What a cute rat!

He is a cutie! I bet he is also scratching up your window sills too :) sometimes I wonder why I keep getting more dogs. One of our dogs can open the sliding screen door... Same problem tho....she doesn't shut it. AC out. Bugs in.

If you can't solve the pedal issue maybe you could put him in a laundry room while you are away. I had to start doing this with my dogs because one started sleeping in the sofa. Ugh.

ROTFL!

No help here. LOL!
Can the pedals be turned in some way when you're going out? Not that you'd remember, but just a thought.

Tooooooo funny!

So funny! For the fridge...couldn't you just remove the towel? :)

I had two cats who could open the narrow drawer by the sink where I kept dish towels and fresh sponges. They liked tossing the sponges around the apartment. Freaked me out the first few times I came home from work to see the drawer open and a sponge in the middle of the living room floor.

My cat can open any lower cabinet door. He will also shut any open door (and trap himself in a room) if the door isn't wedged open.

First off, thank you for giving me a good laugh before I even opened the thread! We got our most recent dog during an end of summer scorcher in a house without air conditioning...whenever the freezer was opened he'd come slip-sliding at a Golden Retreiver puppy sideways run and fling himself

Our dog's littermate chewed its way through a wood door to get to the only air-conditioned room in the house while its owners were out. Dogz iz tu smart!

Hi cluelessincolorodo, your dog is adorable. Don't let him have ice cubes. The ice cubes will split his teeth, and he can swallow the teeth. We learned this the hard way with our dog. It resulted in surgery to remove the broken tooth parts. A heads up for you and less pain for your dog.

Thx for heads up K Sissy

Sorry, no ideas here either but they sure can be funny and smart! One of our cats opens the cupboard door under the sink and gets into the garbage. It is one of the hands free type hung on the door and when the cupboard door is open, the lid opens on its own. We put magnets on the door but he could still open it. So we started putting strong twist ties around the handles but he gets them undone. We have resorted to a rather bothersome child proof lock, which causes me more hassle every time I need to open that door, and that is very often. But what can a person do??? The other day I pre-cooked a pound of bacon and drained it all on paper towel. I forgot to put the lock on and woke in the morning to find grease saturated paper towel on my kitchen mat and floor, so had a clean up job first thing after crawling out of bed :(

Yeah no ice cubes ... our vet stopped us before something happened. At her suggestion now we cut up baby carrots into small pieces and use those as low calorie treats instead.

My cat used to open the bedroom door and terrorized the dog downstairs or visit my sister's room. She always made sure to be back in my bedroom with the door closed again before we get home.

We couldn't figure out how til one night she got hungry and went downstairs. We woke up and saw her jumping at the round doorknob and hung on it with her body weight til it turned and swung the door out.

We gave up keeping her in the bedroom while at work because she can get in anywhere she wanted in the house.

I forgot about my Morgan. She was a stocky, Korgie-like dog with a Spaniel head. Smart stinker, too. Couldn't keep her in an cone when she'd hurt herself. Before she and the other dogs died, I kept finding the other dogs on the outside of the fence, frantic, but she'd be sitting there with her tongue hanging out, looking out at them. Then, one fateful day, I happened to see her lift up the fence and let everyone out. Herself included. I decided to wait and see what happened. They walked around a bit, sniffed and peed a lot. Slowly Morgan waddled back to the fence and let herself in, leaving the others out. When they finally noticed, they went nuts ... on the wrong side of the fence!

My cat Bentley can escape from any cage. I crated him a few times when we first got him, because he was marking. (Thank goodness he either got over that, or finished marking anything he decided was his.) I'd turn around and there he'd be, in the middle of the room, rolling on his back for me to pet him. Same thing at the Vet's. Freaks everyone out, because the cages are still locked and definitely have slats or grates small enough to keep a big fat cat in.

Talk about talents...

Ohhhh, I think you're going to have to disable or move that foot pedal, LOL. Beautiful, smart rat! I think rotting garbage is like heroin for dogs. I'm pretty sure you'll be fighting a losing battle with this.

What a cute puppy popsicle, clueless.

ETA: Was Morgan chuckling when he did that?

Lovely dog...is the problem all the time, or when people are missing? I'd think something like those magnetic childproof locks would work--the idea with them is you use a magnet to unlock them. But--at least the kind we have--also has a little switch thingy to turn them on & off. So, if you're working in the kitchen, you turn it off, foot pedal works. If you're leaving home, you turn in on, cabinet can't be opened with the foot pedal or anything else, until you use the magnetic thingy...

I suppose there's some chance that you could get REALLY lucky & the dog will forget about it if he finds it not working often enough--but, really, seems like it might give you the opportunity to safety the thing & when you are there, you train the dog that he's not allowed to do that.

Loving your poochie, Oldbat2be!

Off topic, but can you share the source of the pendant over your kitchen table? Very pretty.

OB2B! I have no help to offer, but I love your journey. And your dog. And I know a little about animal behavior. If you can disable the pedal for a week or two it might be enough to diminish his interest.

There goes that idea! I was wondering of adding the peddle mech would keep my dogs from opening the pullout. I guess not!

OB2B, Hunter is a handsome rascal. Depending on his temperament and your determination, you might be able to train him to leave the pedal alone. We've managed to train ours to respect the baby gate used to contain her when needed, even though she could step over it. On the other hand, we can't get her stop barking at every gnat that passes gas within a three block radius.

Our sweet Rottweiler/German shepherd got into all kinds of mischief. Very smart and loyal dog. We can laugh at it now, but oh my word, at the time it was such a pain. The trouble making stopped l when we started walked him every morning to get his energy out and crated him while we were away.

What a cutie! My Labradoodle Hendrix 'twangs' the spring stopper on the backdoor when he wants to go out. We used to think this was so clever and handy. But now he twangs it all the time, and he stands there twanging it with his paw until someone pays attention to him. He's also clever enough to fetch the morning paper, which is great on snowy or rainy days. But sometimes in his exuberance he also runs to the neighbor's driveway and brings me their paper too. (Also the big Sunday paper can be a challenge and sometimes ends up all over the driveway.)

Regarding the foot pedal: my friend taught her dog to stay away from things by using balloons. She'd blow up small balloons and pop them when the dog got close to something off-limits. Now, a small balloon taped to a doorway or placed on a couch will keep the dog away from that area. Maybe it would work with one near the foot pedal? (I can see a serious downside though, if a dog bit and swallowed a balloon. It's never happened with my friend's dog, a big terrier, but with dogs you never know!)

Beautiful rat!

I've never seen one of these pedals in person, but could you put a wooden block or a small box underneath the pedal so it couldn't be pushed down? You might have to tape it in place until he decides "it's broken".

Sweet, naughty Hunter! Smart dogs are such a mixed blessing -- you love their brilliance while pulling out your hair.

One of my late, beloved dogs was a poodle/fox terrier mix named Peri. We lived in a small college apartment and I quickly learned that while she was small terrier size, she had hind legs like springs. She would climb onto the kitchen table, jump onto the counter, then ON TOP OF THE FRIDGE. She of course knocked off a glass bottle... It took awhile to learn to keep food in the cupboards, but then I baked a pan of brownies, put them in the top cupboard, and went to jazz band rehearsal. When I returned, the empty brownie pan was in the middle of the kitchen floor. Fortunately for her health, but unfortunately for my carpet, she threw them all up behind the couch. She had jumped onto the counter, somehow opened the cupboard door, then jumped until she got them.

After that, all food was stored in the fridge.

Peri was famous at the University of Oregon, partly because she would "answer" the phone and bark at whoever called. She also spent many hours in music school practice rooms, where even the dean considered her one of his students.

A peri, of course, is a Persian sprite...a fallen angel, so her name totally suited her.

I think Hunter is following in his predecessor's footsteps. I remember the picture of your other GS on the countertop with a bone!

I wonder if you did remove the pedal until he is a bit older and out of his mischievous teenager phase if that would work.

My grand dog, an Australian Cattle Dog named Rosco has turned into the best dog ever but he was a holy terror (even though he got plenty of exercise and had a sister dog) until he was 5 years old. The list of things he damaged/ destroyed is too long to enumerate. One thing that really stands out though occurred right after after my DD moved into her house. She left the 2 dogs in her 3 season room but didn't lock the patio door that opened into the house. When she got home from work she was surprised to see the dogs in the house. Rosco had opened the patio door. Once in the house he "unpacked" a few moving boxes and in the process also ate some of the items from the boxes. He ate a bottle of 300 Vitamin D capsules (1,000 IUs each) a container of fish food, and a bottle of Tums. Since the Vitamin D overdose could be lethal to the dog ( and his sister, if he shared the spoils with her) both dogs had to be taken to the Animal Emergancy Vet in another county at midnight. The antidote treatment and overnight observation cost my DD over $1,500.

The trouble maker is the pup on the left in this picture.

oldbat2be - Hunter is so handsome! As he surveys his 'vast' estate...

badgergal - your pup on the R looks a lot like my angel Shadow (she got her wings back in '98). She was such a good girl (except for nibbling on the edge of an oriental rug), so soft and loving.

LOL I am no help, but this is a great thread and your dog is adorable!!!

Cute & smart doggy!!! (Also, like your pendant & chest of drawers.)

Find a new place for the trash and put doggy treats in place of the trash. He is obviously showing/telling you what would be a good place for them. (just kidding)

Seriously, agree with your DH; get rid of the foot pedals at least for a year or two.

"Guess your dog didn't get that memo "

yikes! they need a memo? Is that noted in the instruction sheet that comes with those cans? I'll write one up in the morning and give to my crazy girl... I just got one of those 'metal cans' the other week. So far she hasn't touched it. maybe I should also put her picture on it ... in a circle with a line thru it ?

Our Felis-o-raptor opening the garage door. We had to replace some levers with knobs, and put toddler locks on the rest because he could stand up, pull down the lever, and open the door.

He never learned to push UP, so maybe reversing the pedal direction on the trash can (if it's possible) would stop your dog - humans could slide a toe under and lift up, dog would continue to paw at it from the top.

Can you build a small wood box with a small cutout for the pedal to put over it while you're not using it?

All – I have been very much enjoying the responses and love
all the stories, thank you!

Funkycamper, Eam44, mdln – I don’t want to have to disable
the foot pedal, but I’m willing to try it for a few weeks. (Year or two…? Please, no!)

Meganmca –The problem occurs both when we’re around and when
we’re in other rooms. Hunter’s balls and
other toys sometimes get trapped behind the pedals, which is how he learned
this new trick (sigh). We’re working on ‘Leave
it’ and if he tries to open it while I’m at the sink (i.e., at that cabinet), I’ll
either tell him to Leave It and/or hold the door in with my knee. I like the idea of a magnetic lock, will look
into options.

K sissy, Stan Z– Thanks for the ice cube info. I’ve read conflicting info online and still
on the fence; will call my vet when I think of it. (Hunter just likes them so much!)

Lily – he hasn’t scratched the window sills much, but I know
that’s coming. He’s currently crated but
I look forward to when he can spend time/the day in the house and be
trusted. That was funny about the
sliding screen door, yes, same problem.

Christine – Loved your story about Morgan!

Bpathome – That dog is long gone, but by the time we thought
of removing the towel, he had moved on to some other way of opening the
fridge. He’d also do it when we stayed
with others, so depending on the layouts of the kitchens, we’d have to come up
with creative ways to block the doors from being opened.

Cluelessincolorado – Great picture, what a cutie.

Linelle, silken1, beachem, I’m smiling over your pet
stories!

Murchkid – thanks! It’s
the Varaluz Nevada.

Algeasea – Yes to the training, he’s a really smart
dog. Your description of what makes your
dog bark cracked me up!

Benjesbride – You make an excellent point about the
exercise. DH is really good about
playing with Hunter when he gets home from work and I will try to make getting
a morning walk in, regardless of weather, one of my new year’s resolutions.

Chicagoans – Too funny about Hendrix. A friend of mine has trained her lab with a
bell by the door, and she swears by the method.
Love the newspaper stories!

Mrspete – I’m pretty sure there’s a spring we can just
detach, DH will be delighted to put these out of commission….

Sbkh – loved the stories about Peri, and the provenance of
her name.

Rebunky – good memory!
That was Otto and to be fair, he had juuuust a little help getting up on
the counterJ.

Badgergal – Holy terror until he was 5? Ack!!!
I get nothing done these days other than let the dog in and out, and
throw toys away that he’s started to chew through and …. Rosco is sure a cutie!

Desertsteph – loved your concept of our passed dogs having
wings, very comforting thought.

Nosoccermom – I used to have that kind of trash can, before
we ‘upgraded’ to the cabinet ones.

Rockybird – While DH loves the pup, I know he grew up with parakeets,
so might be willing to make a trade J Scratch that, actually – I’m sure I’m too
cheap to keep the house warm enough in the winter.

lazy_gardens - caught on film, love it. Interesting idea about reversing direction, thanks. With the pedal, one pushes it in, towards the cabinet, vs. down, so it's just a little kick to open the door. I'll have DH look into it.

Another idea I've been mulling over is the servo-drive (darn it, now the tune is in my head again) - different way of opening the doors - but it's an expensive solution which the pup might well figure out before long, too.

I had a friend whose Aussie learned to get his own water and ice out of the fridge dispenser.

The cure was crate training. It would work here too. And it's time for obedience training. Smart dogs need it as soon as possible. So does the whole family, not just one handler. ''Leave it'' is an extremely valuable command. Good that you've already started it.

Oh, this brings back memories of puppy days. Just seconding the exercise and training suggestions (along with locks). Our corgi was better than most for the first nine months, but we still lost several pieces of furniture to chewing and all doors must be firmly closed. Thankfully, most doors have knobs and most cabinets are inset. As a puppy, he required morning and evening exercise to burn off his energy.

I have to admit that our last three dogs were all more mature dogs when we got them. Our shepherd was about a year old and had already had some great training. Our two lab-mixes were much older than that when they entered our family and had been well-trained. I don't really have the patience for the puppy stage. As cute as they are then, I'll gladly continue to rescue older, trained dogs that need a family to love them and avoid the chewing, potty-training and other antics of an energetic, inquisitive pup.

funkycamper, i SO agree... we had to put our "crazy" dog down in june. she was nuts till about 10, she was almost 13 when we had to make the awful decision. i don't think i could ever go back and do a puppy again. if we ever do get another pooch, it would def. be an older, rescue dog.

spay/neuter to help control the pet population !!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

OB2B he is just plain cute. They make it so hard to get after them and for what - being a genius? I think Hunter would like to be praised for how witty he is. :O

My dog collects laundry sometimes when we are away if she's feeling cut short. She will grab socks, dish towels, kids random clothes left strewn about in their rooms - whatever she can find. She lays them smack in the middle of the family room floor in a pile. When I say what is that and point she looks away like she has no idea what I am talking about. If only I could teach her to load the washer and press the start button with her nose! The kids say oh boy she's been 'shopping' again. She used to EAT the socks when she was a pup but at least she doesn't do that anymore.

I am belatedly circling back to this thread. I just found a reference to Blum's Tip-ons this morning, and will track down my hinge model to see if I can use these to replace the foot pedals.

Sophie, you're on track as always with the suggestions; we crate train when we are not home, have made it through round 1 of obedience training (and will be signing up shortly for the next class), and have already had a home visit from our trainer. We need to work more on Leave It; have only really practiced with food. I need to take the time to do the same with the doors.

Gooster - he's chewing the base molding, ack! We are actually being pretty good with the exercising and taking him for long walks in the woods.

funkycamper - Yes, an older dog does seem more and more attractive, but I just HAD to have the puppy...

sprtphntc - Nuts until about 10? Yikes! Fortunately, we're seeing signs that Hunter is calming down already.

autumn4 - I know, he is very smart:) That's so cute about your dog with the laundry!! One trick I'm determined to teach Hunter is to put away his toys. That, and Bang-Bang You're Dead. (We're halfway there, he's already very good with 'Side').