"Its like having racoons"

[Stinky The Clown]

That was Sparkly, upon our returning home and finding the garbage can's contents spread from the kitchen, through the dining room, and on into the living room.

Has anyone ever seen a German Shepherd Dog, upon realizing that it has committed an act that caused displeasure, crawl in abject suplification on its belly?

The Border Collie simply looked on, then booked for parts unknown.

[EFerrari]

1. My dog used to start crawling every time she saw another animal

that she wanted to greet -- even if it was a block away. lol

[Tesha]

2. Yup!

crawl until they get to you, then roll over and expose their soft parts.

Dogs are pack animals and have to submit to the boss - that'd be you Stinky! But when you're not there... all's fair!

maybe you need a garbage can you can lock?
my daughters' brand new puppy can reach over the edge of the table already...
and has the most innocent look...
"What? Why are you looking at me? Do you have more of that people food?"

[hippywife]

3. I'm so sorry.

But your OP really cracked me up!

Are you sure you have a lone culprit? Might we worth setting up an inexpensive little webcam or videocam to make sure Big isn't taking all the blame unnecessarily.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Sparkly just reminded me ..... Little is no innocent here ......

.... after a similar incident, Big was looking very guilty, but Little had one of those little fruit stickers on her side.

Equal opportunity transgressors, they are.

[Warpy]

4. Bored dogs raise hell

Throw in their natural instinct as scavengers and you come up with a reason to get that fancy metal trash can you've been dreaming about, the one with the locking lid.

http://www.b2bessentials.com/productdetail.aspx?id=9693...

[EFerrari]

7. My late sweet Buddy used to go into the bathroom and pick out one piece of tissue

to tear up right by the front door so that when I came home, I'd know how upset she was to have been left behind. Just one Kleenex in the right place.

Not this new girl. She's no Buddy. She ate my iPod and my new bike seat once when I left her alone to go get cigs. She's an ANIMAL.

LOL

[housewolf]

5. I have on who can open the cabinet door under the sink to get to the trash

and then eat anything that ever even touched anything that was even remotely biologic - sometimes the most disgusting things. She made herself quite sick one time a few months ago with 5 giant throw-up piles in my carpeted living room. I thought she'd taught herself a lesson but oh no... The other day I stepped outside to take care of an emergenccy regarding my fence and talk to my neighbor for a few minutes... came in to find trash all over the kitchen.

Drat! I have to put the darned trash can out of her reach whenever I go out and I guess I just wasn't thinking... darned food-obsessed dog!

[pengillian101]

8. We had an Irish Setter

that had both the best and worst of behaviors. It just depended on his mood. He absolutely hated to be home left alone. He was used to daily being alone during the workday and behaved just fine.

But, boy, if it was a weekend excursion that he didn't get to go along - OMG what a mess he would make. Toilet paper strung from one of the house to the other - over and over again.

The messiest one was when he got ahold of a box of chocolate eclairs or donuts or something like that and somehow got the whole box up on top of the bed and smeared chocolate everywhere.

Once we moved to the countryside where he could be outdoors and run free, all that behavior quit.

He was quite the character. He was a shelter rescue dog and the best personality dog ever. He was an adult when we got him and we tried all sorts of names, hoping he'd respond. It was a few weeks later when somehow we learned from his past what his name was. Boy, was he ever happy to hear his own name!

He would go on camping, XC skiing, canoeing, and backpacking trips every time. Run, run, run! He wore his little pads until the bled one time running around, so we had to carry him out of the trail. After that, we made him little leather booties to wear that had slits for his nails to poke through. He didn't mind wearing them at all.

Dang, I still miss him.

>

[BrklynLiberal]

11. He was incredibly handsome...

[hippywife]

12. Awwwww!

Purdy goggie!

[Tesha]

15. what a gorgeous fella...

he just looks smart - and what expressive eyes...

[Phentex]

9. I thought you were going to mention teenagers....

they don't pick up the garbage either.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Awwwwww. GSDs are so pitiful when they are sorry.......

I hope Big Dog has been forgiven.....


I looked all over for a garbage can my GSD could not get into.. I finally got this...

It is sooo cool..and there is no way Boen can open it...

check out how it opens..and different views here...
http://www.simplehuman.com/products/trash-cans/kitchen/...

The award-winning butterfly step can has a narrow footprint to fit
in tight spaces and a steel lid that opens from the center like a
butterfly for maximum clearance under low counter tops. A solid steel
pedal provides superior durability, and a rotary damper allows the
trash can lid to close slowly and quietly.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. I think I've seen these at Bed Bath and Beyond Reason

They're spendy but look like they could just work. Our neighbors have two big dogs, too and they have a step lid can, but not like that one. It keeps the dogs out, though.

(Have BCs or GSDs learned how to use tools?)

[BrklynLiberal]

14. BBandBR is where I got it.

I was desperate.

It is pricey..but it works perfectly.
There is no way Big Dog or Little Dog could EVER figure it out.
I know GSDs and BCs are very smart..but I do not think they could figure this out unless YOU taught them how..

PS I was reading some of the reviews at the site and there were about a dozen people who mentioned that the can is dog proof...

even if they knock it over, it stays shut

[eleny]

16. Ours gave us a look as if she was saying, "Moi???"

Years ago we went to a couple of xmas parties in one evening and planned to bring a few things for each. I forgot a stollen cake on the kitchen counter.

When we got home, the plastic wrap was on the kitchen floor, there was a trail of powdered sugar on the dining room rug, two cats with powdery whiskers and the Shepherd lounging on the sofa in "high doyen" with that look on her face.

She had to be the ring leader buy didn't have an ounce of remorse in her veins.

Your baby took the other tact. She went straight for your big daddy heart of gold. What a smarty pants!

[woofless]

17. We have a three year old Malamute rescue

who got into the trash under the sink one night when he was new to our home and pretty spooked. I followed a trainer's advice and instead of chastising Pete, I went after the trashcan, cursing and kicking and generally letting the trash know how upset I was with it. Now all I have to do is say the word trash and he slinks off to another area and gets small. Beautiful and smart boy.

Woof

[hippywife]

18. What a really great idea! n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

20. That's an interesting idea ...... what is the principle behind it?

I have always favored using "pack" behavior to train our dogs.

[woofless]

21. Apparently, your dog sees you as Alpha, and does

want to please you. Conversely he/she avoids that which you are angry at so you are not angry at them. I have used it on a few occasions and Pete at least responds well. It is a way to display your displeasure without chastising the critter directly. Bad trash instead of "BAD DOG!!!"

[Stinky The Clown]

22. That makes perfect sense. I will, indeed, try that the (inevitable) next time they attack the trash.

[Gregorian]

19. Time for family counselling.

Get that dog a couch and therapist.

I've seen that before. I've done that before.

[westerebus]

23. Border Collie's are too dam smart.

Maggie would sneak up the side if the barn to bark at Carmine the donkey. Carmine would scream a bray that got the pony panicked into a spin. That would get the the rest of guys into a mad dash out the overhang kicking, snorting, bucking and farting.

She had that "who, me?" look as she pranced away to go sit down by the creek. Plotting her next move.