How to stop her jumping up at the table...

...when I'm not there?

My bright and bouncy Mini Schnauzer knows that there are lots of interesting and sometimes tasty things on the table. She also knows (I think) that she's not allowed to jump up at the table, she's been told often enough! If I'm in the room with her she'll put her paws up but will get down when I say 'off'.

The problem occurs when she's on her own. She can and does take things off the edge and if, heaven's forbid! we forget to push the chairs in then she jumps right up there and will take food or paper or whatever else looks interesting.

So I know that we need to remember not to put temptation in her way but how do I train her that the table is out of bounds even when there is no one there to enforce it!!! She's just nine months by the way.

Thanks

J

You are absolutely correct in one thing - which is not to put temptation their way (at least until they are mature, on the other hand I subscribe to the school of thought that tells us many dogs are scavengers by nature).

If a dog gets "rewarded" in its eyes by something yummy, it will usually be rewarded on a variable basis, (ie just occasionially) which makes the behaviour far stronger

I'd definitely recommend keeping things right at the back of work surfaces or put away. I use child gates to manage dogs also, it really helps

For a bit of an environmental consequence, which I deem to be quite fair, I'd suggest using some double sided sticky tape and put it along the edges of worktops - you may just find it puts her right off :smt002

Wys
x

baking trays on the edges works wonders.the noise scares them off and makes them think twice!

Oh, that's a good one! I'll try that one on Archie. When the kids forget to push in theor chairs he waits till we are out and gets up on the table. He hasn't gotten anything rewarding for it here, must be an old habit from his last home.

I'll have the baking trays at the ready for the next time!!