just say "NO", who knew it was so simple?

Over the weekend I came into the kitchen to this sight:

Silly little Cricket up to new tricks! ON THE COUNTER-LOL, leave it to Cricket!







The GREAT part was I was on the phone with my mother, and she says "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?" I said I was going to get her off the counter first...move the crates around, since I thought she climbed on the crates and then jumped across to get up there, and put my little tattle tale device that operates on vibrations and if she hops up there again it will make a loud sound. I thought it was a pretty good plan.

So my mother who is ever so helpful says "well, other people do not have such problems, and not everyone dogs are on the counter, why can't you just say NO? Not everyone comes up with these plans of how to train it or things to put out on the counter, and their dogs are not on the counter". Of course I know she is trying to push my buttons because I do not use heavy punishment with my dogs, which does not mean they are allowed to do anything they want.... I am smart enough and I have enough dogs to know that counter surfing can be a lot of fun, and yelling NO might work or it might teach them to not do it while you are watching-I did say NO, but I also knew that I would probably have to do something else to insure poor little Crickster does not get hurt running across the counters.

The great part is that if I had been really angry and did some heavy punishment my mom would have went on and on and lectured me about how she is a baby, she is a puppy and you have to be patient. Yep, it was one of those no win situations and I am only annoyed that I let myself get defensive and started defending myself.


Anyway.....the whole just say NO advice will go alongside my other favorite advice of a class mate who saw Lizzie running off in a stressed zoomies and she says "Have you ever thought of training a recall?". That was after a few years of dealing with things, I do not know how many recall classes, working on attention and recalls every day of our life, hummm, if only someone had thought of teaching her to come years before, LOL.

I guess it is always worth suggesting things to people and making sure some easy solutions have not been overlooked, but come on people! LOL.






Sooooo, another tangible sign that puppy hood goes quickly.....
I had to take down the Xpen that has sat in the kitchen so I could move crates around so Cricket could not use them to get up on the counters.
Sorry Cricket....

So Cricket gets her first official crate that will be for when short times when we are out of the house and when they are eating their meaty bones for dinner. The doggies also like to lay in them when we are all watching tv, my puppies love their crates.
We have had to go to a Condo style crating and Liz being the most fit gets the penthouse, she is not too happy yet about that, she likes the lower inside corner and Cricket gets the crate where she can look out into the backyard ;-).

But crisis averted, there are no pathways up on the counter now....at least I do not think so and I guess if Cricket finds another one, ......I will just say "NO", I have it on good authority that is all that is needed for a well trained dog!