Puppy-proofing a hearth?
 and occasionally jump onto the hearth. Of course this is a huge problem. I've tried spraying the bricks with bitter apple and even watered down vinegar and hot sauce, but this only keeps him away for about 15 minutes.
Does anyone else have this problem? What have you done to puppy-proof your fireplace area? I definitely want him to know that this area is off limits, since it will become quite a dangerous place come wintertime. So far we've just been avoiding taking him down there, but I don't think that is the best long term solution and I would rather not crate him any time that I'd like to watch t.v. |
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You might try putting an X-pen, or baby-gate around the hearth till he gets a little older. Oddly enough, our boy, when he was a puppy, had a thing about brick too!  We were removing our old fireplace front, and he was obsessed with wanting to eat any fragments that got within his reach!  You dont want to let you baby have the experience that Bert did,with a hot fireplace, either, although it did cure him of messing with it....he ran straight at it one day and burned his nose on the glass front!  There is a permanent puppy nose print on there still!  |
Good for you for thinking ahead and trying to train your adorable little guy early. 
There are some snappy things called Snappy Trainers. I've never used them but have heard people say they work well. http://www.scottsdog.com/sntrtrde.html http://www.snappytrainer.com/ There are devices that set off a sound if they sense vibration. One is called The Tattle Tale Pet Alarm. It's something you might consider if the pup is startled by sounds. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2755431 You'd need to figure out how he might be able to trip the thing. You might also look to see if there is a device that will sound if a beam is broken by the pup walking through it. I didn't search for that but it seems feasible. If these don't work, considering this is a serious safety risk, you might consider Scat-Mats but talk to your vet first about use with a pup. You put a battery in them and the give a mild electrical shock... I'd compare it to a big static electricity zing. It may sound bad BUT... I hate to think of your puppy getting getting seriously burned. A couple of touches are probably all that would be required for him to learn to avoid the hearth. There are different levels of correction... http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... y&keepsr=1 Quote: Adjustable output (low, medium, high) allows appropriate deterrence sensations for varying sized pets. Train kittens on low, adult cats and puppies on medium and adult dogs and long haired cats on high.
Panda was about 60 pound so we had them set at the high setting. My husband and I have touched them before and they give you a zing. It makes you REALLY want to avoid touching it in the future.
Panda was a notorious counter surfer when she arrived from NEOESR rescue and she liked to cook while we were away. One time she pulled a kettle of water off the stove (it was cooled thank goodness). Another, she turned on one of the gas burners while we were away and fortunately did not blow up the house The ScatMats worked well when placed both on the floor in front of the stove and on the ledge in front of the cook top. We do still keep the knobs off the stove even though she hasn't done it for more than a year... I guess it got to be habit. The mats are no longer required.
Good luck! |
| Just thought I would add what I'd learned since I posted the first time, just in case someone else came looking for the same info.
While Dodger has taken to sleeping on the brick hearth in the afternoon and evening, as soon as we light a fire, he moves to the other side of the room. I guess he likes the cool bricks, but as soon as the wood stove begins to heat up, he wants nothing to do with the area. Who would have thought the answer (for now) would be so simple? Sheepdogs, with their big thick coats don't really like heat. For the record, I am still on high alert when he's down there and there is a fire burning. Once he settles, I fell like I can finally settle! I guess I just worry too much. |
| I am thrilled you posted this as I had some of the same concerns. we have three fireplaces - two gas and one wood. The two gas have enclosed glass that gets super hot when fire is lit...I've been wondering what do do to keep our almost one year old from licking the glass or putting his nose to it? Any suggestions? |
| We had a similar situation last year. We have a tiled floor area that our corn stove (free-standing) sets on. Chewie was a puppy last winter, so he only knew the tiles were a nice cool place to lay. He learned real quick that it was too hot when the fall weather came and we lit the stove. It runs 24 hrs a day in the cold season. He has never laid there since. Not even this summer - he remembered it was a hot place.
Our stove has a glass door, and none of our dogs has ever tried to lick it or touch it. Prior to the corn stove, we had a cast iron small wood stove there, so our older dogs knew about the hot spot. The heat worshipping minpins used to bake themselves under the woodstove. The corn stove has a pedestal base, so no more baking! |
| I do not have any suggestions about the stove but Bella was taking cussions from the couch until I set mouse traps, snap traps on the pillows. It only took a couple of sanps all aimed away from her so that now the traps are not even set and she will not approach what ever it's on. We also have used strips of office carpet pads with the pointy side up. This kept her from jumping onto the couch and chairs when we were not around. Good luck, a hot stove could be nasty on a puppy. |
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