner,and so is everyone else here. Welcome

BlackVomit...

SHUT UP PERVERT!

Lynne...

If the guy would just write sane, coherent responses without all the
insults, cutting and pasting, I'd be interested to read what he had to
say. I suspect his mama never taught him that you catch more flies
with honey than with vinegar.

unsurreality_2005...

Well that's my whole point. Howe has done some terrible things yet
calls all of us dog abusers, child abusers, and mental cases. I'm not
going to just ignore him. It's time we all step up and battle his
lies.

I've never abused a dog. I've never abused a child. I'm certainly not
a mental case. And I'm sick of being called these lies.

Either we ignore this person or do something about it. I vote for the
latter.

Everyone else - if you want to run away, more power to ya!

I'm just not running away...