TulipRose

So our Tulip is still seizure free (YIPPEE!) but now that we have made it through that awfully rough patch we are seeing some very persistent and not so nice behaviors coming through. (Has been going on since end of January)

1. She is a ridiculous counter surfer. If I TURN MY BACK on anything in the kitchen while making dinner she is in it, immediately. Gatign her out works, as does putting her in the back yard, but I'd like to get to the root of the issue. It doesn't matter when/if she has been fed, either. I have tried scolding her with, ignoring it, using the off command (which works, if if see her) BUT she is still on the counters ALL THE TIME.

2. She EATS/CHEWS everything. I feel like we have a toddler again. I can't leave anything within reach of Tulip on her hind legs anywhere in the house, or she is into it. And quickly. And will either destroy it, or race outside with it (through the doggie door) to devour it there. She has taken recently to taking books off the shelves and chewing them.

This behavior happens when we are home, not just when we are away. I can be across the room from her, or just upstairs for a minute, and come downstairs to find something destroyed so I tend to lean away from separation anxiety...

I was thinking she was enjoying the negative attention (the yelling of stop it, etc.) which is why we started "Ignoring' the behavior and just quietly taking the item away, etc. This has probably cut the incidences down by about 15%, but not fully. While I understand she is still a puppy, that can't be the ONLY reason. We wonder a bit about the possibility of some brain damage from the constant seizures. And, if we need to help her 're-learn' appropriate behaviors from when she was a small puppy. It seems, however, that she knows EXACTLY what she is NOT supposed to do...and then does just that. We are, in general, VERY consistent with her as far as what she is allowed to do and what she isn't (on couches, but not if people are, use of commands, etc.)

She is crated when we are not at home, or confined to the kitchen if we leave in the evenings again after she has been in the crate all day. Each time I do that, I dread walking into a disaster upon returning.

Any ideas about what to do/what is going on with her (or us and our training?)

Wworm

Glad there's no more seizures, little Tulip..

Hmmm... sounds like one for Mikey...

duder

Mortimer is a big counter surfer as well. Randolph not so much. I can usually spot when he is about to jump and if I tell him no, he wont do it. But other than catching him before he jumps, he does it all the time. Havent had any success getting him to stop, just have gotten used to moving things out of his reach.

That being said there have been many mornings where he has enjoyed licking my sandwich I make to take to work. I let him lick my face, so I figure a little slobber on my sandwhich wont kill me.

mhvonalmen8908

Yay for being seizure free!!! And I don't have any tips for the counter surfing and destroying of things. Sorry! What we did with ours was to say "Ah!" while they were chewing on the wrong thing and then taking it away and giving them one of their toys and praising them when they chew on the toy. It took awhile but they eventually got it. Good luck with it and hope Tulip continues to be seizure free.

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Megan & Chris
-Mom & Dad to Doppler (2 year old Basset/Redbone/Golden mix) and Virga (1 year old Basset)

Boomer's Mom

Good to hear that Tulip is seizure-free!

Boomer is a big counter-surfer too, and no matter what we do or say, he still does it, so we just push the food back. Scary part is, I'm getting used to a little slobber on my food.

MJJean

All of mine are counter surfers and I haven't found a way to break them of it. They seem to have poor impulse control when it comes to food. I have learned to not leave anything food related unattended on the parts of the counter they can reach or on the tables.

Owen is the very devil for stealing things and taking them to Ike's crate to destroy. His particular favorites are bras, underwear, shoes and anything plastic. He will actually sneak into the laundry room and steal out of the hamper! He has gotten a bit better because I have been watching him like a hawk and when he tries to go get something i will follow him and then scold him in the act. "Grrrr face" with eyebrows drawn together, pursed lips and frowning plus very angry voice and a couple words get the point across for me. That solves the laundry problem, but not the shoes or plastic. That stuff I am getting on the kids for!

I know my older dogs went through a rebellious stage after learning proper behavior as pups. Could be that. If yours is at the rebellious stage then you are probably going to have to reinforce previous training.

Its a lot like having a kid. Puppy proof the house, work on training and teaching what is and is no ok and hope. It took me 2 years before I could trust the older dogs and I still can't trust them with food or objects that contained food.

ChucksMom

I laughed out loud when I read this... With our older dog he seemed to get over the underwear chewing stage when we got him fixed. Chuck's still a baby so we've got a ways to go before he gets over this stage!

Mikey T

There are those with puppies that will tell that yes being a puppy explains everything.


First let talk counter surfing. Once a dog has had sucess it is not likely you can complete eliminate the behavior forever. It is highly rewarded for the practice on two front first it is mental stimulating for a hunter ie tracking it game and capturing it secondly they get a food reward they normal would never get. This reward is on a variable schedual that is it does not ocur every time the dogs checks. One mightd think that this would mean it would be easier to break the behavior but just the opposite it makes it much more difficult to extinquish the behavior. It is much like a slot machine a big reward ocassional keep people coming back for more. The dog knows it is not going to get a reward every time so the times it doesn't are no big deal it did not expect one. There is no negative consequence to not geting a reward so the likelihood the behavior will extinquish simply by ignoring the behavior and prevent the dog from being rewarded is remote. It may cut down on the number of times the dog attempts over time but not likely to stop it completely. Punishment may work. but it must be set up so the dog believes the punishment is the result of its own action. ie not coming from you. If for instance the dog get a rap on the bum each time it counter surfs from you. It does not stop counter surfing, it simply learns to do it when your not around. This is why many recommend booby traps or devices like scat mat which cause a shook when touched. Again the problem is for many if not most dogs is the reward or the potential reward is greater than the punishment we are willing to let the dog experience, While a large bang of falling pot might startle the dog the potential for a piece of meat general keep them coming back. I use a scat mat on the counter for one dog. It was completely successful in keep the dog from puting it feet on the counter. So instead it made sure they stayed high on the cabinet instead cut down the reach by maybe an inch,. So even when it works it may no be effective. Counter Surfing is not something that is easily solved., It is one of those thing that is much easier prevented but once it happens at best it can be managed my being dilligent and not leaving anything out. Think of it this way,. If the dogs acts of counter surfing are not suffcient to change your behavior for leaving things in the dogs reach, how is anything you going to do be able to change the dogs behavior as well.

I think alot of owners do not understand this about scent hound. They are always hungry, every minute of every waking day they are hungry. The only time they are not hungry is when their stomach is so huge their feet can no longer touch the ground. and even then it just might be they can't move rather than they are not hungry. My theory is this trait is the result of unintended consiquences of selective breeding. If you are breed dogs for tenacity and presistent while hunting which dog is going to be the more tenacious, consistent and persistent hunter after a meal. the dog that is easily sated or the dog that is always hungry. When breeding for hunting what happened is the dogs that don't have a i'm full buttton got to pass this along to all the subsequent off spring and those that got full didn't get to reproduce.

dogs go through not one but Two teething stages the second at around 9-10 month of age when the rear molars emerge. I have found this stage is often much worse on the dog than the first at 4-7 month of age. Most dog out grow this as well


see Puppy Adolscence - or Demon Spawn

I will also ask how you come to believe the dog no's what it is suppose to do and what it is not. For many it is how the dog react when getting caught., Thing is what many human interpret as a quilty look is simply apeasement behavior on the part of the dog

seeWhat Really Prompts The Dog's 'Guilty Look'

Annie714

Congrats Tulip on being seizure free for a while now! Keep it up, we were worried for you!

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Blog about the antics of Annie and I. http://thechickandthehound.blogspot.com

Soundtrack

Honestly, she sounds like a perfectly normal basset puppy to me.

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