sneaky dog

[steph90]

My DS knows he is not allowed on my bed, but as soon as I leave the house, he knows he can get away with it. When he hears my car pull into the driveway, he jumps down and waits for me at the door. Im constantly coming home to a bed full of dog hair and slobbery dog toys. I've tried tin foil and noisy cans full of pennies, but he thinks they are more fun than scary. I don't want to spend a ton of money on some fancy electric device but I'm not sure what else to do. Any suggestions?

[k9katet]

A crate?

[Marjolein]

close the door?

[dutchringdog]

there is a scat mat for cats, its a plastic mat that gives a shock, nothing crazy, its used to keep cats off counters , you could use it on the bed. They arent that expensive.

[icvanstra]

A crate?

close the door?

those are the answers I go for ... or just accept the fact and put something on the bed. I did well keeping Abigail of the furniture/bed when she was young and it has (for the most part) carried through. With Cino I was a sucker from day one, let him on the furniture, and i've been regretting it ever since.

[Kristie E]

Gwen used to be crated at night, I feel bad because Izar won't sleep in his crate anymore and is pretty good about staying off the bed at night while we are sleeping.. I let Gwen out of her crate and she seems to think it is free license to sleep with me on the bed. She hasn't been such a bed hog so if she is quiet and doesn't lick my face too many times then she can stay. I do close the door when I don't want her bothering me and it seems to work just fine. I also put a sheet on the bed so my nice stuff doesn't get ruined. as for being sneaky, well..... what can I say, at least your pup doesn't get caught on the bed when you get home.

[leih merigian]

I vote for the crate option...otherwise, she'll probably just move to the couch (assuming she's not allowed on there, either?)

I like to wait until they've earned the right to be up on the furniture with me, around two years old, and only with permission. Eventually, that morphs into at their will . But, by then, it is understood that I decide when it's time to get up in the morning, etc.

Remember, what you allow, you train

[Dutchringgirl]

my guys are not allowed on anything but their own bed, Now when I go out, Thalie does go on the couch so I put the cushions up, she still gets up there, she is crated now when I go out and she cant come, not because of the couch but she would scrape the windows trying to look out.

[Marjolein]

I like to wait until they've earned the right to be up on the furniture with me, around two years old, and only with permission. Eventually, that morphs into at their will . But, by then, it is understood that I decide when it's time to get up in the morning, etc.

whaha, sounds like our home

[Raven]

The morphing doesn't necessarily happen, though I see how it easily could.

Several years ago, I stopped allowing dogs on the furniture--my level--but that's just me. (It was harder on me than the dogs!)

A thought why he may be taking to your bed rather than other furniture is he identifies that particular piece with you, moreso than with others?

Obviously, he's not worried about consequences. When you come home does he act guilty? If you show him the proof of him having been on the bed, does he care?

I've never been above staging things in my house. In your case with this instance, it'd be kind of hard since even if you parked up the road and walked back, the dog would still hear you entering. But, then, you might take him off guard, too. (Doubtful.)

Crate and closing the door are good choices, but it seems like you'd rather work to make it not happen than manage it? I, too, prefer that. If he's allowed on other furniture, though, and just not the bed perhaps he's making a statement.

[leih merigian]

Obviously, he's not worried about consequences. When you come home does he act guilty? If you show him the proof of him having been on the bed, does he care?

Now, I know you know that you have to catch them in the act, not show them the evidence after the fact. Otherwise, they're just reacting to your own demeanor.

this would be no different than scolding a dog for pooping while alone at home, then having the owner come home and show it to them...

[Raven]

Lieh,
Okay...re-phrase is in order. I'll do it via example.

Every once and again, the husband will come home to find that the boy has, for whatever reason, decided to simply do a bit of re-decorating by removing a single kitchen chair cushion from the chair to the living room floor. It's not chewed in any fashion.

When the husband comes through the door...the quilt is there: OH, CRAP. I FORGOT TO PUT THE CUSHION BACK.

In the "old days," if I found a misappropriated sock (that he sneaked while I was home), when he saw me "see" it...a reaction was there, completely of his own admission.

I really didn't intend for it to mean a figurative "nose rubbing," although I'm glad that you pointed out that that's how it got (could be) interpreted.

[leih merigian]

In the "old days," if I found a misappropriated sock (that he sneaked while I was home), when he saw me "see" it...a reaction was there, completely of his own admission.

I guess I could buy this, but I also think of micro expressions...we have like 52 facial expressions while dogs/wolves have more like 152 (I may be a few off on the specific numbers ). So, it only makes sense that they are much better at reading the micro expressions on our faces than we are at reading theirs.

I am sure you're right that he would have a reaction on his face...but where I'm going is that you may have had the tiniest little reaction on your own face (I'm guessing it wasn't a smile or happy face, for example? ), and that he may have been reading and reacting to that.

I could be totally wrong, of course...

[Dutchringgirl]

i have to believe that they know when they did something wrong, Thalie has given me a guilty face when I see a cushion down, or an empty bag of turkey that is on the ground ( i had left it out on the counter). As far as the dogs reading us, they are so in tune to body language, that I believe there are times we dont even know that our body is giving cues, Like the times where " how do they know we are having visitors"

[Raven]

Lieh,
I'd be surprised if you've never had a dog who displayed "uh-oh" when they'd done something that they knew was off-limits just by the owner walking in the room or coming home, before their human even knew something was amiss.

Love this story: like the time I came home--30 years ago--and my young dog was not there waiting for me at the door. Thought the boyfriend had him. But as I entered the kitchen, I found flour everywhere...still no dog. He was behind a chair--his black mustache cemented with flour/saliva. This young one wasn't taught that taking a big bag of flour left on the counter was wrong, yet something told him that, despite the GREAT FUN he'd had while doing it, it wasn't one of his finer moments of good judgment. When did he realize this? I suspect when he heard me come home. UH-OH. CRAP. I FORGOT TO CLEAN UP THE FLOUR. But, I'll never know.

When I first brought Thor home, he WOULD have taken that bag of flour and had his way with it, he'd have had no remorse or guilt when I came home. HEY! LOOK WHAT FUN THIS IS! C'MON--LET'S PARTY--THERE'S STILL PART OF THAT BAG I DIDN'T RIP TO DUST.

At this point, Thor wouldn't touch the bag. BUT, if he was completely stricken with unbridled curiousity and went for it...when I came home...there'd be the "uh-oh" factor.

Was Thor's poor judgment particular to him and had to be taught to think before acting or was it "nurtured" by having had a previous owner who didn't train him and thought everything he did was funny?

This has been a rough couple of weeks...I'm probbly not tying my thoughts together as cohesively as I should.

[Kristie E]

I think they are kind of like children. If you don't teach them they will just do what the moment dictates, like play with the flour or whatever. Left to their own devices, they will do what pleases them. Nature. You nurtured good behavior. You taught him what was expected and then held him to it.

[Raven]

I wonder what Steph has decided to do? Steph...you still there?

[dutchringdog]

I think they are kind of like children. If you don't teach them they will just do what the moment dictates, like play with the flour or whatever. Left to their own devices, they will do what pleases them. Nature. You nurtured good behavior. You taught him what was expected and then held him to it.

Yes, agree 100%. I feel like I have 3 children, my two kids and Sadie. Except I dont have to teach my kids to stay out of the garbage. But if they thought the food was good, they would until I taught them not to, Sadie thinks its all yummy until she is taught not to.

[muttnutty]

Sneaky dog makes me laugh! A friend of mine puts that clear, plastic carpet runner stuff from Home Depot upside down on her couch when she leaves. Guess they find the little pokie things uncomfortable.....
Hope that helps!

Deanna (with 3 rotten dogs I guess...guilty! )

[GSDNanny]

Over the years I have had quite a few GSD rescues who were superb counter-surfers. For an adult dog with that sneaky talent, it was often hard to break UNTIL I found a solution from another dog rescuer. Now this may seem a desparate measure but it works. When we would leave the kitchen or the house, I would set up the smallest of mouse traps (brand new, never used, of course), set all over the counters with peanut butter on them. When the dog would put those paws up there, they would of course pop and make the most awful loud sound against that granite top! Often one would set off another and a chain reaction would happen. They were small enough that they did not injure the dog, just scare them. NOTE: NO DOG WAS HARMED IN THIS EFFORT!

The problem with this was that my maw-in-law who HATES dogs and cant understand why we have them in the first place, came over one evening right after I had set the traps out after supper. She said that was the most disgusting thing she had ever heard of, mouse traps on the counter and did we have that big of a mouse problem! What a hoot! Hubby explained to her but I dont think she got it. Needless to say, she wont eat at my house anymore!