last resort! dog training.

[vash]

ok, i got a smart dog. she is the most behaved creature when i am around. heels, sits, laydown...all the basics. i can leave food laying around and she wont even look at it. but lately, we have decided to leave her indoors during the day. the little b-itch will steal food off the counter. she has eaten everything we forget to put away, during the day. entire boxes of cookies, jalapenos (she just chewed them), apples... it would be sorta funny if our other dog didnt have pancreitis, which means human food can kill her, or make me poor. so any food she drags down is fair game in the feeding frenzy. we leave her indoors because the folks nextdoor opened a daycare and there are hellions running around, and my dog likes to dig under to play. my plan is to bait my pooch with some grahamcrackers placed on the counter. only this time i surrounded them with mousetraps. too cruel? i set one off with my hand and it only popped me. no real pain, but really scary. if this doesnt work, i am gonna open a mouse killing business.

[stomachmonkey]

Just put the stuff out of reach.

I've got pets and children.

I don't leave anything around that I don't want them to get into.

Now imagine if I tried to train my kids that Draino was bad for them and failed. I'd go to jail, deservedly so.

Sounds like you want the dog to do all the work because you don't want to.

To be fair why don't you try training the dog AND training yourself to put stuff away.

Scott

[pbs911]

Spray the food with a product made from "applebitter." You can pick is up at any pet supply. That's how I trained my dogs not to bite, chew and eat things they are not supposed to. WOrks like a charm and will not harm the dog. Don't use mousetraps. They have to potential for injuring the dog. But if you do I would suggest sticking your finger in one first just to see what the dog will feel.

[vash]

interesting scott. actually, i am very good at dog training. only problem is that the dog will only pull the move when no humans are around. so punishing or offering positive reinforcement if all is well is not an option. walking into the home, when there is no damage or food stolen and offering a hearty, "good girl! you didnt destroy anything" will sound like "mmmmm arrgeeg aebl;ab;aoituanf;adsltyq" to the dog. same for giving a stern look after coming home to damage. it wont make sense. and i dont understand the kids and pets comparision, unless the kid doesnt understand english. hey, even helen keller got it with repetition. scott, i personally think i am one of the better dog owners. she goes with me to work everytime it is possible, i jog with her every other day. long walks to save my knees in between. and i pick up **** and brush the beast every morning. i do plenty of work. i do put everything away when possible. but unfortunately, one of the items is the cat food bowl. i need a method to make her understand countertops and tables are off limits.

i got a huge bottle of apple bitter, my dog is not affected. i got a fruitree to prove it. but maybe mousetraps are too harsh. for the record, i set one off with my hand, it doesnt hurt.

[stomachmonkey]

I know how frustrating animals can be.

I have cats also and we had a similar problem with the current dog. The dog is one of those poop eaters and used to go diving in the litter box for "toasted almond bars".

Tried everything, tabasco, bitter apple, the dog liked it even better.

Putting the litter boxes in a place where the dog could not get to it was not an option so I found litter boxes with openings that the dog could not get her head through but still allowed the cats access.

I'd try scat mats, they give off a mild static charge and can be moved from place to place.

http://futurepet.com/cgi-bin/fullpres.exe?PARTNUM=SKM411&GO=G1

Another option, is your house configured so you can use a baby gate to block of access to the kitchen?

My point with the kids is that my 4 year old kid is smarter than any dog but you still can't trust them so the safe thing to do is remove temptation whenever possible. There are certain things that we can let them learn through experience, like not touching something hot, they understand that one first time out. Other experiences can kill them 1st time around so better to be vigilant than not.

True story, as a kid I stuck a metal rod into an outlet. Curiousity nearly killed me.

Good luck,
Scott

[jgbnm]

We have a split level house. The dog is restricted to downstairs by closing a pocket door when nobody is home. No food available there, so no problems. She also has a doggie door to the outside which keeps her happy.

She's smart and incredibly well behaved while we're home but will occasionally do something not allowed if given access. Once in a while she'll start sleeping on the sofa which is not allowed. She always jumps off and is on her bed before I open the door but the tell-tale warm dog-sized spot gives her away (dogs aren't THAT smart fortunately). Bitter Apple works for that. Large amounts of cayenne pepper taught her to stay out of the garbage. She's crate trained if she travels with us and is staying at someone else's house.

The more exercise she gets, the less likely she is to misbehave. She's also mellowed a bit as she's gotten older (she's 4).

You could try to restric your dog to a certain area by the use of doors or possibly with one of the electronic devices that are available. Otherwise, there's alway the option of a crate or an enclosed dog run outside.

Good luck!
Jon

[vash]

haha, cat turds.... i call them KITTY ALMOND ROCAS! my little dog loves em. i turned the litter box opening towards the wall and made it only cat accessible. dont even get me started on the cat, that thing is smarter than me. good luck.

scat mat looks like a great option. thanks. the baby gate we tried. only problem is that we were training her for FLYBALL, and obstacle courses and she would sky over it like it was a challenge. i am about to eff everything up, and adopt a australian shepard to prevent the person from doing something stupid like, set if free....3 dogs..my life is over.

great pic of the pooch.

[Overpaid Slacker]

Vash -
Check out this site.

This is a well-respected German Shepherd breeder and trainer, including Police Dog and Schutzhund, but his principles apply to all breeds.

Pour yourself a cuppa coffee and prepare to read -- this guy's got a lot of info on his site.

When the time comes, I'll be buying my Shepherd from this guy. The dog's name will be Rommel. Certain to get along with Patton the cat.

JP

[vash]

thanks JP!

for the record, i think the best german shepard name is "rutger"

"patton" is a great name.

[goat]

I have two demon dogs that will destory anything if they get bored.
I have had to confine them to a portable cage like pen when I am gone to prevent them from tearing apart the house. Yes this is an indoor assembly!
This is the part you will really like. we walk them for an hour every morning, an hour midday and over hour of off leash running in the evening.
I don't think you need to go this far but exercise will go far but the downside is they will get in better shape and get stronger.there are good books out there for training.
Apple bitter might work, my male chewed up a bottle of the stuff though.

[88'3xBlk911Cab]

hee-hee-hee, the cat turds are called "Scooby Snacks" and "Kitty Roca" at our house

Our German Shepard has taken to only eating one half of the cat food and leaving the other side of the bowl untouched after repeated scoldings. I think maybe the two cats ganged up on her too.

She used to help herself to fruit and food left on the counter but she mellowed with age and now doesn't touch anything.

Good luck!