Dog Health Questions: Dog training, please help!?

I am at my wit's end with my dog. He's 6 years old, and has been generally well-behaved all his life. We recently moved, and since we've been in this house, he's been getting up on tables. Coffee tables, end tables, even this pub table that sits about 4 feet off the ground. (He can jump very high). He only does it when no one is home, so I have no idea what to do to train him to not do it.

When the weather is nice, I can put him in the yard, but during winter in Colorado, it's too cold most of the time to leave him outside. What can I do, aside from putting him in a crate? I just can't do that to him! Please help me, I am so stressed and have no idea what to do!!

Small Dog Training Tips

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Crates are good not cruel. It will protect your dog from breaking a leg or going through the window while you are not home. It is impossible to train a dog when you are not there so the best thing you can do is keep it safe, you are suppose to protect him and a crate is the only way I see to do this. Good luck ! Oh and close the curtains if you can so as not to entice him to look out the window.

"Dog Care" - The Reason For Dog Training

• crates are fine,,,,,,,,, same as a playpen or crib for a human baby.. it is NOT cruel.


• I would assume he is misbehaving because he is bored in the new house, or stress from moving. Find toys to keep him busy, maybe if his mind is occupied he will behave more. We give our dogs these orange balls from petsmart that you can put treats in - treats fall out when the ball rolls over a specific hole. I've also found kong's filled with peanut butter & let to freeze are great too. Dogs love PB & when frozen it takes longer to eat. If you dog enjoys other toys, make sure he has access to them during the day (if he isn't a destroyer). Good Luck.


• I would suggest confining him to a room, maybe bathroom, laundry room or garage. Also make sure he has a bone (or something equivalent) to chew on to keep him occupied while you are gone. Is there stuff left on the things he's jumping onto? Maybe food, clothes that smell like you, or toys of some sort? That also may be why he is jumping up on things, to get some comfort or to sneak a treat in. Like another used said, he may just be stressed from the move or bored.


• You CAN train your dog, anyone can. They make it look harder on television than it really is. I had mine trained to avoid constant barking in under a week. I got a bit lengthy on my reply when I answered a similar question earlier so I'll just post the link to the guide I read that motivated me. You could probably click my profile to read my other reply if you wanted. http://www.barkingdogs.net/detailedexplanation.shtml
  
  I loved the humor in his story.


• If you don't want to crate him, you can try an ex-pen (slightly larger, no top or bottom, like a playpen) or gating him into a room without any furniture to worry about. You can also try closing the blinds so that he can't see out.


• Crates are actually a place a dog should be happy to go and where the dog feels safe. If your dog is already crate trained than it may not take to much to teach him to be comfortable in a crate again. If you are really against it even with that then try putting something on all the tables to deter him from jumping on them. You can buy those plastic mats that are for carpeting so that computer chairs don't ruin the floor and put them with the pokey plastic pieces facing upwards. When your dog jumps onto the table, the plastic will be uncomfortable for your dog to sit or stand on so it will deter him from jumping on the table. It doesn't usually take long for a dog to figure this out.
  
  If you believe it is the windows that your dog is trying to see out of then place a bed or something comfy for your dog to sit on that is positioned so that your dog can see out the window.
  
  Good luck!