Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Monday- So the war is on with Rei's counter surfing

Rei has a passion for Peanut butter, so with some research and some past experience with pet dogs, I've decided to try an approach that I don't like to do, but she's getting out of hand. So I am baiting her with Peanut Butter, an irresistable food to her, with Cayenne pepper/hot sauce mixed in. I have some hot sauce here that Mike likes and and I used a bunch of it in some peanut butter and added some crushed red pepper to the mix as well. The stuff was orange and hopefully nice and potent to make her think twice!

I then cut 2 slices of bread in half and spread the mixture thickly on the halves and then laid them on the counter tops/stove close to the edge. I laid two other pieces on the coffee table/lego table on plates and told her to LEAVE IT! and walked away.

Well, she immediately went and gobbled the one up on the coffee table and then came to the playroom and went for that one too. I then took the bowl with the remaining stuff in it and laid on the plate in the playroom too, and again told her No! Leave it. With this, she's thinking about it, but her previous steal is getting to her, so she's not wanting it as badly.

Twenty minutes later we were quite an unhappy puppy and very remorseful- rubbing her head on her blanket and trying to get the taste out of her mouth...

Poor puppy! (head buried in her blanket with very sorrowful eyes)



Now while it slowed her way down on wanting to take foods and she was very subdued and very well behaved last night- not even really coming close to the kitchen or to the dining room as we ate (she probably had a tummy ache too), We will continue a regime of loaded food in various places that she's not to take from as needed. I hope that with 4-5 days of getting a hold of stuff that doesnt taste good, she'll just plan to leave things alone. Will update on how things go as we go along with this!

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~THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED~

Contents from this post has been removed due to a complaint to the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind about the practices I have used.

This methodology of training has been used after using other milder methods before this without the desired results and after thorough research and careful instruction on using these types of methods in order to keep my dog from stealing food when we are out in public places as well as here at home.

This method should not be used by just anyone, but with the assistance of a professional dog trainer and careful instruction.

While the school instructed me on using foods to work on training Rei, I researched and implemented on my own the methods and practices of using the cayenne pepper to teach Rei to not countersurf.

One of the resources that I used to gain more information on this included the following:

http://labadoption.org/linkpages/DogBehave/Articles/Counter%20Surfing.pdf

And as a reminder- upon leaving the school, I do have 100% ownership of Rei, but the school is there to support and assist me in any issues that I may have, to ensure our bonding and success as a working team.

4 comments:

Ally and Eclipse said...

Good idea! We can't do things like that with the pups while raising them (not the schools I raise for anyways) but that's a really good idea! I can't believe she takes food while you're sitting right there. If you're having issues with baited food not working (she may learn the smell, even if we can't smell it) it may help to bait her with a long-line attatched to her and as soon as she goes near it correct her. You can even do that in another room of area. Just an idea. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

OH yeah another thought, hopefully she doesn't throw it up!! She hasn't so far but you never know.

Anonymous said...

Each dog, situation, and team is different and I support you and your method in trying to resolve this counter surfing situation. Good Luck and I look forward to hearing more and about your results in this issue and your travels as life goes on! Sincerely,Fellow Graduate.

Anonymous said...

It is remarkable to me that you would need to edit this post. If people too cowardly to leave a comment on the post or email you directly but instead have to complain to the school, they should learn to mind their own business. These dogs are an extension of you in their ability to guide and service you. To accuse you of doing anything that would cause the dog harm just to "teach them a lesson" is ridiculous. Just like in parenting- some lessons are not "fun" but also not harmful. Unfortunate as it is- this is the world we live in - needing disclaimers on EVERYTHING - similar to a package of peanuts with the disclaimer "May Contain Nuts" or on children's cold medicine- "May cause drowsiness. If affected do not drive or operate machinery". So - to those with nothing better to do than call and complain- get a life or get some guts and approach the person directly and have an adult conversation about what might offend you.