Scat Mats

[a_daerr]

Anybody have experience with the Scat Mat strips for kitchen counters? Truman is starting to jump up and lick plates in the sink. Also, my cats are forever getting on the counters, and I hate thinking about their feet being in the litter box and then on the surface where I prepare food.

[greytlucy]

Please don't use a scat mat with a young puppy!!!!

 

I think you were also thinking about a belly band for your housetraining?

 

Your pup is YOUNG! 5 months old! He requires training not gadgets to learn how to be a good housepet.

 

Puppies are WORK! and COMMITMENT! But if you put the time and commitment in you will have such a great canine citizen.

 

Work on basic obedience so you can tell him "off!" when he's looking for things to surf and he'll listen...and learn to keep things out of his reach. A five month old puppy WILL get into trouble and mischief, that's what they do. It's up to us to provide a safe environment for them to learn in...and learn they will do if they are shown consistently what is expected of them.

[Guest BlueCrab]

We used scat mats for years on the sofas to keep the old dogs off back in the '90s. Finally gave up with this crew when Trixie went from sofa to chair to rocking chair to dining room chair trying to find a place to curl up. I figued sofa was the safest so gave in and let her stay there.

 

They did seem to work fine, although one of my really smart dogs figued out how to jump onto the sofa and tiptoe around the mat to lay against the pillows on back. He wasn't a small dog, either - pointer/lab mix - just too smart for his own good.

 

We had two of them - a smaller one and a longer one. They had different settings on them from mild notification to super zingy. They were kind of a pain for me to have to plug in and unplug and haul around, and they were kind of big to store when they weren't being used. You had to be careful not to roll them too tightly or risk breaking the wires. This was back in the 90's, tho...they may have evolved to be sleeker and more user friendly since then.

[GeorgeofNE]

I used a Scat Mat for my cat who kept trying to bolt out of my door--but they know the second you turn it off because it makes a faint hum when it's on.

 

I don't worry about my cats on my counters because I only do food prep on one area, and I just make sure it's clean before I start.

 

As to the dog--perhaps it's excellent motivation not to leave dishes in the sink? Or just baby gate the kitchen off from him. I'm not fond of using fear-based training on a dog.

 

I only tried it with my cat because I felt her life was at stake. She was an outdoor cat I adopted as an adult from the shelter--and I turned her into an indoor cat.

[NeylasMom]

Ditto what greytlucy and Susan said.

[Guest BlueCrab]

Didn't realize this was for a puppy. Agree that there are better methods than scat mat.

 

For our purposes at the time, with an adult, very stubborn guy like we had with the lab/pointer, it was the tool we tried. And as I said, he was too smart for it and figured out how to get around it. I agree with Susan about the sound. Ours didn't work for the cats at all as they knew the minute the thing was unplugged and essentially they figured out they could just walk around it and pay it no mind anyway.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Please don't use a scat mat with a young puppy!!!!

 

I think you were also thinking about a belly band for your housetraining?

 

Your pup is YOUNG! 5 months old! He requires training not gadgets to learn how to be a good housepet.

 

Puppies are WORK! and COMMITMENT! But if you put the time and commitment in you will have such a great canine citizen.

 

Work on basic obedience so you can tell him "off!" when he's looking for things to surf and he'll listen...and learn to keep things out of his reach. A five month old puppy WILL get into trouble and mischief, that's what they do. It's up to us to provide a safe environment for them to learn in...and learn they will do if they are shown consistently what is expected of them.

 

Yup.

[a_daerr]

Wow, I wish I'd never even asked the question. Truman does participate in an obedience class once a week. We also do two training sessions everyday. My adult dog, Henry, is certified in CGC and TDI. I understand the importance of training. Sometimes training aids are helpful to streamline the process. Just like people use cans of pennies or martingale collars, there are certain situations where training aids are beneficial. I was asking for a little friendly advice, not a guilt trip. And god forbid I leave a dirty dish in the sink.

[GeorgeofNE]

Wow. Of all the comments, the one that bothers you the most is my suggestions you not leave dishes in the sink? You said it was the dishes the dog was jumping on the counter to get at.

 

Sometimes the simple solution is to remove the temptation. It wasn't meant as a commentary on your housekeeping skills.

[greytlucy]

Wow, I wish I'd never even asked the question. Truman does participate in an obedience class once a week. We also do two training sessions everyday. My adult dog, Henry, is certified in CGC and TDI. I understand the importance of training. Sometimes training aids are helpful to streamline the process. Just like people use cans of pennies or martingale collars, there are certain situations where training aids are beneficial. I was asking for a little friendly advice, not a guilt trip. And god forbid I leave a dirty dish in the sink.

 

With such a good track record of training I can't imagine why then you'd be looking for so many shortcuts to training your puppy. Belly bands and scat mats are inappropriate training aids for a young puppy. In no situation that you have so far represented would such aids be appropriate for your puppy.

 

And yes, the best way to keep the dog off the counter is to not entice him to get on. Particularly when he is young and learning. So try and keep your dirties out of the sink.

[krissy]

Wow, I wish I'd never even asked the question. Truman does participate in an obedience class once a week. We also do two training sessions everyday. My adult dog, Henry, is certified in CGC and TDI. I understand the importance of training. Sometimes training aids are helpful to streamline the process. Just like people use cans of pennies or martingale collars, there are certain situations where training aids are beneficial. I was asking for a little friendly advice, not a guilt trip. And god forbid I leave a dirty dish in the sink.

 

With such a good track record of training I can't imagine why then you'd be looking for so many shortcuts to training your puppy. Belly bands and scat mats are inappropriate training aids for a young puppy. In no situation that you have so far represented would such aids be appropriate for your puppy.

 

And yes, the best way to keep the dog off the counter is to not entice him to get on. Particularly when he is young and learning. So try and keep your dirties out of the sink.

 

 

Actually, I went back and checked the housetraining thread and the OP never said she wanted to use a belly band on her puppy, it was a suggestion made by someone else later in the thread.

 

While I agree with the general sentiment that the scat mat is not the way to go, there are gentler, more polite, less judgmental ways to make that point. People are a lot more likely to accept your advice, ask for further information, and not get defensive if you just say things nicely.

[Guest verthib]

Is it electric (gives a "zing")? Yikes, that reminds me of a shock collar. For furniture or kitchen table, when we want to keep animals off, we take the plastic runners that have the little 'picky things' underneath to keep it in place. We just turn it over so the picky things are facing up. They were picky enough for one cat but the other one still lays on them.

Edited February 3, 2012 by verthib

[a_daerr]

Wow, I wish I'd never even asked the question. Truman does participate in an obedience class once a week. We also do two training sessions everyday. My adult dog, Henry, is certified in CGC and TDI. I understand the importance of training. Sometimes training aids are helpful to streamline the process. Just like people use cans of pennies or martingale collars, there are certain situations where training aids are beneficial. I was asking for a little friendly advice, not a guilt trip. And god forbid I leave a dirty dish in the sink.

 

With such a good track record of training I can't imagine why then you'd be looking for so many shortcuts to training your puppy. Belly bands and scat mats are inappropriate training aids for a young puppy. In no situation that you have so far represented would such aids be appropriate for your puppy.

 

And yes, the best way to keep the dog off the counter is to not entice him to get on. Particularly when he is young and learning. So try and keep your dirties out of the sink.

 

Maybe I shouldn't even use a crate?! I could just quit my job and just ask him nicely to not pee in the house or chew things.

[cleptogrey]

Please don't use a scat mat with a young puppy!!!!

 

I think you were also thinking about a belly band for your housetraining?

 

Your pup is YOUNG! 5 months old! He requires training not gadgets to learn how to be a good housepet.

 

Puppies are WORK! and COMMITMENT! But if you put the time and commitment in you will have such a great canine citizen.

 

Work on basic obedience so you can tell him "off!" when he's looking for things to surf and he'll listen...and learn to keep things out of his reach. A five month old puppy WILL get into trouble and mischief, that's what they do. It's up to us to provide a safe environment for them to learn in...and learn they will do if they are shown consistently what is expected of them.

 

I AGREE 100%, IT'S TIME TO ENROLL TRUMAN IN ORGANIZED CLASSES. THE FEES WILL BE THE BEST MONEY YOU EVER SPENT! PLEASE, PLEASE LOOK UP ADPT(OR IS IT APDT) AND AKC SITES TO LOOK FOR CLASSES/TRAINERS IN YOUR AREA. HE'S BASICALLY FINDING OUT WHAT HE CAN DO, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT, BUT YOU NEED TO HAVE THE TOOLS(THAT'S WHAT TRAINING IS ALL ABOUT) TO SET THE LIMITS. IT'S NOT THAT DIFFICULT IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT GUIDANCE.

 

AND PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY, IT TAKES MANY, MANY MONTHS TO TRAIN! ONE STEP AT A TIME AND SOMETIMES ONE STEP, TWO STEPS BACK AND 1/2 STEP FORWARD. BE PATIENT, LARGE DOGS, ESPECIALLY SIGHT HOUNDS TRAIN VERY VERY DIFFERENTLY. (THEY GET BORED REALLY EASILY- PROBLEM #1).

 

YOU ARE SOUNDING NORMAL GREYHOUND PUPPY OWNER FRUSTRATED, THIS TOO SHALL PASS. DO POST, WE HAVE(OR AT LEAST I HAVE) BEEN THRU IT AND THEN SOME. YES, AND FELIX WAS NOT MY FIRST SIGHT HOUND PUPPY- I SUFFERED THRU 3 SALUKI PUPPIES(TALK ABOUT CRAZY/BAD). DO PM ME WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PULL YOUR HAIR OUT, AND WASH THOSE DISHES...A PUPPY REALLY HELPS YOU HONE YOUR HOUSE KEEPING SKILLS...ANYTHING OUT IS FAIR GAME IN PUPPY EYES!

Edited February 4, 2012 by cleptogrey

[Guest Scouts_mom]

Cleptogrey--please go back and read what the op said. The puppy is already enrolled in a obedience class!

 

I cannot believe how everyone is jumping on the op! Everyone knows that puppies are difficult. God forbid that she ask for advice on training and training aids.

 

 

PS. I've been told that contact paper turned upside down and attached to pieces of cardboard works to keep cats off counters. I've never tried it--it seems to me a cat would just not step on the paper and go around it. Maybe a dog would't be that smart?

Edited February 4, 2012 by Scouts_mom

[Guest jbbuzby]

a_daerr, I'm sorry you've received too many accusatory and assuming responses.

 

For now though, I think it might be best to try to avoid the counters (unsupervised) for now and perhaps try to keep the pup in sight all the time? Does your kitchen allow you to baby-gate? Easier said than done, I know. But, catching him yourself in the act I think might be a better deterrent for him than a scat matt (at least for now). Him knowing that it is YOU, his leader, that disapproves of the action will probably be most effective. He'll at least learn to not do it while you're watching . See where that takes you.

 

Judging from the responses you've gotten, several will probably respond negatively to even this link from Jennifer Bachelor (Neversaynever greyhounds), but the number of hounds and experience she has in training allows me to put my faith in her method. She does a more interactive and memorable version of "catching in the act" that you can check out here:

 

http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.com/2008/10/right-of-passage.html I think this method would work very well for you both . Good luck with your puppy-head boy!

[Batmom]

Sometimes the simple solution is to remove the temptation. It wasn't meant as a commentary on your housekeeping skills.

 

Yep. If there's no temptation, they get out of the habit of looking.

 

I've never been a great housekeeper but in the early days, the dogs did teach me the value of an empty sink and countertops. Now that I'm lazy, I use baby gates .

 

 

[Guest lisac203]

To lighten up the topic, I use a scat mat to keep my indoor kitties from escaping. The mat gives my adventure boy cat Gizmo hours and hours of entertainment. He loves the feel of the electricity and will play with the mat. He'll put his arm upside down and see how far he can slide it across without feeling the shock (he has long fur) and sit and sniff at the mat. He tosses toys onto it and then rescues them from the evil mat. The best was when he was tunneling underneath. I didn't see him jump, but that ended quickly so I'm assuming his ears felt something. Gizmo lets me know when the battery ran out - he's not playing with it.

[Brandiandwe]

We seem to have accidentally trained Brandi out of counter surfing. After one memorable week where she got away with a kiwi fruit, a nectarine (caught early, thankfully), our chicken defrosting for dinner and 5 kilos of beef jerky lovingly prepared by my husband, she made the tactical error of trying to pull down something tasty which was on a chopping board with an empty stainless steel bowl on it, which was also near the stovetop. As she pulled both the metal stovetop and the bowl came down. We came home to them both on the floor and two 'butter wouldn't melt' hound faces. She hasn't tried it since, because I think she was so frightened by the noise of two metal objects hitting the floor near her.

[Fruitycake]

I think the best way to get him to extinguish this behavior is to remove all rewards for it. Yes, it is a hassle to not leave dishes in the sink (Believe me I know - we have no dishwasher but me!), food on the counters (even for a minute) but preventing the reward is going to help extinguish it faster than just punishment like a scat mat. If he's hungry or "tough" enough to handle a little zap to get at the goodies, a scat mat won't do diddly (Monty would yelp but still go after food because he is a food hound X 9,000). So even if you do use the mat, keeping goodies away would help your cause even further.

 

Are scatmats rated for use in wet areas? There might be an issue with that too (don't want it in/near the sink if there is a chance of water in the sink/on the counter if it isn't rated for use in wet areas). I really don't know, so do check on this.

[GreytNut]

Is it electric (gives a "zing")? Yikes, that reminds me of a shock collar. For furniture or kitchen table, when we want to keep animals off, we take the plastic runners that have the little 'picky things' underneath to keep it in place. We just turn it over so the picky things are facing up. They were picky enough for one cat but the other one still lays on them.

 

The prickly mats with the plastic nubs are called X Mats. Those might also be worth looking into, if you're wary of using an electrical deterrent (especially near a wet area such as a sink).

 

I don't think people were picking on you about your housekeeping skills. The point is that if one leaves anything within reach--whether it's dishes, defrosting meat, a loaf of bread or whatever--it is likely to be too tempting for a food-motivated dog to ignore. Once they've gotten something they'll keep looking for more since they've been previously rewarded for their efforts. It's known as a "self-rewarding behavior" and it can be difficult to stop even with deterrents. I've learned through hard experience to be fanatical about keeping the sink and counters cleared of anything I don't want to lose... alas. Riley is my current counter-surfer, though Tiny was so accomplished that he could get things from the top of the refrigerator.

[VinnieAndRexsMom]

Sounds like you have a few things going on here. Scat mats - no. I don't use penny cans either. For one of our difficult cats, I used a small squirt gun. I only needed to squirt her once or twice, and she just needed reminded with the sound. (She wasn't on the counters. She was waking me up at 4 a.m. when the birds started chirping) I think some folks use a squirt bottle for dogs, though I don't, and it would mean you need to be right there when Truman jumps up. Same for the cats. Personally, I would take the dirty dishes out of the equation. Problem solved except for the kitties. I like the clorox wipes a lot. I think they kill about everything. We like baby gates, but we've only needed them for a short time.

 

He's a puppy and going to be one for a long time. When I trained our puppies and helped my mom train my brothers' puppies while I was still at home, we never let them out of our sight and we had regular schedules for everything. I wouldn't use belly bands on a puppy (Puppy Advice thread). I learned early that the more time I put in when they are young, the better dogs I have when they are grown.

 

Jake came to me at 1 1/2 years old. He was pretty together when he got here, but he's still a pup and forgets proper behavior sometimes, like jumping on me when I come in the door. He is now 4 and still forgets sometimes. We still work on it.

 

You've gotten good advice from the others, especially the puppy raisers. Good luck with Truman.

[Guest GreyMom1998]

I will start by saying I have only gone thru this once with a foster dog. Thank goodness I didn't have him very long as he taught my resident boy Cody how to counter surf. With the foster gone Cody decided it wasn't worth his while to continue.

I do think that the pennies or small stones in soda cans set on the edge of the counter is a good deterent. As Brandiandwe stated the noise of falling metal objects can startle them out of doing it again.

 

Good Luck - Laura