Guest Whistle Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 My newest boy is just as sweet and well behaved as can be. He is truly one of the easiest hounds that we've had, with one exception. He is a major chow hound and is SO food motivated. This is good in a lot of ways, but not so good when I'm in the kitchen cooking. I cook dinner every night. I have a little nook where I cook that is separated from the rest of the kitchen by an island. No one is allowed in when I'm cooking, hounds or humans. A sharp "out" and squirt with a water bottle has been enough to make hounds "get it" for over six years, but it isn't for Duke. Once he smells what's cooking, he could not care less about a squirt of water in the face or a sharp "out" or "no." The entryway to the kitchen is too wide for a baby gate and I really don't want one there anyway. Besides crating him, does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep this knucklehead out of the kitchen while I cook? I do feed the hounds before I start preparing the human dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 How wide is the area? I've made several really ugly but quite functional gates out of 2" wide finish lumber, corner brackets, plastic garden mesh, and zip ties. One is for our kitchen entryway because Gidget likes to lie down on the floor in there and I have fears of grammy tripping over her. Gidget now knows "Out of the kitchen." Half the time you don't even have to speak, just look at her and she gets up and sadly exits the room. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HHHounds Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I have a persistant chow hound, so I feel your pain! Luckily Candyman does respond to "Out of the kichen!" because we have an open concept kitchen and noooo way to close it off! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatterseaBrindl Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 You can buy extra wide baby gates....they're mesh-filled and can be adjusted up to about 6' wide. Ask me how I know this fact..... Quote Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi. Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie), Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I lined my dining room chairs across the entrance to my kitchen when I wanted to keep the dogs out. Easily put in place and easily put back. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 i take advantage of a dog who has such a keen food drive and keep them w/ me in the kitchen. yup, with me and teach them basic skills such as down, sit, wait,back(moving backwards) leave it. i also teach them NOT to stick their head in the fridge, garbage or countersurf while they are with me. i have had wonderful results, it takes a tad longer to prep a meal but well worth it. the mystique of the kitchen and aromas of food become mundane and the end result is a pup w/ good food manners. i had one dog who stuck her head in the fridge and grabbed a bag of onions! i had to laugh to myself . but w/ work and food rewards- always their own variety, not what i was prepping, i have had excellent success. give it a try, have a rug on the floor for the dog to lie on and stay as you work away.btw, one needs to contain the space and NOT let them leave the kitchen, jilly's chair lineup will work for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PhillyPups Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I have no help, but one of the things I miss the most is Gremlin sticking her nose in the fridge everytime I open the door, she refused to learn the word no. :lol Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Whistle Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thanks for the advice everyone. I have consistently been trying to teach him "out." He knows exactly what I mean, and he will go out for a minute or two, but it just so hard for him not to keeping getting underfoot when he smells food cooking. I'm thinking I may try a barricade for now and hope he will get out of the habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarabz Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 We have a tiny little kitchen and Bella just can't fit. I try to keep her out, which means all body parts out, but I'll turn around and those front paws are just over the threshold. She'll catch me looking at her and back up, slowly and reluctantly, and a few minutes later, those front pawsies are right there again Until recently she hasn't gotten the hang of cleaning up after me - now she's discovered that goodies fall and are hers if she pays attention. She is VERY good, however, about not grabbing something until I give her the ok. I can even work with the garbage can out, dropping things into it and she won't touch anything. When I cook at my parents' house, with their large open kitchen, she drives me nuts. She and the three Golden Retrievers are always under foot, so it's impossible to try to train her to stay in one place when the other dogs can do whatever they want. She also likes to watch me so that I don't escape and it's impossible in that kitchen. I'd definitely be working on keeping her out from underfoot if I could, but it so isn't worth it to try there because of the other dogs. Quote Dave (GLS DeviousDavid) - 6/27/18 Gracie (AMF Saying Grace) - 10/21/12 Bella (KT Britta) - 4/29/05 to 2/13/20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Watch your garbage disposal. My son forgot to run ours one day and Dammit Arrow stuck his nose in the garbage disposal after the food in it. Can you guess why he's called Dammit Arrow? Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkHorse Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Dexter was really bad for this at first but he had to learn because we had a very narrow galley kitchen and there was in no way enough space for him and me in there. I taught him "back up" first and then when he'd come into the kitchen I'd say "out of the kitchen", followed by "back up" and then once he was out of the kitchen "go to bed". Once he was in bed, he got a treat. Now he associates the bed with treats more than the kitchen (including human food treats). Thus, when I'm cooking, he heads straight to his bed and lies (or stands) there staring at me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Profgumby Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Both girls here are always interested in what I am doing in the kitchen, but Beauty is a world class chow hound! And I really don't mind them being in the kitchen per se, it is just a matter of the tend to get under foot, and things like tripping over a dog, boiling water, hot oil and knives only make for a funny dark comedy movie...not real life. baby gates are far cheaper than dog gates of the same size and construction. As long as you don't have a dog that attacks/chews or jumps gates the baby stuff at any big box store works fine. I got 3 gates from Wally World for 10 bucks each and the same exact gate, made by the same exact company was more expensive in the local Pet Store and the pet Dept of Wally World. The only difference besides the price was the graphics on the box.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BootsyCollins Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I've said it before, but it bears repeating here. When it comes to food, Bootsy's attitude is the same as Winston Churchill's ... NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP. EVER. I have never been able to break him of the habit of trying. I give him an A+ for effort and I put baby gates in my kitchen. I have a baby gate that stretches across a 5-6 foot opening in our living room. I got it at babies r us for pretty cheap, and it's easily pushed to one side. good luck Quote Christie and Bootsy (Turt McGurt and Gil too) Loving and missing Argos & Likky, forever and ever. ~Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to. ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wasserbuffel Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My kitchen too is wide open and not at all possible to gate. I got my grey to stay out by designating the change from laminate to the livingroom carpet as "out". Then I would tell her out and walk into her until all four paws were on the carpet. Then she got a treat. Eventually, I got to where I would say out, and she would go to the carpet on her own, then I would toss her treats. At one point during training she hadn't come back to pester for longer than expected. I looked into the livingroom to see her executing a perfect sit in the middle of the floor with her eyes glued on the kitchen counter where I had the bowl I was taking treats from. Now, she comes in from time to time but always leaves when asked. I still randomly toss treats while I'm working and she's in the livingroom while never treating in the kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest courser Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Staying out of the kitchen can be a hard concept to grasp for a dog but picking a line like Jayne suggested that he is not allowed to cross is usually much easier to teach. A threshold to the kitchen maybe? It takes a LOT of supervision and work at first but every time a foot crosses the line make a noise and back him up. Claiming the line with dog body language lets him know in dog language what is expected - stand tall and hold your ground on the line until he takes a step away just like you see a greyhound do with a bone, toy or favorite sleeping spot. A lot of it is in your attitude - the kitchen belongs to you! Period! The counters and stove belong to you. Period! Be more stubborn than he is and be consistent correcting EVERY mistake. Be sure he is never allowed to cross the threshold. It is too confusing if you let them do it when you are not cooking and eating then change the rules later when you are preparing food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NevadasMom Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 i take advantage of a dog who has such a keen food drive and keep them w/ me in the kitchen. yup, with me and teach them basic skills such as down, sit, wait,back(moving backwards) leave it. i also teach them NOT to stick their head in the fridge, garbage or countersurf while they are with me. i have had wonderful results, it takes a tad longer to prep a meal but well worth it. the mystique of the kitchen and aromas of food become mundane and the end result is a pup w/ good food manners. i had one dog who stuck her head in the fridge and grabbed a bag of onions! i had to laugh to myself . but w/ work and food rewards- always their own variety, not what i was prepping, i have had excellent success. give it a try, have a rug on the floor for the dog to lie on and stay as you work away.btw, one needs to contain the space and NOT let them leave the kitchen, jilly's chair lineup will work for that. Excellent suggestion! Quote Carol-Glendale, AZ Trolley (Figsiza Trollyn) Nevada 1992-2008...always in my heart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 (edited) Dexter was really bad for this at first but he had to learn because we had a very narrow galley kitchen and there was in no way enough space for him and me in there. I taught him "back up" first and then when he'd come into the kitchen I'd say "out of the kitchen", followed by "back up" and then once he was out of the kitchen "go to bed". Once he was in bed, he got a treat. Now he associates the bed with treats more than the kitchen (including human food treats). Thus, when I'm cooking, he heads straight to his bed and lies (or stands) there staring at me. As pointed out already, it is much easier to teach a dog what to do than what not to do. Take your cue from Dexter! I've done something similar, though not taught in quite the same fashion. Decide where you want your dog to be & what he should do instead of being in your kitchen workspace. Then reward him for that. At first reward for anything even vaguely close to that & slowly back off rewards for that but instead consistently reward something closer to the desired behavior/location. For my Deerhound pup I decided it was best all around for her to rest on a rug just outside the kitchen. This way not only was she not in my tiny kitchen, not counter surfing, not learning to hoover the floor unless invited, she also was still within sight so I knew she was not making mischief elsewhere. At first I just worked to reward her before she came into the kitchen. It took some work but I also made sure she got no rewards for being in the kitchen, meaning I left no food out unattended. It was either put in frig/cabinet or I took the pup with me if I left the room. Very soon I found her hanging out just outside the kitchen. Then I started rewarding her for being nearer or on the rug. Almost before I knew it she was waiting on that rug anytime I was working in the kitchen. She's 2.5 yo now & still comes to sleep on that rug during food prep. I've a new Grey & he has learned that being on his bed during cooking is the surest way to get a reward. It really works & is so much more pleasant that repeatedly having to give orders, scolding or squirting with water. My dogs seem happier now that I am teaching them what they should do instead of always trying to teach them what not to do. Does that make sense? Hope it does. Edited February 10, 2011 by kudzu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbotaina Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Dexter was really bad for this at first but he had to learn because we had a very narrow galley kitchen and there was in no way enough space for him and me in there. I taught him "back up" first and then when he'd come into the kitchen I'd say "out of the kitchen", followed by "back up" and then once he was out of the kitchen "go to bed". Once he was in bed, he got a treat. Now he associates the bed with treats more than the kitchen (including human food treats). Thus, when I'm cooking, he heads straight to his bed and lies (or stands) there staring at me. As pointed out already, it is much easier to teach a dog what to do than what not to do. Take your cue from Dexter! I've done something similar, though not taught in quite the same fashion. Decide where you want your dog to be & what he should do instead of being in your kitchen workspace. Then reward him for that. At first reward for anything even vaguely close to that & slowly back off rewards for that but instead consistently reward something closer to the desired behavior/location. For my Deerhound pup I decided it was best all around for her to rest on a rug just outside the kitchen. This way not only was she not in my tiny kitchen, not counter surfing, not learning to hoover the floor unless invited, she also was still within sight so I knew she was not making mischief elsewhere. At first I just worked to reward her before she came into the kitchen. It took some work but I also made sure she got no rewards for being in the kitchen, meaning I left no food out unattended. It was either put in frig/cabinet or I took the pup with me if I left the room. Very soon I found her hanging out just outside the kitchen. Then I started rewarding her for being nearer or on the rug. Almost before I knew it she was waiting on that rug anytime I was working in the kitchen. She's 2.5 yo now & still comes to sleep on that rug during food prep. I've a new Grey & he has learned that being on his bed during cooking is the surest way to get a reward. It really works & is so much more pleasant that repeatedly having to give orders, scolding or squirting with water. My dogs seem happier now that I am teaching them what they should do instead of always trying to teach them what not to do. Does that make sense? Hope it does. Excellent advice Quote Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi."Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldNELLIE Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I've said it before, but it bears repeating here. When it comes to food, Bootsy's attitude is the same as Winston Churchill's ... NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP. EVER. Do you have my dog? We have a tiny kitchen with a fairly wide entry way (open floor plan). We took the baby gate route recently and I can't believe we didn't do it sooner. It is so nice to cook without tripping over or hitting Nellie with every move. It is a pain because we have to step over it to get in and out, but the benefits outweigh the negative for sure. I should add that the real motivation was that she figured out how to open the garbage closet so it is also really nice to not come home to garbage all over the floor . Keeping her out from under foot is just a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rschultz Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 try the "out of kitchen" and reward him for staying out..maybe a particular spot nearby so he can still see. you will have to keep going over there to give him a treat but each time make him wait a little longer..u can then gradually work up to like 10 minutes..then for 30 minutes..it will work..it will seem very monotonous for awhile but give it a try gl Quote Lexie is gone but not forgotten.💜 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.