The Wrath of 1000 Demons

There are two things that I absolute will not tolerate from my dogs:  counter-surfing and not respecting fences, baby gates, or any other boundary. Are these life-or-death issues? Not really, but they are something that I insist that they understand and respect.

Now counter- (and table-) surfing can and will affect the dog’s health eventually. Pancreatitis and gastroenteritis can be the result of eating fatty or inappropriate foods. Besides, I really don’t want to find that my nice T-bone steak or the Thanksgiving turkey has been chewed on by my dog! Even if it’s not unhealthy for the dog, it can still be dangerous. My cup of hot tea that is steeping on the counter could seriously burn my dog if she jumped up there and pulled it down on herself.

I can and have left chicken thawing on the counter while I’ve gone to town to run errands and the dogs were loose in the house. I’ve left desserts and fruit on the counters while out in the shop grooming a client’s dog. They’ve all been still there when I return to the house. Why?

Because the Wrath of 1000 Demons would descend upon the dogs’ heads if things were pulled off the counter.

I use baby gates to control access to rooms in my home. Right now I have an 11-week old puppy running around and she’s not house-trained yet. Baby gates keep her in the same room I’m in so I can keep a better watch over her to prevent accidents. A baby gate keeps her out of the bathroom which saves me from cleaning up strips of toilet paper that she has just unrolled and also stops her from using the toilet as her private splash pool to keep cool.

I also use baby gates to confine my dogs to a specific space when they’re ill or when my mother-in-law is visiting. If I shampoo the carpet in the living room I’ll use a baby gate to keep the dogs off the carpet until it is dry.

The baby gates are only 24″ high. Both my adult dogs could easily jump that height but they don’t. Why?

Because the Wrath of 1000 Demons would descend upon their heads if they did.

I do train the dog that paws on the counters is a no-no. Heck, even air-sniffing in the direction of the countertop is a no-no. I make it abundantly clear. How?

Because the Wrath of 1000 Demons descends upon their heads.

I don’t start by telling them ‘no’ and shooing them off the counter. They get a loud “NO!” and are scolded profusely. There is no learning curve to this lesson. I believe in the Wrath of 1000 Demons descending upon their heads makes it crystal clear that it is inappropriate to even think about checking out what’s on the counter.

It’s the same with the baby gates in the house and my low perimeter fencing around the yard. Both are only 24″ tall and easily jumped but I can and do turn them out unsupervised and I expect to find them in the yard even an hour later. I’ve even accidentally left the yard gate open and the girls are still in the yard. Why?

Because the Wrath of 1000 Demons descends upon their heads if they left.

Callen, the puppy, has already experienced the Wrath of 1000 Demons in regards to going thru the fence. Now for an 11-week old puppy it’s probably the Wrath of 500 Demons as I don’t want to scare her but I do want to make an impression she won’t soon forget.

She also met the 500 Demons when her little nose caught the scent of pork chops on the counter. Her feet were still on the ground but boy was her nose air-scenting to find where that delectable smell was coming from. Even tho she is too short right now to reach the counter, she met the Wrath of 500 Demons as her nose rose upwards, zeroing in on the pork chops.

The point is that there are no shades of grey on these two issues, no learning curve because the act itself is self-rewarding and they will continue to do it if I let it slip by just once.

What is the Wrath of 1000 Demons? For each dog, it’s a little different due to their personalities and what makes the biggest impression on them. Mostly tho, it is scolding them loudly and firmly (not angrily) as I lead them firmly by the collar back to where they should be (in the case of jumping a gate or fence). Once they are back where I want them to be, I release the collar and point to the boundary and tell them “no” one last time very firmly. I then drop the whole thing (and my attitude) and walk away. Finally, I call the dog to me in a happy voice (away from the boundary) and praise and pet them to show there is no hard feelings on my part.

Now the dog may be a bit hesitant to come after being visited by the Wrath of 1000 Demons. If so, don’t fall into the trap of calling again as then you are teaching them that they don’t have to come when you call the first time. Instead, either squat down and pat your knee while saying their name in a happy voice, or just shrug your shoulders and walk away. Their loss that they didn’t get their reward.

For air-scenting, it is loud, firm scolding and I walk into them to redirect their attention/position if paws are still on the ground. If paws actually leave the ground (and heaven help them if they land on the counter!), then I move quickly and pull them off the counter while visiting the Wrath of 1000 Demons upon their heads. And I don’t pull gently or nicely, but I also don’t physically hurt them or throw them on the floor either. But it is a clear, clean, quick reaction to their action.

So if you have an older dog who is disrespecting one of your rules, you need to do two things - 1) bring down the Wrath of 1000 Demons on their heads when you catch them just thinking of doing it, and 2) don’t let it slip by even once. Shades of grey confuse a dog. Be black and white about everything so your dog understands that if they break your rules the Wrath of 1000 Demons will come down upon their heads.

Advertisement