Meep meep

by | Friday | February 5, 2010 | 44 comments

Brody’s been a monster when it comes to counter surfing. At first it was annoying, then it became really annoying, but now it’s gotten to Category 5.

I actually had just consulted my trainer on Wednesday to see what she would suggest to stop this behavior. Obviously not leaving food on the counter would be the most easy solution, but I don’t want to feel like I can’t put a sandwich down, run to answer the door, and have it disappear.

The final straw came this morning, when he got into a bunch of grapes that someone- not me- left on the counter instead of secure in the refrigerator, where Dr V House Law clearly states they are to be stored. Brody didn’t enjoy the subsequent induction of vomiting any more than I did. It’s time for drastic measures.

Enter the scat mat:

8,000 jolts right through the feet, baby. OK, maybe not that much- it only has one 9V battery after all- but it was time to teach the Brodester that actions have consequences.

I put the mat on the counter. Brody watched with interest. I put my hand on it, and immediately jumped and cursed a tiny bit (the kids were at school.) This, I thought, should be great.

Just to sweeten the pot, I scattered some rotisserie chicken on the mat, and sat down in the other room to wait. Brody was sniffing at the counter, debating what to do. He smelled a rat.

I moved further away, hoping that if I were out of sight he would be more inclined to be naughty. Nothing. I went back to the kitchen and touched the mat once again to see if it worked, and cursed again. Yes, still on. The chicken hadn’t moved.

An hour later, I heard the loud beeping indicating a shock and went running into the kitchen to see the aftermath. Apollo was sitting on the ground, balefully licking his paw and glaring at me. Brody was sleeping.

My son, upon hearing me say, “Don’t touch that!” immediately plopped his hand on the mat and he, too, was shocked. Then my husband decided to try it out, jumping 3 feet in the air in the process.

It is now 9 pm. To summarize:

Me: 3 shocks

Husband: 1

Son: 1

Cat: 1

Brody: 0

He’s not as dumb as he looks.

Filed: Daily Life Tagged:
  • wikith

    Brody and your daughter weighing in as the smartest ones in the household…

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Well, I knew that already. ;)

  • http://coleemmett.blogspot.com Cole

    Henry waits until Mommy is feeding me or changing my diaper and THEN steals a shoe to chew on… I found this tip online: http://www.naughtydogcafe.com/urban_dogs_life/ Maybe mousetraps?

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I was thinking of that, or loud pans. Still a thought.

  • Lisa W

    Hilarious!

  • Tonya

    I feel your pain (literally). How do they know? I put a scatmat in front of the door to keep the dog from jumping on the glass when the mailman comes. I’ve been shocked. The cat has been shocked. The dog hasn’t gotten close enough to be shocked!

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      They watch and learn. lol.

  • Tisha_

    Oooh! Maybe I need one of these for Cami (the cat). She’s discovered the kitchen island recently.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I’ve never figured out a long term way to deter the cats. lol. They just keep at it.

  • Tisha_

    Hee! P.S. I JUST “got” the picture and title. LOL

  • http://www.dogspelledforward.com Eric Goebelbecker

    I didn’t realize Acme made Scat Mats.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Sure feels like it!

  • Chile

    bwahhhh!!! Sorry Jess…sounds like something I would do.

    I was never able to break Blade of that habit. Actually so he doesn’t think I’m telling stories on him, I will say he only counter surfed when cake was involved. I think he was upset that I would share his doggie cake with the other dogs at his parties.

    Oh oh, I’ve often wondered how to keep Cookie away from the back door when other dogs are out 396 miles away because she can somehow see them. I have a baby gate that I use for the stairs so she doesn’t lay claim to my bed while I’m not home. She is scared and I do mean SKEEEERED of the baby gate. So I’ve propped it up against the back door and she gives it about 10′ of clearance. Maybe Brody would have the same reaction to the “Baby Gate of Evil.”

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      He jumps. High.

  • http://dogtransport.blogspot.com Michelle

    I read this with great disappointment. Setting your dog up to fail? Causing him pain? There are better ways than pain to teach dogs not to counter surf (and yes, management is the key most of the time).

    I saw Victoria Stillwell teach a dog not to countersurf by putting something on the collar that would transmit her voice when she spoke into something from the other room. She set up a camera to watch the dog and when he got close, she said “NO!” loudly. The dog backed off. He quickly learned that Mommy was all seeing and all knowing.

    But really, management is the key. Dogs were scavengers after all. Take the sandwich with you instead of setting it down!

    • Sedna

      Management also worked well for our family when dealing with our countersurfer, but the youngest member of the family was me, and I was fourteen, and I could understand the consequences of leaving, say, chocolate out, and what would happen if the dog ate it. Not so much with young kids- they just know that they forgot to cover the raisin box and now the doggie’s very sick.
      I like the omniscient trainer though- also the Can Monster someone else suggested.

      • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

        Right- I can manage myself, but the 3 year old and (apparently) the husband are a different story. I’ve tried other measures- Doing the “no” routine hasn’t yielded consistent results, and I am more concerned about him eating something toxic than I am any long term effects from one mild electrostatic shock. Lots of different ways to approach it- this is what I chose with input from multiple people.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Thank you for your input.

    • Sarah

      Congratulations, Dr. V! You’ve met your first blog troll! But in all seriousness, Michelle, canine training is much like disciplining your child- personal. Dr. V has decided she would rather preserve her dog’s life than agonize over a minor shock. I would rather give my kid a swat on the bottom than let him run into traffic (this scenario has happened, repeatedly, as my son is obsessed with roads and death, apparently.) But, again, to each their own!

      • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

        I don’t think Michelle is a troll- just someone with a very different and passionate view than I have on this topic. :) I honestly didn’t even know scat mats were considered ‘controversial’ until this post! ITA with the rest of your comment though.

        I train Brody using positive reinforcement. He is stubborn. I am willing to be patient and work with him on the rest of the behaviors, but I made an exception here out of concern for his safety (with the blessing of his trainer who knows much more on the topic of training than I.) My sympathies on having a traffic obsessed kiddo- my son is similarly fascinated!

      • http://dogtransports.blogspot.com Michelle

        How dare you assume I’m a troll? That’s incredibly rude and unjustified. I’ve been reading here for quite some time and rarely comment. I’ve enjoyed the blog but this is something I feel strongly about. Aggression begets aggression and there have been studies done on such things. The fact that a vet ignores all those studies and still puts a shock collar on a dog worries me.

        As for kids vs. dogs. A small swat to a child vs. an electric shock? Would you put a shock collar on your child to stop him from running into the street? I somehow doubt it. It’s not humane. So why is it ok to do the same thing to a puppy?

        • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

          Not a shock collar! I don’t use those! It’s a sheet that has a mild electrostatic charge but is not attached to the dog at all.

        • macula_densa

          Michelle, I think you are picturing this to be a lot worse than it is. It’s probably about the same amount of stimulation as a sudden spray with a jet of water from what I’ve gathered. It’s nowhere near the same caliber as a shock collar. Since there are other humans in the house that Dr. V cannot control, I think I’d take that mild amount of negative reinforcement over the chance of killing Brody with something toxic. Had she not gotten to him quickly enough, Brody could have died from eating all those grapes.

        • macula_densa

          OK, I really need to quit putting my e-mail address in the name field when I don’t intend to. ;-P

  • http://undertexasskies.blogspot.com/ CeeCee

    Hello. Coming out of lurkdom to help you.
    I have cured all my dogs of counter surfing with one try. It’s very easy and will appease those that are worried that you’ll hurt your dog with your training methods.

    Set up the leaning tower of Pisa with your smaller pans and a bunch of lids. On a lid that is near the center, tie a piece of string (not too long). On the end of the string, tied a piece of something (food) that is sturdy. I’ve used hotdogs and cheese. Leave the food on the very edge of the counter and walk away. That way, when Brody takes the bait and the tower comes down, he won’t connect you to the disaster.

    Not one of the 4 dogs I’ve owned as an adult ever counter surfed again.
    Good luck.

  • Sedna

    When I was in my teens, we had a countersurfing Golden named Jessie, who ate anything and everything she could get her paws on. (She was sneaky- she wouldn’t dive immediately for food left out, but if you left it for five minutes or more, she’d attack.) At one point, my mom tried the mousetrap trick- setting mousetraps at the edge of the counter so that when she went for the chicken behind them, the traps would go off, snap, and scare her.
    My mother then watched disbelieveing through the kitchen window as Jessie reared up, balanced both feet on the countertop, stuck out her nose, and slooooooowwwwly nudged one trap to the side, then slooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwly nudged the other one out of the way with her nose. She got her chicken, fair and square. Jessie eventually trained us- not to leave anything within a foot of the edge of the countertop, not to leave anything thawing in the sink or cooling on the table unattended, and not to leave undefended melons, cantaloupes, or bags of raw potatoes anywhere she could reach.
    The funny thing is, we have so many funny Jessie Stories of her exploits now. At one point as a teen, I was seriously ill and spent some time in the hospital. I still remember the day my brothers came in and told me about Jessie eating the tray of sweet rolls some friend had made for our family. I was sick as a dog and still in emotional shock and my parents and brothers weren’t doing much better, but boy did we all laugh. She was our Bad Dog.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      It’s amazing what they can reach- I swear Brody can grow a neck like Inspector Gadget. LOL.

      My dogs are 2 out of 3 for ruining birthday cakes too.

  • http://weefurries.blogspot.com angie

    lol!!! maybe i should try that for the cats, who seem to have forgotten their manners. i’ve been cleaning up the aftermath of some hamburger grease left out overnight. totally my fault. but they shouldn’t be getting on the counter, no matter how tempting it is!! nothing like a GREASY barf stain in the carpet…

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Oh yuck!!

  • Vanesha

    LOL!! I’m willing to bet money that the Brodester tricked Apollo into trying it out. Behind his adorable exterior lurks the mind of a master criminal :D

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      It wouldn’t surprise me- “Hey cat! Look! Free chicken!!”

  • Pikachu

    Oh My Goodness LOL. We Have 3 dogs who despite their small size, managed to get something off the table or counter. My Husband wanted to use shock collars so he bought them. I didnt want to use them and proceeded to show him how they work. I set up a kitchen perimeter and when he came home from work the day we were going to implement, I met him at the door with collar in hand . ( I had already tested it and thought no way.) He put his thumbs on the nodes and walked towards the kitchen. The closer he got to the perimeter he was astonished, no he was shocked and almost had to change his underwear because the shock he received startled him so bad . His hair stood up on his head LOL. It was bad, even at the lowest setting. I wish I had a pic of his face that day. Priceless…I laughed and we proceeded to take them back . We opted for the Scat Mat and a well placed gate that blends in with our decor plus putting food away from prying puppy nozes. No more scavenging for the pups. ( Sorry for the long note )

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Having tried both- repeatedly- I agree this is nowhere near the same league. LOL.

  • http://dearprudie.wordpress.com Ashley

    I’m really happy that the scat mat wasn’t at all what I thought it was :)

    Luckily Pru is too short to be able to grab anything on the counters, but can still inch her nose to them. She quickly learned though that when her paws touch the counter it results in a stern no. So now she does this really cute thing we call the Prairie Dog where she balances on her hind legs and walks around the kitchen to see if there is anything yummy anywhere.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      bwahahahaha…he’d LOVE it then! :D

  • Curlygurl

    Thankfully, Bailey has never been a counter surfer – but much like Chile’s Cookie, he’s deathly afraid of the baby gate and will not go near one for anything.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Emmett and Mu were like that too.

  • http://www.leavethelightson.info/ Robyn

    I got a device for deterring cats called Ssscat, and it seems to work pretty well. In fact, it’s the ONLY thing that will keep my wicked willful Siamese off the counters when I’m out of sight. It has a motion sensor and shoots a puff a canned air when it’s triggered. Scares the daylights out of the cats but doesn’t hurt them. I’m sure it would work for dogs too!

    Of course, like your Scat Mat, our Scat has nailed the humans quite a few times, too. You’d think creatures with big neocortexes would be too sophisticated to be scared by a puff of mere air. You’d be wrong, as the terrified hollered curses of the Ssscat’s human victims show.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I’ve never heard of that! I’ll have to keep an eye out.

  • http://fur-licity.blogspot.com Barbara

    I used to have a Lab so I “feel your pain”! Now I live with a nice small poodle cross!

  • http://lab-mom.blogspot.com/ Elizabeth

    Of my 3 labs , one will not touch anything left out ( we call her Miss goody two shoes ), then there is Chauncy who is a surfer but knows exactly when to do it not to get caught.. Then there is Raider and we were told his name came from the Oakland Raiders… ha! He is a surfer par excellance.. nothing is safe from this boy.. he will steal your toast while you are buttering it and you will wonder where it went.. I have tried mouse traps, tin foil, pop cans filled with pennies attached to meat, a spray of water, and then I tried the hottest hot sauce I could find… that worked like a charm, he won’t touch anything with hot sauce on it now… so now all I have to do it cover everything in hot sauce and it’s all good..

    Good luck

  • http://myspyderweb.blogspot.com Spyder

    I read this post to my husband laughing through the whole thing. Tears even! Xander loves to lick the butter dish. Yuck! I think he wold love Paula Dean! LOL! I’m thinking of trying a string tied to bagel & tied to a grocery bag full of empty pop cans.

  • Autumnhound

    One of my corgis, a blonde boy named Tucker, is only about two foot tall…when he’s standing on all fours. But he’s recently discovered that if he puts his stubby paws on the cabinets, he is suddenly tall enough to enough to scan the counter tops with his nose. This resulted in one instance of him pulling down a bowl of pancake batter onto himself. He smelled delicious for days! But after that, I cut up this rubber mat that has the raised bumps on the underside, and attached strips of that to my cabinets where he puts his paws. It works fantastically! The bumps hurt just enough to keep him with all four on the floor, lol! This is so vital, because I’m concerned that if I’m cooking and walk away for a moment, he’d pull down a boiling hot pan onto himself.

    So, you could always try that! It’s the kind of mat that people put under their computer chairs, but I know that you can buy a version that people normally put on chairs. It might work better than the scat mat (altho it seems like you’re having great luck with it.) =)

    Side note about the shock collars: Dorito just made a Super Bowl commercial where a dog is wearing one, glaring at a man who’s eating Doritos and teasing him with them. So he yanks it off, put’s it around the man’s neck and when the man yells, he drops the chip bag. The dog steals it, which makes the man yell more and flop on the ground. It made me laugh SO HARD. You should look it up.

  • Heather

    My yellow lab ate a huge plate of fried onions off the counter. She was treated to a lovely emetics cocktail followed by a charcoal chaser at the emergency clinic 30 minutes later. Sigh…
    Now everything in the kitchen is stored in the fridge, the cupboards and when necessary (like during dinner), in the microwave and the oven. She has us well trained. :)