Help! Puppy is getting on stove and counters!

I have two 6 mo. old puppies whom I got when they were 4 weeks old. They are from the same liter and they both had the same type of training. The male puupy (Oso) has learned that counter theiving is not an accepatable behavior. He did it a couple of times and each time we caught him he was reprimanded and ignored. He stopped after the first few times. The female puppy (Baiyah), on the other hand, continues to do it. She will jump on the stove, table, counter tops, and anything else she thinks has something on it. Many of the times that she is up there, there is no food. I know that a couple of times she has gotten food from there so I know that she is looking for more. How do I stop this behavior? Oso doesn't do it anymore. She got the same training as Oso every time I caught her up there. I have tried clapping my hands, sternly saying "ah, ah", and every other loud noise that I can think of. Also, she refuses to use the bathroom outside. She could be outside for an hour and not use the bathroom but when she comes in the first thing she does is her business. I have tried walking her around, getting her excited and anything else I could think of. Again, Oso goes outside and so does my other two dogs. Can anybody give advice on how to correct these problems? Thanks in advance for any help.

As far as climbing on the work tops in the kitchen, is it possible for you to exclude her from the kitchen? Many people use a baby gate to exclude dogs from certain areas such as the kitchen. Do you give the dog walks on her own or do you always take the dogs out as a group? I am wondering if the dog needs more one to one attention. I am sure Bill will be along later with some good advice about dealing with these problems.

I have tried to use a baby gate but she jumps over it when I am not there and even when I am. I have thought about adding a taller one but not sure if they are made and how that would work with getting into the kitchen. I do giver her one on one attention. I usually do this with each dog about three times a week. But maybe I should increase it? I had to take her to the vet a couple of weeks ago because she ate something that she wasn't supposed to. I thought that it was out of her reach but she got to it. She almost died because of it. I am afraid thatg it is going to happen again because she is still doing it. Thank you for the advice and more is welcome.

There are all kinds of 'baby' gates out there. I use one when I have certain things out because I have a medium size dog who thinks nothing of standing up on her paws and getting whatever she can reach. She isn't a jumper though. There has to be some training you can do with her, but I don't know what exactly. Try talking to the training center at PetSmart if no one else has suggestions.

When you say "jumps on" the stove, counter top, etc. I assume you mean she doesn't get on them with all 4 feet and walk around on them. I am assuming you are talking about rear feet stay on the floor and she gets on those things with front feet? Just want to be sure I have it straight in my mind before I make any comments. :)

Perhaps she would be safer in her crate when you are out.

When you are out you will have to confine her either in a crate or in a room where she will be safe.

Whatever you do you have to get it to stop. What if she does it when the stove is on or something? Your pet could be seriously injured, not to mention what could happen to your house.

As to Bill's comment, Baiya literally jumps so she is on the stove, counters, and table with all four paws. As to putting her in a crate or room, I have tried to put her in the bathroom but she gets super stressed out because she is away from the other dogs and she starts chewing on the door. Maybe a crate would work though, so that she can see the other dogs? Thank you.

My suggestion is just don't leave food on the counter. If you have to walk away, put any food in the oven or microwave until you return. Thats what I have to do to keep cats from getting into my food. If a cat is around, the food is never out of my sight unless it's one of those two places. My dogs won't bother it if i tell them not to. I don't think I have ever seen a dog that can physically get on a counter. How does she get up there? She jumps from the floor?

Bill, my brother has a flat coat retriever that used to jump on the work tops with all four feet when she was young, in fact she even managed to open the wall units by pushing her nose under the cupboard doors. As soon as he knew that she could do it he took steps to prevent it, as her training progressed it ceased to be a problem, but they never leave food there unattended as it would be a temptation.

All this is new to me. I have known many cats do it but never a dog. I guess we all learn something new every day. :smile:

I used to keep dog treats on top of the refigerator until one of my cats started getting on top of the fridge and drop treats off to the dogs on the floor below. hehehehe

Baiyah jumps from the floor onto the stove, counters, and table. She can jump pretty high and she weighs only about 15 lbs so I don't think that it is hard for her to jump up there. I don't genrally leave food out because I know that she will get into it. However, she jumps up there even when food is not there. You can see her paw prints all over the surfaces. I am not sure how to get her to stop doing this.

If she jumps up there and there is no food, she will soon loose interest. Enough jumps with no reward will end it. When she jumps up, immediately pick her up and put her back on the floor. You can tell her "no" or "don't do that" in a normal tone of voice. Not angry or in any way fussing. If you can grab her the instant her feet reach the counter, it would be ideal. If she jumps up again, repeat the process as often as necessary.

And again, keep her out of there in the first place if she doesn't stop, even if you have to install a door.

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Originally Posted by Bill

I used to keep dog treats on top of the refigerator until one of my cats started getting on top of the fridge and drop treats off to the dogs on the floor below. hehehehe

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Yes it is surprising but we have also had examples of co-operative arrangements between the cat and dog. They made quite a team!

Oh, yeah, they can work together very well when they want to. I am always amazed by the resourcefulness of animals and how they team up to get what they want.

I have a puppy that is uncontainable in a gate. I actually posted a video of her jumping over a 4 foot gate on youtube. What a crazy pooch!