House manners

Hi Idan,

I understand your frustration very well since I just fostered a 4 mos old puppy that got adopted after 3 nights with us.

My foster puppy was pretty good but still a lot of work compared to my other 3 dogs that we rescued as 1-2 yrs old.

I think your dog lacks of obedience training. Have you taken any classes with him? At those classes, they don't specically teach dogs, for example, not to jump on to the counter or dining table, or not to chew your shoes, but it teaches you how to handle your dog in the way that your dog pays attention to what you are telling him. It is more like a way to communicate with your dog while having a good time and strenghing your relationship with your dog.

Your dog does the same bad behaviors over and over again because he doesn't quite understand what you expect from him. Time-outs might work sometimes but it is hard to connect the cause and result.

It might take a while but I would start giving him obedience training so that he will gradually understand the way you tell him to/not to do specific behaviors.

For example, if your dog learns "stay" or "on your bed" commands, you can have him stay on his bed while you enjoy your dinner without worrying him comes up and beg or steal food.

Good luck

Hi Idan,

OK, so he obeys your Sit, down, stay, heel, leave it, commands when there are treats involved, right? Then, I would approach your problems like below:

The problems are:

-He jumps on the counter/eating table and try to get food.
When you see him put his front paws on the counter, "Leave it!" and "Sit" and "Down", then a praise and treat.

-He always bothers us when we eat on the small table that he can reach and try to get the food on it.
Make him "Down Stay" on his bed in a little distance but where he can still see you guys while you eat.

By the way, I feed my dogs always BEFORE we eat, although it goes against the "Alpha rules" of this site. I just think feeding before humans meals is more humane (rather than making them wait while we eat) and it has nothing to do with the Alpha status of our dogs who live in the same house sharing our space.

If he stands up and tries to come to you, tell him to "Down Stay" again. You will have to repeat this until he understands that he needs to stay and wait while you eat.

-Sometimes he take a shoe or other thing he doesn't have to so I'll play with him.

Don't chase him when he has stolen a shoe, etc. He would think it's a game if you chase him. Instead, just tell him to "Drop it" or "Leave it" and give him a praise and treat when he drops it.

-He is always hungry (he gets feed in the suggested amount).
You might want to consult your vet about this one. Also, make sure your treats are good quality but tiny tiny pieces. You can even feed a part of his meal as treats.

Good luck