Advice please

[Whinpin]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

My whippet Rosie now nearly 11 months is now jumping on my worktops from stand and it is driving us crazy. Our dinning room/ kitchen is open plan and it is void of anything that we do not want her to destroying. She is really bad at chewing things which I have posted about in the past.
We had just come from a walk me and Rosie. She was eating her breakfast and I was eating mine at the breakfast bar when she jumped from standing straight onto the worktop and was walking around like this was something she was allowed to do. So obviously I told her off and made her get down. So now she is constantly jumping on them.
Is this just another one of her phases?
Will it pass?
How do I stop her?
I and constantly disinfecting my work surfaces.
Can anyone help please. I have had loads of help from you guy in the past.

 

[JudyN]

Does she ever get rewarded by finding something edible up there? Telling her off is unlikely to succeed - I'm wondering if you just silently get her down and give her a short timeout (in a crate, or pen, or other room) every single time, she'd learn that it resulted in no fun.

Or you could possibly make a room divider out of, say, a dog playpen opened up to form a large free-standing fence. Though thinking about it, she could probably jump that too unless it was really high

 

[Whinpin]

Hi Judy
Crate and timeout maybe just the answer I could use it for other things she does which are not acceptable.
Fencing the area may not work like you said she would jump it. It is like she has springs on her back legs. She is like tigger out of whinnie the pooh xxx

 

[Finsky]

All my dogs I've always taken 'don't do that' instructions in stages by starting with physically taking dog down from not allowed place and using verbal 'ah ah' (said sharply in a 'I mean it' manner)....when that haven't resulted acceptable reaction, next stage is short 1/2-1 min 'naughty corner' treatment and turning my back for the dog and giving silent 'I ignore you' message. And that is repeated from 'ah ah' to 'naughty corneer' again and again...each time the time out is extended by short moment. To me that has worked well and very quickly...don't know if it is because my dogs always wanted my attention I do lavish them with it too, so turning back is worst thing could happen to them.
Once the message gets through what 'ah ah' results to if ignored...that is usually all I need to stop them doing what was about to happen or they were doing. After I've got verbal only stage...then I add 'finger' to the play...I point with finger and give 'the look'...eventually that is usually all I need to do and the verbal is left to be 'strong NO'.
With few of my past dogs I've got to the 'ultimate' stage that I've needed to use only 'the look'... Even my OH eventually learned that...'what have I done wrong now!?'
So by taking the learning in stages and always with same actions...not letting your dog get away with something that it is instructed not to do EACH and EVERY time it does it..eventually the message will sink in. Even just one moment for not bothering to react will hamper any progress back to start again....some dogs just are that stubborn if they know they can get away with it.

 

[Hemlock]

Posted at the same time - an alternative view - not better, not worse, just different. Possibly more sighthound oriented, as terriers love and crave attention, but sighthounds - not so much.

I remember someone who "lost" his rescue whippet on their first day together, and eventually found her on the worktop, nice and warm behind the kettle.

If you keep the worktop clear, there is less reward, BUT settling on high places to see the world (backs of chairs and sofas, window sills, and once the mantlepiece) is normal sighthoundy and terriery behaviour. I quite understand why you don't want it - I hate it when people let their cats walk all over the worktops too. So I'd suggest a multiple approach, none of which involves telling off.

Mild aversive - put tinfoil all along the worktop.
Mild management - fit a temporary barrier across the kitchen entrance. Must allow her to see in. Practice going in and out of the kitchen area for a few seconds each time, rewarding her when you come out by throwing a tiny tiny treat (smaller than that) across the living room area. Gradually extend the time.

Bear in mind this unwanted behaviour is a huge reward in itself, so the new one must be better.

Put a big covered dog bed she can burrow into on the non-kitchen side of the barrier
When you start to extend the time, scatter a few rewards in that room for her to hunt every time you go into the kitchen and if she likes a stuffed kong, cardboard box puzzles etc. use as an alternative. Never be boring.

Place safe articles in the living room for her to use as watchtowers where she can climb or jump up and look around her at what is going on. Make them super comfy.

So - we aren't just saying "don't jump on the worktop". We are also saying it's much more fun outside the kitchen, and you can see just as far.

It's about her wanting to be with you and also keeping a watching brief on the rest of the world.

Finally - don't quit. EVERY single time she goes or tries to go into the kitchen, lure her out and reward her. Don't get cross or fretful. Dogs have climbed onto high places since forever, and long before humans invented kitchens.

 

[Finsky]

Posted at the same time - an alternative view - not better, not worse, just different. Possibly more sighthound oriented, as terriers love and crave attention, but sighthounds - not so much.

I remember someone who "lost" his rescue whippet on their first day together, and eventually found her on the worktop, nice and warm behind the kettle.

If you keep the worktop clear, there is less reward, BUT settling on high places to see the world (backs of chairs and sofas, window sills, and once the mantlepiece) is normal sighthoundy and terriery behaviour. I quite understand why you don't want it - I hate it when people let their cats walk all over the worktops too. So I'd suggest a multiple approach, none of which involves telling off.

Mild aversive - put tinfoil all along the worktop.
Mild management - fit a temporary barrier across the kitchen entrance. Must allow her to see in. Practice going in and out of the kitchen area for a few seconds each time, rewarding her when you come out by throwing a tiny tiny treat (smaller than that) across the living room area. Gradually extend the time.

Bear in mind this unwanted behaviour is a huge reward in itself, so the new one must be better.

Put a big covered dog bed she can burrow into on the non-kitchen side of the barrier
When you start to extend the time, scatter a few rewards in that room for her to hunt every time you go into the kitchen and if she likes a stuffed kong, cardboard box puzzles etc. use as an alternative. Never be boring.

Place safe articles in the living room for her to use as watchtowers where she can climb or jump up and look around her at what is going on. Make them super comfy.

So - we aren't just saying "don't jump on the worktop". We are also saying it's much more fun outside the kitchen, and you can see just as far.

It's about her wanting to be with you and also keeping a watching brief on the rest of the world.

Finally - don't quit. EVERY single time she goes or tries to go into the kitchen, lure her out and reward her. Don't get cross or fretful. Dogs have climbed onto high places since forever, and long before humans invented kitchens.

That tin foil trick is good one! Back in the day when we all had 'millions' of plastic bags in a cupboard...I used them to teach one of my past rehomed dogs for not to jump on a settee. In its previous home it was allowed to go where ever...it wasn't trained at all in any manners. So at 1 1/2 years of of age I had to do full 'puppy training' & basic manners..basically trying to calm manic 'wild' dog down.
So I kept our settee seat cushions and chairs covered with crumpled up plastic bags. It took only two days and during it jumped on the bags quite few times. Each time it got mighty jump from landing on the bags (didn't like it at all) and that stopped that jumping habbit. Later on when it had learned to listen instructions and follow them, it was then invited to settee with us but it took some time longer before it would jump on its own will. But by then it was much calmer dog, so entering on settee to lie down wasn't any more a issue.