Dear Just Brent,
My dog Charlie loves to eat whatever food he can find on the kitchen counter tops. Banana bread, a half made peanut butter sandwich, left over take out, cookie dough, fruit, jello, anything that is mistakenly left out on the counter gets munched by our Charlie!
Can you please advise, as sometimes he gets to our dinner fix-ings before we do!
Thank You,
Sharon (owner of) "Good Time Charlie" standard poodle age 3 1/2 years.
Dear Good Time Charlie's owner/significant human,
What your boy Charlie is doing here is the classic "Humane dietary intervention maneuver". As a responsible member of the family we canines often find it necessary to intervene when we take notice of possible weight gain occurring in our humans. When ever I see that The Old Lady's posterior is expanding, I make a mental note to start a daily caloric count for her. Then when I see she is over her ideal total caloric intake for the day I remove those extra unbecoming calories from her reach by selflessly digesting them before she can get to them. My sister Lolli, had to take out a whole lemon meringue pie one time to protect her family from caloric overload! I must admit though that I am both surprised and impressed, that your boy Charlie is willing to eat a P&J sandwich for you! As I know from Bridget the Poodle who lives across the street, Poodles have a very sophisticated palate and let's face it peanut butter and jelly is on the low end of the culinary scale. You are a lucky woman Sharon. Your boy Charlie is a keeper by golly!
Here is my advice to you:
1. Eat out more often! You deserve it! But when you are eating out, only consume 1/2 of your meal. Then put the left overs in a container/doggie bag and bring them home. At midnight when you think "hmmmm, that left over Chicken Alfredo would taste pretty good right now" get up and take the left overs out of the fridge, placing them on the counter. At this point call Charlie into the kitchen saying "Hey Charlie, do you think I should finish off those delicious left overs?" Do a 180 degree turn allowing Charlie to get a true front and back profile of you in your jamming jammies/PJ's. At this point your intuitive canine will know if you are in any position to finish off that delightful mix of flavors which have now reached their climatic high point in that styrofoam box or if he needs to intervene.
2. Put those caloric starved dog biscuits on the counter with in your easy reach. They are not only packed full of nutrition but they are also appetite suppressing and tasteless as you can ask any dog! We only eat them to make our humans feel better about themselves and their snack selection capabilities but most any of us would be willing to share them with our humans on any given day. So when the craving hits you to munch out, simply take those caloric filled delicacies out of your refrigerator and put them up on the counter within Charlie's reach and then you dive into those dog biscuits! Go ahead and eat em'up, Charlie won't mind a bit!
3. Do not try any of those home remedies for "counter surfing" (which in it's self is a despicable term)! Mouse traps, sticky tape, and alarms on the counter top end up being an embarrassment for both the dog and their humans. Just try to embrace the fact that your dog is willing to eat just about anything for the benefit of your well being!
Remember Dear Readers, your dog is there not only as your friend but as your protector. As small pups we are instructed by our mothers on the need to protect our human family from the evils that lurk at the borders of our property line and to assist them in the "battle of the bulge".
I can not tell you how many times I have witnessed The Old Lady struggling to get into a pair of summer carpi's and heard my Mom Biscuit's voice in my head saying "Ingest and protect that is our canine duty!" At which point I hurry myself downstairs and check out the counter for any offensive caloric culprits! Does The Old Lady ever appreciate my protective actions? Heck no!
I usually end up in a time out in my crate/jail. But I do it with a spring in my step and a song in my heart for I know I have done my canine duty!
My best to you,
Brent the Boy Boxer Dog
Need some advice on life? "Just Ask Brent "
emails questions to brenttheboyboxerdog@gmail.com
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