this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2024
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That's too big!!
A dog that can snatch food off the counter without jumping... I cannot fathom dog-proofing a house for that.
You simply don't.
This is the dog's house.
I mean I have a greyhound who can countersurf, you just put baby gates around the kitchen and food. Keeping stuff out of snoot height/range removes most issues.
Part of it is training them that it isn't an appropriate thing to do. It usually helps that if they behave (and we're eating something the pup can safely have) they get a bit of food as a treat.
Training is a must and especially with a dog that big you need to make sure they know what is expected and appropriate. Doing that sets them up for success and makes it much easier to care for them overall.
When my aunt had a puppy, she set up a barrier to prevent the dog from going upstairs. It was low enough for humans to step over, but the puppy couldn't get over it. Amusingly, as the dog grew up, it never seemed to occur to it that it could now step over the barrier without much fuss.
We used to be able to put up a blanket "wall" across two chairs to stop the dogs from crossing. It took them a few years to realize they could simply walk through/under the blanket.
I just put the vacuum in the doorway.
Might as well be the gates to Mordor
I have a neighbor with a giant yellow beast who needs to attend your Ted Talk
I have an Akita that can do the same and is (mostly) very good about asking for permission / knowing he needs to be handed food.
I do feel like smaller dogs generally get minimal or zero training because people know they can just pick them up or otherwise stop them and it makes pet ownership worse for everyone involved.
You just teach your dog not to steal your food. Sounds hard but they do learn that food on counter bad, food in bowl good pretty quick.
You houseproof the dog at that point
I've lived with dogs this big. The trick is to train them when they're too small to see over the tables. When it comes to prepping food, you get used to setting meat further back on the counter or putting them outside
Lol I've always had food aggressive dogs but my current GSD is a saint by comparison. She doesn't really mess with our food and we have left food on our coffee table overnight more than once and she didn't touch it. Counter food is more than safe despite the fact that it would take her almost no effort to grab it.
The one exception is carrots. If we're chopping carrots and walk away they're as good as gone 😭
This is an area where size may not matter. Our first dog was an 11 pound mini poodle. He was so tiny, but he got huge air. We also had no way to dog proof.
Training, lots of training. It also applies to you as well!
I think our dog got past 2 years old before we had eaten more pork chops than he had stolen.
He'll still swipe my daughter's dinner, if it's left unattended. At least he will no longer steal it while she's sat in front of it.
That's why you should leave dogs outside