Ate steak off the counter!

[Jerilyn]

Mia was a bad girl last night, my husband was cooking he had bought steaks he went out to light the grill he came back in and the raw steaks were gone, Mia ran he yelled at her! so we ended eating left overs! how do I avoid this happing again? I said no!!! but what else can I do?

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Dont leave steaks on the counter?

 

[ruthcatrin]

Well first off understand that stealing off the counter is self rewarding. By doing it she gets food. So NOTHING gets left on the counters if you aren't RIGHT THERE. I don't care if you just went away for a minute. It can't get left on the counter. Period.

If nessecary buy some extra tall baby gates (or Xpen pieces) and block off the kitchen when you're preparing food.

Consider not letting her into the kitchen at all. This was actually highly effective for us with Apollo, he HATED being blocked out of the kitchen, so it didn't take many repetitions before he realized that stealing off the counter got him blocked out.

If she continues to try to get onto the counters consider scat mats (for example: here, or here or here), or tinfoil (some dogs will play with tin foil, so becarefull if you use this, you don't want her eating that), or empty soda cans lined up on the edge where she knocks them down on herself.

As a last resort some of the higher end ecollar systems are adjustable enough to be used to keep animals off the counters. The good ones aren't cheap though. Petsafe makes one, but I've tried it and its not worth the money (it works, but it stops working in fairly short order and you end up replacing it). Dogwatch makes a couple different indoor systems, which last forever and work well, but they're not cheap.

 

[Jerilyn]

Thanks I guess I was thinking she is only 5 mos she has been so perfect!and we just started letting her have more independence in the house! baby gates up to day for sure! thanks

 

[ruthcatrin]

Hah, at 5 months she's finally learning she can DO things its only going to get worse before it gets better lol

 

[baybpaulsmom]

Baby gates are a good idea. Duke has just starting putting his front paws up on the table and counter begging for food. Ugh, it's puppy time, huh? The lackadaisical puppy days of lounging and chewing on bones are over I think.... at least for now.

 

[ravendarat]

Mufasa stole a hotdog off the bar b que while it was ON the other day. He never burnt himself or seemed even mildly phased by the thing so I assume he didnt ouch it but he just grabbed it off the grill and ran away as I yelled at him to get away. I swear he was laughing at me.

 

[NeSaxena]

Yeah, I know how that feels... Lounging around on the bean bag, half asleep, watching TV, munching on a cube of cheese (lazily, "look ma no hands" style, half in half out of ma mouth), suddenly being jolted awake because THERE'S DROOL ON MY NOSE AND AROUND MY MOUTH! Apparently, Boone thought he could take the cheese from me while I was eating! NEELU DOESN'T SHARE FOOD! Thankfully, he's never tried it again!

 

[Tunride]

Mastiff Rule #2 if it's there it's mine. Never leave food unattended, ever, anywhere. This includes drinks. This also includes your coffee, bowl of soup, or frozen roast. Place a guard close to food when leaving the room. I have found that a baby gate, propped against the stove or counter, at an angle, will protect the food for a few minutes. It also tells you when your food leaves the area, without you!

 

[chuckorlando]

hahahahaha. I have had Kona take something right out the fridge when you standing there. ahahaha. Hell budda new it was wrong, new he was gonna get a smack on the head, he just started closing his eyes so he could not see the smack coming. ahahahahaha. risk verse reward. Food is always worth the risk

 

[Rugers-Kris]

LOL. She needed a steak! Actually I have been so lucky, Ruger has never stolen food from the counter or table. I have worked with him since I brought him home concerning food. I despise a begging dog or a dog that stares at me or anything of the sort while I am eating. I can leave food anywhere and Ruger actually walks away from it. It was of utmost importance to me because I have three small grandchildren who are over quite a bit and they walk around with cookies, drinks and snacks and I did not want him trying to take it or following them around.It takes a lot of practice and reall life "training" but it can be done. Now if he hears "I am eating", he will get completely away from the person. The real issue is after they do it the first time. Then the know the reward and are definitely ready to risk it all to get it. I grill constantly and Ruger isn't allowed anywhere near the grill when I am using it. He lays in the kitchen while I cook but he knows that he either has to lay there or get out...I would agree on the baby gate keeping the pup from the room.

 

[baybpaulsmom]

I think your pup has been talking to my pup bc last night Duke thought the hotdogs on the counter waiting to be grilled looked good. Took one and left drool in its place. Then later he got thirsty and while the fridge was open, grabbed a Capri Sun off the shelf and walked out to the deck to enjoy his drink in the cool evening shade. It was like watching a movie.

 

[Kujo]

LOL. She needed a steak! Actually I have been so lucky, Ruger has never stolen food from the counter or table. I have worked with him since I brought him home concerning food. I despise a begging dog or a dog that stares at me or anything of the sort while I am eating. I can leave food anywhere and Ruger actually walks away from it. It was of utmost importance to me because I have three small grandchildren who are over quite a bit and they walk around with cookies, drinks and snacks and I did not want him trying to take it or following them around.It takes a lot of practice and reall life "training" but it can be done. Now if he hears "I am eating", he will get completely away from the person. The real issue is after they do it the first time. Then the know the reward and are definitely ready to risk it all to get it. I grill constantly and Ruger isn't allowed anywhere near the grill when I am using it. He lays in the kitchen while I cook but he knows that he either has to lay there or get out...I would agree on the baby gate keeping the pup from the room.

I'm with you...no begging allowed! Also we have been very fortunate that Kujo doesn't steal food. We taught him "leave it" very early and all it takes is saying it once and he backs off. I've even left food on our coffee table (definitely doggy height) and walked away out of sight and he wont touch my food. I just hope it stays this way!

It would suck to not be able to leave for even a second without your pup stealing any food that was in their reach! Sorry you had to have leftovers...at least the steak wasn't wasted! :lolbangtable:since this didn't happen to me...it's a little funny

 

[CeeCee]

If you haven't already done so you can teach your dog that things on the floor or the counter don' t belong to them and only when they get permission can they have it.

Once my dogs learned "leave it, I dropped high value pieces of food on the floor. I tell them to leave it. Once they've left it and waited (the duration varies) I will either tell them "ok" and they can have it or I just pick it up and take it. I reward them with either praise or training treats. (I also make them "watch me" before giving the "ok.") Food on the counter is always off limits so when they walk away from the counter, then they get a treat and/or praise.

Now, I can leave anything unattended or drop anything and they look to me for permission before trying to eat it. (Okay, so this training has not been translated to cat food. My cats would starve to death if I didn't have the baby gate up in the kitchen. )

 

[riffy]

I 2nd the "don't leave food on the counter" thing.

Loki is tall enough he can put his chin on the counter so I NEVER leave anything unattended in the kitchen! Sophie is just a brat, I can hear her put her feet up on the counter but she's never done it in front of me, she's sneaky like that. Both of them will beg, they know they're going to get some of what I'm eating every time unless it's bad for them. They've also picked up that if it's on a plate, it's mine. I can leave my food and go get a drink with the doggies inches away from my food and they won't touch it. The counter though... seems fair game when I'm not looking.

 

[musicdeb]

Dont leave steaks on the counter?

hahahahahahaha! Great advice MM!

 

[lynnturner65]

If I have food out to grill, I just put it in the microwave, it has become the safe place to store it until it goes out on the grill. Zoey usually doesn't steal food from the counters. The other day I was making bacon and Zoey got on the counter but the only thing she stole was my paper towel, she has an obsession with paper! Weird dogs that steals paper instead of doors!

 

[Crystalanya]

Gummy Bear is very tall and looks over my counters. He'll put his head up there and look at me with those sad mastiff eyes but he doesn't actually touch the food on the counters. I think it's because as a puppy I was very firm with him. I tell him to leave it and he'll just walk off. However, recently, we tried some anti-anxiety meds (we're driving across country here very soon) and this stripped away all inhibitions. He stole an apple right out of my hand. He tried to put his head in my salad while I was eating it!

 

[taraann81]

My bullmastiff is now 11, when ahe was young she was a counter surfer, I startes leaving food laced with allum on the counters.....not aure about all dogs....but most HATE the taste of Allum....she only stole it a few times and Id find it on the floor uneaten....she learned fast that stuff on the counter tastes horrible....I could leave a roast on the edge of the counter now and probably for the last 10 yrars...she wont touch it...or even sniff it. Their is only one food I can not safely leave out...she has an undying love of tomatoes....none are safe anywhere. We plant tomatoes every year...we never get any....she picks them the moment they start to turn red. Its always a dreadful whem the fields aurrounding our house has tomatoe plants in it...she thinks shea in heaven...we normally keep her out but thebodd time ahe gets in their unnotices she comea back, stained red and gorges on tomatoea....she looks like a cow grazing.....strange dog