How would you...?

[Kariachi]

I'm making this over a dog issue, but really don't care where it ends up, so feel free to ask "how would you"s of your own. If this is in the wrong spot, mods, feel free to move it or delete it or what have you.


My family includes one 11-year-old Australian Shepard mix, who we've owned since before she was on solid food, to protect the otherwise-innocent we'll call her Ginger. Now Ginger's a nice dog, real laid-back lap mutt, always happy to see you, wouldn't hurt a fly.

And one of these days either me or my mother is going to kill her before we can stop ourselves.*

We can deal with the incontinence, it was just a matter of time with her, and while it can be annoying we can deal with the deafness and the barking it brings. We just can't believe that with her arthritis she can still manage to jump onto the counter to steal food!

She's done it on rare occasions over the last year, but in the last two weeks she's grabbed a whole cake, two pounds of venison hotdogs, a loaf of bread, and this morning I came down stairs to find that she'd destroyed my mother's favorite ceramic bowl to get at the leftover dinner rolls. Before a tragic incident with my mother's birthday cake last year this was never an issue, and I'm worried that he pulling all these heists so close together is going to make someone snap(we're all very possessive of our food).

She's at a healthy weight, and getting the same amount of food she's gotten for years.

So, "how would you" handle an older-than-dirt dog who can't hear, has trouble with stairs, yet is stealing food off the counters?



*No dog-murder is forthcoming, don't worry.

[MamaMootz]

Put the food someplace the dog can't reach it, even with counter surfing.

[Amava]

Is your kitchen open-plan? If not, I would say, keep the dog out of the kitchen alltogether. That is how we do it. Or at least, don't let her in there unsupervised.  Of course, it depends on whether you have enough other room in your house where the dog can be allowed to lounge comfortably. Mine basically lives in my study-doubling-as-current-living-room/the hallway/the (walled) garden. I spend a lot of time in the study with her. When I'm busy in the kitchen, cooking or eating, she either sleeps in her basket alone in the study, or plays in the garden.

[onyonryngs]

Few options: keep the counters clear, baby-gate the kitchen, & move her bed to an enclosed area at night.  I'd also have piddle pads readily available for her. 

[hobish]

Put the food someplace the dog can't reach it, even with counter surfing.

That is what i do, or at least try to do. They still get up there sometimes. It is a joke that if there is something that needs to be got rid of give it to me and i will leave it on the counter and the dogs will eat it.

[magicdomino]

I once had a counter-surfing cat.  Always put anything edible away, especially at night (Jessica was smart enough not to counter-surf if anyone was around.).  Don't worry, the dog will get you properly trained in no time.   

[hobish]

I remembered today that someone or some book, or something i might have heard in AnSci way back in the day recommended putting sheets of tinfoil on the counters to deter dogs from counter surfing. I tried it and it didn't work at all, but maybe your luck is better or your dog smarter. I know one of my dogs stopped and it is really only the Husky who still does it, and only when no one iis home; but i can't remember for the life of me how i got Jayna-dog out of it.