Timber ate $220.00-Literally! (Counter Surfing)

Nah, it doesn't have to be that much, but they do have to get one treasured possession each.

Let's see, Rushie ate the one book in my house that I EVER borrowed from my dad.

Milla trashed three separate LEFT slippers.

Bear and Beans are well on their way to removing ALL the molding around the door frame -- this is while in an x-pen.

Arwen took out a section of the carpeting in my room, the dust ruffle, a fitted sheet, and a flat sheet -- also while crated.

Jenna and Babs between them took out the handles on my desk, and Heidi got the handles on my dresser -- these are now still a matching set.

Whitney got the leg off the table from my Grandmother's estate.

Joy ate one section of siding off the outside of my house, and Dolly is working on the section opposite.

Most of Ninja's tooth marks landed on other canines, like Tori's ear, Heidi's paw, Milla's nose. I do not remember anything she got of mine, yet.

I must be lucky... none of my dogs have been destructive like that after puppyhood.

However.. A few things I'd try if they were is a motion/movement sensing alarm.. my brother has one, it's a strip that you lay across furniture to scare the dog off. As soon as his paws touch it it makes a loud, scary noise.
Cat training: Sofa Scram Cat Mat: Furniture Protection Alarm

Or, hide where he can't see you but you can see him, put something just irresistible on the counter, the second he puts his feet up or tries getting it, give a very startling verbal correction.. and until he has it down, do not leave anything important or tempting around..

Something like this could also be good.. it would show him that he can't just wait until you are not there for sure and do it..


Again, I've never had a problem with it- mine will sit there and drool at a pot roast sitting on the edge of the counter, but know way better than to touch it -so I have never tried these techniques myself but have heard good things from those who have..

APBTLove said:

Now, I'm not trying to put down the idea, but mouse traps I wouldn't use.. Ever had one go off on your hand? It does not feel good, and it could potentially crush/rip a nose, bust a lip, crack a nail or even break some of the small bones in a dog's foot. Maybe mouse traps inside of tupperware containers that are perched precariously so they fall or shift in a way that make the traps go off and make noise - but there are other, simpler ways to make a loud noise..

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They actually make these plastic things that function the same way mouse traps do, but can't hurt the dog - I used them for my dog to try to break her of counter-surfing, which sort of worked - she doesn't do it if she sees the trap (no trap --> counter surfing, unfortunately. Smart little brat.)! I wish I could find a link to them, but basically it's a big red plastic paddle-shaped thing attached to a spring-loaded lever, and if the touch the plastic, it flips the other way with a loud snap. Scared Dagny to death, but didn't ever hurt her, and she never did it more than once!

Same goes for the plastic scat mats - I turned on the "zapper" portion of the mat one time, and never had to turn it on again - if she sees the mats on the couch, she doesn't sit on it. (Again, if the mats aren't there, she thinks that the couch is far game, but at least it's SOMETHING!).

ETA: Found the mouse-trap like things! Snappy trainers! http://www.snappytrainer.com/ I'm pretty sure I only had to set mine twice - after that, I just set them on the counter, unset, and Dags left the counter alone as long as they were up there!