Keep dog off kitchen counter?

Question

My 1 year old dog who is pretty well trained is starting to have some bad behavior when we're not home. She is totally fine when we're around, but when we leave we gate her into the kitchen. Not only did she chew the (wooden) baby gate into splinters, she also will go after anything on the counters. She's pretty tall so even if we push anything all the way back she still finds something. I would love suggestions for a humane way to keep her off of the counter. Like I said, she knows it's worng as she'd never do it while me or my husband is around. I am afraid she'll choke or hurt herself...
thanks!

Answer 1

You can buy scat matts at most pet centers, or on eBay.. However, you can make your own..Get the plastic runner that protects carpeting in the walkways..(at any carpet shop) and cut into the right size to either lay out on your counter, or at the base of the cabinets on the floor. the secret is..lay it down, upside down..the bottom side has stickery surface, to keep the runner in place on the carpet...Dogs won't step on the stickery side more than once..

Answer 2

We have a dog that does the same thing. She was not crate trained as a puppy and turned out to have separation anxiety. So needless to say, attempting to crate at that point did us no good.

I can honestly say that the only solution for us is to keep the house spotless. I mean NOTHING left out. No remote on the coffee table, no napkins on the counter, nothing on the kitchen table. No paper towel roll on the counter, I can't even leave a clean tupperware bowl in the sink because she will find it and chew it. She hasn't touched any appliances (toaster, coffee maker) so we got lucky there. But I can't even tell you how much stuff we keep on top of our fridge. Everytime you open the door something falls off. Bread, chips, dog treats. She can also open the cereal cabinet so we have to put a kitchen chair in front of it to keep her out. The garbage can goes int he garage when we leave, and I clean the counters daily with Chlorox kitchen cleaner with bleach to eliminate any food smells. We call it "Bailey-proofing" the house. It's the only way to keep her and our belongings safe.

I wish I had a better solution, but it's either crate the dog, or keep your counters spotless at all times.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Any of the suggestions other posters gave you to "booby trap" the counter should work, provided she is doing this just out of boredom or because she smells something good.

Also, make sure she gets enough exercise. Most dogs need at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. A couple of walks around the block are not enough. Aerobic exercise is running, swimming, playing fetch, playing with other dogs, doing agility or flyball, etc.

I am concerned that this could be separation anxiety, though, since she only does this when alone and she destroyed the baby gate. There's lots to do to cure separation anxiety. I suggest doing an online search on the subject to see if you think she matches the profile and for tips to help her.

Answer 4

Make your life easy, keep the kitchen counter clear. The top of the fridge is a good place to store things that the dog can't reach.

You might also consider re-directing that chewing behaviour. Try a kong, stuffed with peanut butter and kibble. You can pick one up at any pet supply store. To keep her attention longer, try freezing it beforehand.

You should also give your pooch a big long walk before leaving her alone. A tired dog is a good dog.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

I had a big dog that could eat the cake out of the pan while leaving the knife untouched on the pan corner. This is a tough one.
I crate and also use gates in our old farm house. I like to leave a big dog free in the house as we live out in the country with no nearby neighbors. I refer to her as my canine doorbell. Anybody would think twice about entering after hearing her big bark. Back to the counter issue....
I finally had some success with mouse traps set under paper on the counters. She would set them off but couldn't get snapped by them. It worked OK but finally I resorted to using gates to make my kitchen off limits.

Answer 6

I've had friends who have placed some harmless but not very tasty food items on the counter to deter their dogs and had success.

Some items include jalapeno flavored Jelly Belly jelly beans, flaming hot chee-tos, etc. They're essentially harmless in small amounts, but the spiciness of the item is enough to keep them from trying again. Eventually if the dog gets the idea that the only thing on the counter are things that are going to taste bad, then they lose interest.

Never put chocolate out, though, as it is poisonous to dogs and can be fatal.

Hope that helps. :)

Answer 7

Buy an appropriate sized crate and crate train her. She may not like it at first but she will learn that that is HER den and she is safe in there. It may take a week to accomplish this but will be worth it in the end. She is doing what they call counter surfing.

Answer 8

you could consider crating your dog instead of gating her in the kitchen.

aside from that, you can line the counters with empty pop cans with pennies in them. They rattle like crazy and most dogs don't like the sound. When she jumps up, she'll knock them over, be startled and think twice about jumping up. After a while, you won't need the pop cans anymore.

Answer 9

Put any sharp smelling oil on the edge of hte counter. The dog's sniffer will keep it away and if for what ever reason she licks the counter, it won't hurt her.

Answer 10

try gateing her somewhere else....such as your room or the bathroom or somewhere else where it can't get in trouble. or maybe put some bones or other toys in the room so it can have something else to do while you are gone.