We did have our 5 1/2 month puppy in a playpen at mealtimes, and I decided to end this a couple of days ago and now she is jumping -up on the kitchen countertops when I prepare food and she is jumping up at the dining table when we eat. We try to take her away, but she is too fast at returning & ignores attempts to lure her away with toys. Did I remove the playpen too quickly? I feel that we should be training her rather than confining her, but all efforts seem to be unsuccessful. Have tried kongs and slow feeders, but she still eats fast and our food seems more interesting than hers! I would appreciate any suggestions, thank you.
Have you tried teaching her to go to her mat? I found really useful when Cassie was younger, she goes there now at mealtimes without being asked.
Probably. Might be worth putting her back in there whilst you eat. Then train as @selina27 says to stay on her mat so she eventually goes there when you eat. We used to put our puppy in her crate (near our kitchen table and chairs) when we had our meals mainly to keep her away from our older dog who likes to lie near us when we eat (ever hopeful of food being dropped ). Eventually we were able to leave the door open and she could choose her mat or her crate. Now at 8 months she tends to just go and lie in her crate but once or twice she has chosen to lie down near us or on her mat.
