If you don’t understand “why” your car won’t start – you can throw all the resources in the world at it and still not fix it. Understanding why a problem exists in the first place is important. Once you understand a problem, it’s typically easy to fix.
My cousin has 2 cats, they are always lounging on the kitchen table or the kitchen counter – and they probably just came out of the litter box with shite or urine on their paws. But yet, if the dog jumps up, everyone is yelling to get down… Nobody yells at the cats. If I leave a chicken on the counter to thaw, I guarantee, the cats are going to get at it – why is the dog expected to be different? And what’s the solution? Remove the temptation and the behavior can’t happen. Can a dog be punished or corrected for a human being careless?
People will child proof their home – but punish the dog when it’s humans that don’t dog proof.
Take a dog that’s fed the same kibble every day – would you want to eat the same dry cereal every day and nothing but? You would be tempted too – and present the dog with a raw chicken thawing on the counter. If the dog can reach, chances are good your chicken is gone. I would expect it – and is it fair to punish that behaviour? Dogs are carnivores, so are cats – but the cat tends to get away with alot more. Present any carnivore with raw meat…?
Why is the dog jumping up on the counter? Is it investigating or smelling? Is it really looking for food? Or could it be that being on the counter gives it a viewpoint for looking out the window because the dogs has separation anxiety? My cousins dog does it – I’ll catch him on the kitchen table. He’s watching the garage for her to arrive. He knows he’s not supposed to be up there – and he jumps down as soon as someone comes in. Maybe the dog is watching your cat on the counter and is following suit. The why is important to understand.
With my dog Monty, food is everything – and it’s the only thing that trumps me. Give him a choice between food and being with me, he will choose food every time. It’s his personality. If I treat trained him, I’m sure he would be a youtube star but it’s not my cup of tea. If I leave food around and walk away, he will take it. Does it bother me? No. It’s my fault for leaving food around. Leave a plate of brownies around a 2 year old child, and chances are the child is going to have some. I made a couple of sandwiches last night and left them on the counter. Went out to the garage for something and when I came back, my cousins German Shepherd was after taking one of them. Mind you he didn’t jump up on the counter, just stood up and grabbed it. Is it the dogs fault or mine? Is it worthy of getting upset about? Is it worthy of trying to train the dog over it?
We are asking dogs to resist temptation.
Why is the dog on the counter looking for anything? Well, many dogs are fed a crap diet – they want better and they look for it. Can you imagine what a fridge full of fresh food smells like to a dog? Or a cupboard full of food?
Personally, I have taken dogs and put them on the counter. Let them sniff around, open the doors – figure out what they are trying to access. When they find nothing – it removes the temptation. Problem solved.
Punishment doesn’t work on dogs and shouldn’t be used. The dog is doing it for a reason – find the reason for it. If a temptation is there, the dog is probably going to take it.