Any tips to stop dog from counter?

[Joe3232]

Dog is constantly up on counter or table looking for food. I know obvious is don’t leave food out or kennel her at dinner time but we would prefer to have her in kitchen during meal time. Any tips to train her not to jump up? Also jumping on furniture constantly. Thank you

[shags]

When most of mine started counter surfing I got after them. Didn't smack them, but gave them what for "Hey! Off!" then a short stern "Whaddya doing?" with a scruffing.
On another dog we set mousetraps so they snapped right when feet went on the counter.

As for the furniture, I bought them their own sofa Mousetraps might work there for you though

[Timewise65]

I had one dog that could steal food off the counter, eat it, and never be heard! He got a good steak off the counter on my birthday. We would not of missed it until time to cook, except our other dog came in and was licking the floor where the male inhaled it!

Solution was to get a couple of can and put some coins or marbles in them, sealing the tops tightly. Then place some bait (what ever your dog cannot resist up on the counter. Then put a dish towel with the cans on top of them in front of the food. Set it up so the pup has to pull the towel down to get to the food. Then sit back and watch the fun. Two or three drops 'sealed the deal'!

Of course with each drop, we yelled at him and told him NO! We left the 'set up' out for a few days....just in case!

I also saw somewhere a guy had made a plastic toy that could be baited. When a dog knocked it down the thing made the loudest sound and vibrated all around the floor. I am sure that would work well also, but I cannot recall what is was called or who made it.

[polmaise]

Sit !

[gonehuntin']

The word NO! Followed by "Come to Jesus" meeting.

[Featherfinder]

Lure the dog into jumping up. When she/he does, say, "No!!", then repeat. When the dog stops jumping up she/he WILL sit down.
Praise and treat!

[Max2]

Counter surf was always unexceptable behavior .Being in the right place at the right time to correct it is key . Same with the garbage . If they sniffed at the garbage -correct if they try to stand on front door or counter-correction and I don't remember it being hard. For furniture just angle the cushions when they are not in use. When in use you are there for correction.

My last pup was the best with this except for when my house became deer camp once a year. Where did the suprasota go ? Max must of stole it off the table when no one was looking ? Max might have been seen chewing it under the table and tummy upset and bad gas later. I know he would never take something off the table- he was set up.... and another thing half the guy's hanging in the kitchen while the other half was in watching tv and Max might be found curled up next to one of them on the coach. Those guy's were a bad influence on the little guy...

[Steve007]

This is all pretty good information. One question is how old is your dog and how long have you had him? Consistency is the answer, but that does take time.

Alertness (highly critical), "no" plus mousetraps are your foundations. After you have straightened out most of the problem, setting the dog up with some temptations would be your next step. I wouldn't get the dog responding negatively to disconcerting noises.

How much serious obedience training have you put into your dog? I don't mean fieldwork -- which is not terribly useful around the house-- but genuine obedience work? Go to YouTube and look up the requirements for the AKC titles of CD or CDX, especially with focus on the "long down". If your dog is very young, you can't expect flawless results for a while, but eventually you should be able to call your dog over to a rug next to your dinner table and tell him to stay there until he is released. Don't let him get up on his own (you need a release word), but also don't push him past what's reasonable for him. Gradually increase the time.

You can correct these problems. It just takes time, alertness and consistency. And you might look into a serious obedience training class where the instructors have put advanced AKC titles (UD,UDX) on their dogs. Bird work is not a year-round endeavor, and training your dog in another sport will be enormously beneficial to both of you.

[polmaise]

The Obvious answer of 'Sit' , Or No , or don't do that Fido is not enough for our good friend .
I smell a Clicker is required to make sense for internetty questions .
Here we go ..happy reading in pc world that makes us all squiggy and no rhetoric . !
For species who live in packs it’s important to be able to communicate with its own kind. Both in order to cooperate when they hunt, to bring up their offspring, and perhaps most importantly: to live in peace with each other. Conflicts are dangerous - they cause physical injuries and a weakened pack, which is something that no pack can afford - it will cause them to go extinct.

Dogs live in a world of sensory input: visual, olfactory, auditory perceptions. They easily perceive tiny details - a quick signal, a slight change in another’s behaviour, the expression in our eyes. É Pack animals are so perceptive to signals that a horse can be trained to follow the contraction in our pupils and a dog can be trained to answer your whispering voice. There’s no need to shout commands, to make the tone of our voice deep and angry - what Karen Pryor refers to as swatting flies with a shovel.

The dogs have about 30 calming signals, perhaps even more. Some of these signals are used by most dogs, while other dogs have an incredibly rich ´vocabulary´. It varies from dog to dog.

The problem
Dogs use this communication system towards us humans, simply because it’s the language they know and think everyone understands.

By failing to see your dog using calming signals on you, and perhaps even punish the dog for using them, you risk causing serious harm to your dog. Some may simply give up using the calming signals, including with other dogs. Others may get so desperate and frustrated that they get aggressive, nervous or stressed out as a result. Puppies and young dogs may actually go into a state of shock.

Basic knowledge
Dad calls Prince and has learned in class that he needs to sound strict and dominant so that Prince will understand who is in charge. Prince finds dad’s voice to be aggressive, and being a dog he instantly give dad a calming signal in order to make him stop being aggressive. Prince will perhaps lick his own nose, yawn, turn away - which will result in dad becoming angry for real, because dad perceives Prince as being pig-headed, stubborn and disobedient. Prince is punished for using his calming signals to calm dad. This is a typical example of something that happens on an everyday basis with many dog owners.

We need to learn to understand the language of dogs so that we can understand what our dogs are telling us. That is the secret of having a good life together.

How the dog is using the calming signals

Yawning
The dog may yawn when someone bends over him, when you sound angry, when there’s yelling and quarrelling in the family, when the dog is at the vet’s office, when someone is walking directly at the dog, when the dog is excited with happiness and anticipation - for instance by the door when you are about to go for a walk, when you ask the dog to do something he doesn’t feel like doing, when your training sessions are too long and the dog gets tired, when you have said NO for doing something you disapprove of, and in many other situations.

Threatening signals (to walk straight at, reach for the dog, bending over the dog, staring into the dog’s eyes, fast movements, and so on) will always cause the dog to use a calming signal. There are about 30 different calming signals, so even when many dogs will yawn, other dogs may use another calming signal.

All dog knows all the signals. When one dog yawns and turn his head to the side, the dog he is ´talking to´ may lick his nose and turn his back - or do something completely different.

The signals are international and universal. All dogs all over the worlds have the same language. A dog from Japan would be understood by an elkhound who lives in an isolated valley in Norway. They will have no communication problems!


Licking
Licking is another signal that is used often. Especially by black dogs, dogs with a lot of hair around their faces, and others who’s facial expressions for some reasons are more difficult to see than those of dogs with lighter colours, visible eyes and long noses. But anyone can use licking, and all dogs understand it no matter how quick it is. The quick little lick on the nose is easier to see if you watch the dog from in front. It’s best seen if you can find somewhere you can sit in peace and quiet and observe. Once you have learned to see the lick, you will also be able to see it while walking the dog.

Sometimes it’s nothing more than a very quick lick, the tip of the tongue is barely visible outside the mouth, and only for a short second. But other dogs see it, understand it and respond to it. Any signal is always returned with a signal.

Turning away/turning of the head
The dog can turn its head slightly to one side, turn the head completely over to the side, or turn completely around so that the back and tail is facing whoever the dog is calming. This is one of the signals you may see most of the time in dogs.

When someone is approaching your dog from in front, he will turn away in one of these ways. When you seem angry, aggressive or threatening, you will also see one of these variations of the signal. When you bend over a dog to stroke him, he will turn his head away from you. When you make your training sessions too long or too difficult, he will turn his head away from you. When the dog is taken by surprise or take someone by surprise, he will turn away quickly. The same happens when someone is staring or acting in a threatening way.

In most cases, this signal will make the other dog calm down. It’s a fantastic way in which to solve conflicts, and it’s used a lot by all dogs, whether they are puppies or adults, high or low ranking, and so on. Allow your dog to use it! Dogs are experts at solving and avoiding conflicts - they know how to deal with conflicts.

Play bow
Going down with front legs in a bowing position can be an invitation to play if the dog is moving legs from side to side in a playful manner. Just as often, the dog is standing still while bowing and is using the signal to calm someone down. These signals often have double meanings and may be used in many different ways - often the invitation to play is a calming signal by itself because the dog is making a potentially dangerous situation less tense and diverts with something safe.

Recently, in a puppy class with a mix of puppies, one of them was afraid of the others in the beginning. The others left him alone and respected his fear. In the end he would dare to approach the others. When he did, he went into a play bow as soon as one of the other dogs looked at him. It was an obvious combination of slight fear of the others, as well as wanting to take part in the playing.

When two dogs approach each other too abruptly, you will often see that they go into a play bow. This is one of the signals that are easy to see, especially because they remain standing in the bow position for a few seconds so that you have plenty of time to observe it.

Sniffing the ground
Sniffing the ground is a frequently used signal. In groups of puppies you will see it a lot, and also when you and your dog is out walking and someone is coming towards you, in places where there’s a lot going on, in noisy places or when seeing objects that the dog isn’t sure of what is and find intimidating.

Sniffing the ground may be anything from moving the nose swiftly down toward the ground and back up again - to sticking the nose to the ground and sniff persistently for several minutes.

Is someone approaching you on the pavement? Take a look at your dog. Did he drop the nose down toward the ground, even slightly? Did he turn his side to the one approaching and sniff the side of the road?

Of course, dogs sniff a lot, also in order to ´read the paper´ and enjoy themselves. Dogs are pre-programmed to use their noses and it’s their favourite activity. However, sometimes it’s calming - it depends on the situation. So pay attention to when and in which situations the sniffing occurs!

Walking slowly
High speed will be seen as threatening to many dogs, and they might want to go in to try and stop the one who is running. This is partly a hunting behaviour and is triggered by the sight of a running human or dog. If the one running is coming straight at the dog, it involves a threat and a defence mechanism sets in.

A dog who is insecure will move slowly. If you wish to make a dog feel safer, then you can move slower. When I see a dog react to me with a calming signal, I immediately respond by moving slower.

Is your dog coming very slowly when you call him? If so, check the tone of your voice - do you sound angry or strict? That may be enough for him to want to calm you down by walking slowly. Have you ever been angry with him when he came to you? Then this may be why he doesn’t trust you. Another reason to calm you may be if the dog is always put on a leash when coming when called. Take a look at your dog the next time you call him. Does he give you any calming signals when coming? If he moves slowly, you may need to do something different in the way you act.

Freezing
"Freezing" - is what we call it when the dog is stopping while standing completely still, sitting or laying down and remain in that position. This behaviour is believed to have something to do with hunting behaviour - when the prey is running, the dog attacks. Once the prey stops, the dog will stop too. We can often see this when dogs are chasing cats. This behaviour, however, is used in several different situations. When you get angry and aggressive and appear threatening, the dog will often freeze and not move in order to make you be good again. Other times the dog may walk slowly, freeze, and then move slowly again. Many owners believe that they have very obedient dogs who are sitting, lying down or standing completely still. Perhaps they are actually using calming signals? Very often a dog will stop and remain calm when someone is approaching. If your dog wants to stop or move slowly in a situation like that, then let him. Also, should your dog be in a conflict situation with a human or dog, and is unable to escape, freezing may be one way to calm the other dog or person.

Sitting down/lifting one paw
I have only rarely seen dogs lift their paw as a calming signal, but on a few occasions it’s clearly been used to calm another dog.

To sit down, or an even stronger signal, to sit down with the back turned towards someone - for instance the owner - has a very calming effect. It’s often seen when one dog wants to calm another dog who is approaching too quickly. Dogs may sit down with their backs turned against the owner when he or she sounds too strict or angry.

Walking in curve
This signal is frequently used as a calming signal, and it is the main reason why dogs may react so strongly towards meeting dogs when they are forced to walk straight at someone.. Their instincts tell them that it is wrong to approach someone like that - the owner says differently. The dog gets anxious and defensive. And we get a dog who is barking and lunging at other dogs, and eventually we have an aggressive dog.

Dogs, when given a chance, will walk in curves around each other. That’s what they do when they meet off leash and are free to do things their own way. Allow your dog to do the same when he’s with you.

Some dogs needs large curves, while others only need to walk slightly curved. Allow the dog to decide what feels right and safe for him, then, in time and if you want to, he can learn to pass other dogs closer.

Let the dog walk in a curve around a meeting dog! Don’t make him walk in a heel position while you´re going straight forward - give him a chance to walk in a curve past the meeting dog. If you keep the leash loose and let the dog decide, you will often see that the dog chooses to walk away instead of getting hysterical.

For the same the reason, don’t walk directly toward a dog, but walk up to it in a curve. The more anxious or aggressive the dog is, the wider you make the curve.

Other calming signals
By now you have learned about some of the more common calming signals. There are around 30 of them, and many have yet to be described. I will mention a few more briefly so that you can make further observations:

"Smiling", either by pulling the corners of the mouth up and back, or by showing the teeth as in a grin.

Smacking the lips

Wagging the tail - should a dog show signs of anxiety, calming or anything that clearly has little to do with happiness, the wagging of the tail isn’t an expression of happiness, but rather that the dog wants to calm you.

Urinating on himself - A dog who is cowering and crawling toward his owner while wetting himself and waving his tail, is showing three clear signs of calming - and of fear. · Wanting to get up into your face and lick the corners of your mouth.

Making the face round and smooth with the ears close to the head in order to act like a puppy. (No one will harm a puppy, is what the dog believes)

Laying down with the belly against the ground. This has nothing to do with submission - submission is when the dog lays down with the belly up. Lying down with the belly towards the ground is a calming signal.

...and there are even more calming signals that are used in combination with others. For instance, a dog may urinate at the same time as he is turning his back to something. This is a clear sign of calming by for instance an annoying adolescent dog.

Some dogs act like puppies, jumping around and act silly, throwing sticks around, etc. if they discover a fearful dog nearby. It’s supposed to have, and does have, a calming effect.

Meeting situations
A meeting situation between two strange dogs will almost never show signs of strong submission or what people refer to as dominant behaviour. A meeting situation between two dogs will usually be something like this:

King and Prince see each other at 150 meters range and are headed toward each other. They start sending each other message the moment they see each other. Prince stops and stands still (´freezes´), and King is walking slowly while he keeps glancing at the other dog through the corner of his eye.

As King gets closer, Prince starts licking his nose intensely, and he turns his side to King and starts sniffing the ground too. Now King is so close that he needs to be even more calming, so he starts walking in a curve and away from Prince - still slowly and now he is licking his nose too. Prince sits down, and looks away by turning his head far to one side.

By now the two dogs have ´read´ each other so well that they know whether they wish to go over and greet each other, or if this could get so intense that it is best to stay away from each other.

Never force dogs into meeting others
Allow the dogs to use their language in meeting situations so that they feel safe. Sometimes they will walk up to each other and get along, other times they feel that it’s safer to stay at a distance - after all, they have already read each other’s signals, they do so even at a several hundred meters distance - there’s no need to meet face to face.

In Canada, dog trainers who attended my lecture, came up with a new name of these calming signals: ´The Language of Peace". That’s exactly what it is. It’s a language which is there to make sure that dogs have a way to avoid and solve conflicts and live together in a peaceful manner. And the dogs are experts at it.

Start observing and you will see for yourself. Most likely, you will get a much better relationship with your dog and other dogs, too, once you are beginning to realize what the dog is really telling you. It’s likely that you will understand things you earlier were unable to figure out. It is incredibly exciting, as well as educational.

Welcome to the world of the dog, and to knowledge of a whole new language!......
......
I keep it simple ...Sit means Sit , and No means No ...but Hey' ...If someone wants to make E=Mc2 look like +/- .then fill yer boots ,or surf yer turf . Have a nice day .

[Steve007]

And this has what to do with the question? You are certainly loquacious.

[NEhomer]

Fortunately, a water spray bottle does the trick with my setter. He HATES it and just pointing it at him makes him stop whatever he's doing.

[cjhills]

The Obvious answer of 'Sit' , Or No , or don't do that Fido is not enough for our good friend .
I smell a Clicker is required to make sense for internetty questions .
Here we go ..happy reading in pc world that makes us all squiggy and no rhetoric . !
For species who live in packs it’s important to be able to communicate with its own kind. Both in order to cooperate when they hunt, to bring up their offspring, and perhaps most importantly: to live in peace with each other. Conflicts are dangerous - they cause physical injuries and a weakened pack, which is something that no pack can afford - it will cause them to go extinct.

Dogs live in a world of sensory input: visual, olfactory, auditory perceptions. They easily perceive tiny details - a quick signal, a slight change in another’s behaviour, the expression in our eyes. É Pack animals are so perceptive to signals that a horse can be trained to follow the contraction in our pupils and a dog can be trained to answer your whispering voice. There’s no need to shout commands, to make the tone of our voice deep and angry - what Karen Pryor refers to as swatting flies with a shovel.

The dogs have about 30 calming signals, perhaps even more. Some of these signals are used by most dogs, while other dogs have an incredibly rich ´vocabulary´. It varies from dog to dog.

The problem
Dogs use this communication system towards us humans, simply because it’s the language they know and think everyone understands.

By failing to see your dog using calming signals on you, and perhaps even punish the dog for using them, you risk causing serious harm to your dog. Some may simply give up using the calming signals, including with other dogs. Others may get so desperate and frustrated that they get aggressive, nervous or stressed out as a result. Puppies and young dogs may actually go into a state of shock.

Basic knowledge
Dad calls Prince and has learned in class that he needs to sound strict and dominant so that Prince will understand who is in charge. Prince finds dad’s voice to be aggressive, and being a dog he instantly give dad a calming signal in order to make him stop being aggressive. Prince will perhaps lick his own nose, yawn, turn away - which will result in dad becoming angry for real, because dad perceives Prince as being pig-headed, stubborn and disobedient. Prince is punished for using his calming signals to calm dad. This is a typical example of something that happens on an everyday basis with many dog owners.

We need to learn to understand the language of dogs so that we can understand what our dogs are telling us. That is the secret of having a good life together.

How the dog is using the calming signals

Yawning
The dog may yawn when someone bends over him, when you sound angry, when there’s yelling and quarrelling in the family, when the dog is at the vet’s office, when someone is walking directly at the dog, when the dog is excited with happiness and anticipation - for instance by the door when you are about to go for a walk, when you ask the dog to do something he doesn’t feel like doing, when your training sessions are too long and the dog gets tired, when you have said NO for doing something you disapprove of, and in many other situations.

Threatening signals (to walk straight at, reach for the dog, bending over the dog, staring into the dog’s eyes, fast movements, and so on) will always cause the dog to use a calming signal. There are about 30 different calming signals, so even when many dogs will yawn, other dogs may use another calming signal.

All dog knows all the signals. When one dog yawns and turn his head to the side, the dog he is ´talking to´ may lick his nose and turn his back - or do something completely different.

The signals are international and universal. All dogs all over the worlds have the same language. A dog from Japan would be understood by an elkhound who lives in an isolated valley in Norway. They will have no communication problems!


Licking
Licking is another signal that is used often. Especially by black dogs, dogs with a lot of hair around their faces, and others who’s facial expressions for some reasons are more difficult to see than those of dogs with lighter colours, visible eyes and long noses. But anyone can use licking, and all dogs understand it no matter how quick it is. The quick little lick on the nose is easier to see if you watch the dog from in front. It’s best seen if you can find somewhere you can sit in peace and quiet and observe. Once you have learned to see the lick, you will also be able to see it while walking the dog.

Sometimes it’s nothing more than a very quick lick, the tip of the tongue is barely visible outside the mouth, and only for a short second. But other dogs see it, understand it and respond to it. Any signal is always returned with a signal.

Turning away/turning of the head
The dog can turn its head slightly to one side, turn the head completely over to the side, or turn completely around so that the back and tail is facing whoever the dog is calming. This is one of the signals you may see most of the time in dogs.

When someone is approaching your dog from in front, he will turn away in one of these ways. When you seem angry, aggressive or threatening, you will also see one of these variations of the signal. When you bend over a dog to stroke him, he will turn his head away from you. When you make your training sessions too long or too difficult, he will turn his head away from you. When the dog is taken by surprise or take someone by surprise, he will turn away quickly. The same happens when someone is staring or acting in a threatening way.

In most cases, this signal will make the other dog calm down. It’s a fantastic way in which to solve conflicts, and it’s used a lot by all dogs, whether they are puppies or adults, high or low ranking, and so on. Allow your dog to use it! Dogs are experts at solving and avoiding conflicts - they know how to deal with conflicts.

Play bow
Going down with front legs in a bowing position can be an invitation to play if the dog is moving legs from side to side in a playful manner. Just as often, the dog is standing still while bowing and is using the signal to calm someone down. These signals often have double meanings and may be used in many different ways - often the invitation to play is a calming signal by itself because the dog is making a potentially dangerous situation less tense and diverts with something safe.

Recently, in a puppy class with a mix of puppies, one of them was afraid of the others in the beginning. The others left him alone and respected his fear. In the end he would dare to approach the others. When he did, he went into a play bow as soon as one of the other dogs looked at him. It was an obvious combination of slight fear of the others, as well as wanting to take part in the playing.

When two dogs approach each other too abruptly, you will often see that they go into a play bow. This is one of the signals that are easy to see, especially because they remain standing in the bow position for a few seconds so that you have plenty of time to observe it.

Sniffing the ground
Sniffing the ground is a frequently used signal. In groups of puppies you will see it a lot, and also when you and your dog is out walking and someone is coming towards you, in places where there’s a lot going on, in noisy places or when seeing objects that the dog isn’t sure of what is and find intimidating.

Sniffing the ground may be anything from moving the nose swiftly down toward the ground and back up again - to sticking the nose to the ground and sniff persistently for several minutes.

Is someone approaching you on the pavement? Take a look at your dog. Did he drop the nose down toward the ground, even slightly? Did he turn his side to the one approaching and sniff the side of the road?

Of course, dogs sniff a lot, also in order to ´read the paper´ and enjoy themselves. Dogs are pre-programmed to use their noses and it’s their favourite activity. However, sometimes it’s calming - it depends on the situation. So pay attention to when and in which situations the sniffing occurs!

Walking slowly
High speed will be seen as threatening to many dogs, and they might want to go in to try and stop the one who is running. This is partly a hunting behaviour and is triggered by the sight of a running human or dog. If the one running is coming straight at the dog, it involves a threat and a defence mechanism sets in.

A dog who is insecure will move slowly. If you wish to make a dog feel safer, then you can move slower. When I see a dog react to me with a calming signal, I immediately respond by moving slower.

Is your dog coming very slowly when you call him? If so, check the tone of your voice - do you sound angry or strict? That may be enough for him to want to calm you down by walking slowly. Have you ever been angry with him when he came to you? Then this may be why he doesn’t trust you. Another reason to calm you may be if the dog is always put on a leash when coming when called. Take a look at your dog the next time you call him. Does he give you any calming signals when coming? If he moves slowly, you may need to do something different in the way you act.

Freezing
"Freezing" - is what we call it when the dog is stopping while standing completely still, sitting or laying down and remain in that position. This behaviour is believed to have something to do with hunting behaviour - when the prey is running, the dog attacks. Once the prey stops, the dog will stop too. We can often see this when dogs are chasing cats. This behaviour, however, is used in several different situations. When you get angry and aggressive and appear threatening, the dog will often freeze and not move in order to make you be good again. Other times the dog may walk slowly, freeze, and then move slowly again. Many owners believe that they have very obedient dogs who are sitting, lying down or standing completely still. Perhaps they are actually using calming signals? Very often a dog will stop and remain calm when someone is approaching. If your dog wants to stop or move slowly in a situation like that, then let him. Also, should your dog be in a conflict situation with a human or dog, and is unable to escape, freezing may be one way to calm the other dog or person.

Sitting down/lifting one paw
I have only rarely seen dogs lift their paw as a calming signal, but on a few occasions it’s clearly been used to calm another dog.

To sit down, or an even stronger signal, to sit down with the back turned towards someone - for instance the owner - has a very calming effect. It’s often seen when one dog wants to calm another dog who is approaching too quickly. Dogs may sit down with their backs turned against the owner when he or she sounds too strict or angry.

Walking in curve
This signal is frequently used as a calming signal, and it is the main reason why dogs may react so strongly towards meeting dogs when they are forced to walk straight at someone.. Their instincts tell them that it is wrong to approach someone like that - the owner says differently. The dog gets anxious and defensive. And we get a dog who is barking and lunging at other dogs, and eventually we have an aggressive dog.

Dogs, when given a chance, will walk in curves around each other. That’s what they do when they meet off leash and are free to do things their own way. Allow your dog to do the same when he’s with you.

Some dogs needs large curves, while others only need to walk slightly curved. Allow the dog to decide what feels right and safe for him, then, in time and if you want to, he can learn to pass other dogs closer.

Let the dog walk in a curve around a meeting dog! Don’t make him walk in a heel position while you´re going straight forward - give him a chance to walk in a curve past the meeting dog. If you keep the leash loose and let the dog decide, you will often see that the dog chooses to walk away instead of getting hysterical.

For the same the reason, don’t walk directly toward a dog, but walk up to it in a curve. The more anxious or aggressive the dog is, the wider you make the curve.

Other calming signals
By now you have learned about some of the more common calming signals. There are around 30 of them, and many have yet to be described. I will mention a few more briefly so that you can make further observations:

"Smiling", either by pulling the corners of the mouth up and back, or by showing the teeth as in a grin.

Smacking the lips

Wagging the tail - should a dog show signs of anxiety, calming or anything that clearly has little to do with happiness, the wagging of the tail isn’t an expression of happiness, but rather that the dog wants to calm you.

Urinating on himself - A dog who is cowering and crawling toward his owner while wetting himself and waving his tail, is showing three clear signs of calming - and of fear. · Wanting to get up into your face and lick the corners of your mouth.

Making the face round and smooth with the ears close to the head in order to act like a puppy. (No one will harm a puppy, is what the dog believes)

Laying down with the belly against the ground. This has nothing to do with submission - submission is when the dog lays down with the belly up. Lying down with the belly towards the ground is a calming signal.

...and there are even more calming signals that are used in combination with others. For instance, a dog may urinate at the same time as he is turning his back to something. This is a clear sign of calming by for instance an annoying adolescent dog.

Some dogs act like puppies, jumping around and act silly, throwing sticks around, etc. if they discover a fearful dog nearby. It’s supposed to have, and does have, a calming effect.

Meeting situations
A meeting situation between two strange dogs will almost never show signs of strong submission or what people refer to as dominant behaviour. A meeting situation between two dogs will usually be something like this:

King and Prince see each other at 150 meters range and are headed toward each other. They start sending each other message the moment they see each other. Prince stops and stands still (´freezes´), and King is walking slowly while he keeps glancing at the other dog through the corner of his eye.

As King gets closer, Prince starts licking his nose intensely, and he turns his side to King and starts sniffing the ground too. Now King is so close that he needs to be even more calming, so he starts walking in a curve and away from Prince - still slowly and now he is licking his nose too. Prince sits down, and looks away by turning his head far to one side.

By now the two dogs have ´read´ each other so well that they know whether they wish to go over and greet each other, or if this could get so intense that it is best to stay away from each other.

Never force dogs into meeting others
Allow the dogs to use their language in meeting situations so that they feel safe. Sometimes they will walk up to each other and get along, other times they feel that it’s safer to stay at a distance - after all, they have already read each other’s signals, they do so even at a several hundred meters distance - there’s no need to meet face to face.

In Canada, dog trainers who attended my lecture, came up with a new name of these calming signals: ´The Language of Peace". That’s exactly what it is. It’s a language which is there to make sure that dogs have a way to avoid and solve conflicts and live together in a peaceful manner. And the dogs are experts at it.

Start observing and you will see for yourself. Most likely, you will get a much better relationship with your dog and other dogs, too, once you are beginning to realize what the dog is really telling you. It’s likely that you will understand things you earlier were unable to figure out. It is incredibly exciting, as well as educational.

Welcome to the world of the dog, and to knowledge of a whole new language!......
......
I keep it simple ...Sit means Sit , and No means No ...but Hey' ...If someone wants to make E=Mc2 look like +/- .then fill yer boots ,or surf yer turf . Have a nice day .

This is absolutely the best post I have ever read on this forum. IMO. I have always tried to learn how dogs and other pack animals communicate.
I think the counter surfing dog probably has a lot of other discipline issues that the owner does not see.
Thanks......Cj

[birddogger2]

Robert/Polmaise -

cJ and have had and (quite probably) will continue to have differences of opinions on things. BUT...

I absolutely could not agree with him more on his assessment of your post. Awesome stuff. Very insightful and well presented. I thank you sir, for your dissertation.

My only wish, after reading it, was that this forum had a category for "must read " posts because that is where it truly belongs.

Thank you again.

RayG

[Joe3232]

Thank you all.

[Joe3232]

[
This is absolutely the best post I have ever read on this forum. IMO. I have always tried to learn how dogs and other pack animals communicate.
I think the counter surfing dog probably has a lot of other discipline issues that the owner does not see.
Thanks......Cj
[/quote]


I am new to this. Curious but what other discipline issues do you suspect that I am not seeing?

[Max2]

Polmaise - After reading your post i had copied it and forwarded it to my niece. She & her husband got their first dog an Aussie . (They each had family dogs with your basic training growing up) So now its their turn. The first Aussie is doing great and has actually won a couple ribbons. They more recently got their second pup and are starting him down the road with play'n dog games in his future. Really enjoyed reading your post !

I always tell the kids your doing good with their little athletes . If they could see how much I am smiling on the inside when I go to their home and see ribbons, photo's and other items dog related ( Family stuff also but were talking dogs now) I love to read and hear that folks are taking these creatures to the next level.

Good post !

[cjhills]

[
This is absolutely the best post I have ever read on this forum. IMO. I have always tried to learn how dogs and other pack animals communicate.
I think the counter surfing dog probably has a lot of other discipline issues that the owner does not see.
Thanks......Cj

I am new to this. Curious but what other discipline issues do you suspect that I am not seeing?
[/quote]
Joe:
Understand I am not putting down your training. it takes a while to see some signs. But I will name a few things.
Rushing through a door ahead of you going in or out, Jumping on you, putting his foot on yours, stopping to urinate on a retrieve or any other command. Dogs never have to urinate so bad they can't finish the task. Leaning on you, only obeying a command when he wants. THe list is long.
Dogs are the worlds biggest suck up to get what they want. They have been manipulating humans for a million years. The wolf that came in from the cold.....Cj
To RG it's Cj

[Featherfinder]

Robert/Polmais, what an amazing post you offered!
I have been around dogs a LONG time and found your post utterly delightful! Thank you Sir.

[Joe3232]

[

Joe:
Understand I am not putting down your training. it takes a while to see some signs. But I will name a few things.

To RG it's Cj

All good, you didn't hurt my feelings. Just curious.
.......................................

So you are correct, the puppy is doing many of the things on that list. I am guessing the solution is time and training! If anything in particular, please let me know. Joe

[cjhills]

The solution is training and understanding the dog. Time will just make things worse without training.....Cj

[shags]

Joe,
On the same day that Robert posted his above, I watched a couple of episodes of Cesar Millan's "The Dog Whisperer". Cesar deals with everyday dog behavior issues and it occurred to me that his shows demonstrate the ideas in Robert's post. He explains all of it in ways owners understand and shows the owners how to read their dogs. All that includes very subtle signals between dog and human. He points out such things as ear position, side eyes, lip licking...all cues owners sometimes miss. He also teaches owners how their body language affects their dogs.
I suggest you find some of Millan's shows ( Nat Geo channel) maybe he has some on his website or youtube. He may have videos which you can borrow from the library. It will help you a lot with house manners type things, and as you establish the correct relationship with your dog, all of it will translate to more successful field training as well. I know Millan has some books also, but they are more valuable after you watch him - books can't show the subtleties of dog language.

[oregon woodsmoke]

The only easy way to stop counter surfing is to prevent it from ever happening. It is pretty easy to start with a pup and never allow it. Then it gets hard wired into their operating system.

My family took on a second hand dog. A too smart, tough, Australian Shepherd that had learned he could do anything he wanted as long as no one saw him do it, or as long as no one could catch him.

Anything new he would learn in a heart beat, but anything he had learned in the past, he was not willing to give up and everything he had learned in the past was bad behavior.

Besides keeping counters and tables clean, the dog was watched every second that he was in the house. For the first two months, he was on an umbilical because he was so out of control. (which got him house trained as a nice side bonus.)

Then we tricked him: a cookie sheet slightly over the edge, with soda cans containing pennies on the cookie sheet and a tempting treat beyond that. As soon as he touched the cookie sheet, it came crashing down and he got a severe scolding. I bought a scat mat and used that so he got a a shock if he put his feet on the counter.

Then, my son would hide and I would walk into the kitchen, set something tasty on the counter and leave. My son would jump out and catch him in the act and give him what-for and a good shake.

It took a lot of time to break the habit. The dog could never be unsupervised because any time he got away with it, it set his training back. Finally, he got the message and he is now reliable to never take any food that is not given to him. I can leave him in the car with a bag of meat and he won't touch it. Although that was easy because he had never been in a car before I got him and "leave the groceries alone" was a new thing to learn, so he got it instantly.

[polmaise]

I have 6 well trained dogs of different breeds and sexes and ages, neither of them will go to my trash bin ,or the counter in my kitchen . I give no guarantee that they won't steal food anywhere else ,given the chance . I think the experts who write books and blogs call it "familiarisation and generalisation" ..or something like that , but I'm no expert ,so don't quote me .