Just Labradors banner

HELP!! Keeping my dog out of the fridge and Cabinets??

47K views 25 replies 21 participants last post by  GOAussies 
#1 ·
I need advice on how to stop my lab from getting into the fridge and cabinets.

Rocco, my very smart 4 year old chocolate lab gets into a ton of trouble during the day. I've tried baby locks, masking tape, duck tape, blocking the fridge and no matter what I do Rocco has learned to open the fridge and has even recently learned how to open pull out drawers with his paws. You have to see it to believe it. We used to think we were leaving the things open or not securing the fridge and drawers, but we tested our theory and he definately learned how to open the treat drawer. We tried baby locks, but they aren't strong enough and he breaks them. Duct tape doesnt last long enough. We have to change it everyday and If we forget to change it or tape it back up, we come home to a mess.

Not only is it the most fustrating thing in the world but we are worried about Rocco's safety. He got into the fridge yesterday and ate raw chicken, Cheese and almost ate an onion. The time before that he ate an enitre rotisserie chicken, bones and all.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop him??
 
#4 ·
He is way to big to crate and both my husband and I feel crating is cruel. The kitchen cant be closed off. I'm looking for something to prevent him, some kind of lock or device. We have tried training, but he is his own dog and is very stubborn. He reminds me a lot of marley from Marley and Me.
 
#8 ·
My friend crates her Bull Mastiff. I doubt your dog is any bigger than he is. Crating is certainly not cruel - my younger Lab goes in and out of his crate all day - he loves it! I'd actually like to put it away as both of mine are reliable during the day/night - but I hate to deprive him of the comfort he clearly derives from his "cave".

IMO - Marley was a very poorly trained and managed dog. Sounds like you have one of those too. That requires change on the part of the owner to protect the well being of the dog. Being "stubborn" is not an option for any dog of mine. It's all about being consistent with training.
 
#5 ·
Crating isn't cruel, Mya loves her crate! It's....their dog cave! ;) A lot of people here crate their dogs while they are gone. ESPECIALLY if they get into things while they are away. I would rather crate than let them get into something that may be hazardous to their health.
 
#9 ·
Ditto to what Kaytris, Big Brown Dog, Mary Jane and others have said. Your dog is definitely not too big to crate, my 72# lab crates regularly.

Crating is not cruel but leaving them in an unsafe environment is at the very least irresponsible. As you fear, one of these days he could get into somethig that will make him very sick if not worse. There is no way to make him stop without management. He is getting rewarded with cheese, chicken or whatever else every time he does it. He's not going to stop on his own.
 
#10 ·
It sounds like even if you manage to keep him out of the fridge and cubboards, he will go to something else to keep him occupied. Any dog who destroys or gets into things he isn't supposed to when left in the house alone simply can't be left loose in the house alone. I also really recommend crating, although if he is 4 years old and never been crated, then you might have tough time on your hands, especially if YOU look at it as cruel. If you can't shut off the kitchen, maybe you can relegate the dog to another room that CAN be shut off. I know you're not getting the response here that you were looking for, but you have bigger problems on your hands than a dog that gets into the fridge.
 
#11 ·
back to Tristan, who can't be crated (he can, and will, and has, bulldozed his way out of pretty much any kind of crate) and broke the seal on my last fridge , AND also figured out how to pull on the door (using the handle) hard enough to break off the lock I had epoxy'ed on (epoxy claimed it was strong enough to resist a pull from a semi truck.. apparently lab jaws are more powerful than big rigs!) - he's behind the bedroom door, because I know if there's no food available he won't try to destroy anything. If he was destructive of my belongings, he WOULD somehow be crated ...
 
#12 ·
agree with the majority, crate or put in a dog proof room. crating (unless the dog has some kind of abnormal anxiety towards it)is NOT cruel. It is their home, their place, their den. It keeps them SAFE most importantly (as well as your "stuff" safe).

also look at obedience classes and possibly (hard to say without knowing) more exercise both physical and mental.
 
#14 ·
Hi, I have a chocolate lab that really enjoys opening my nightstand, cupboards and will eat anything in site. He will steal different items to get you to trade for a "treat", my fault at first it was funny now not so much. I did not realize how smart they really are. He also had pancreatitis and almost died, he can not have much fat at all so I must be real careful with his intake. I understand that you feel crating can be cruel. I leave the house at 7:30am and do not return until 5:30pm at the earliest. If I crated him all day and all night (he likes to get into things at night as well) he would be like a prisoner in solitary confinement. I have read the advise that has been given to you, I do agree training is the key, I also know that time is a real factor. I am attempting to correct his behavior by continue to tell him NO, bad dog, and let him know that he is doing wrong. It will take time and patience. I do crate him for short periods of time for misbehaving, and he still loves his crate and goes into it when he wants. Good luck to you.
 
#16 ·
I have a german short hair pointer that at his heaviest weighed 56 lbs... he can get into anything. I found that putting a dog collar on the doors kept him out of the fridge (he did tear the molding off the doors though)

With that said... Crate the trouble maker for his own safety, do you really want to constantly worry that he's going to eat something that will kill him???

Now I don't have good Crate stories like others my GSP is 13 and he has busted 7 cages... for him they have never been a crate. He has separation anxiety and goes through rough patches here and there he bust the welds and bends the bars, one he broke the whole front right off. For him, his cage is just a fact of life he kind of accepts it but he doesn't like it, at the end of the day it keeps him safe and costs me less with less worries.

You need to realize that you need to be the top dog in your house... right now it seems like he's the one in control. The want and need you to be the leader.
 
#18 ·
Agree with others! Crating works.

I couldn't believe my own eyes when my 6 month old lab puppy trotted downstairs one day after breakfast, and laid down in his crate without any coercing.

he loves his crate and he feels safe in there. i personally don't feel like its solitary confinement - I leave him a heavy-duty nylabone, but most days when I come home it hasn't even moved. He naps all day!

Remember that dogs sleep around 18 hours/day.

Good luck!
 
#19 ·
8 yr. old female Lab....Out of Control !

I have 2 Labs, one female 8 yrs. old and one male 10 yrs.old. My female Lab has recently started getting into the kitchen garbage, takes food off of the counters and just this past week, opened the refrigerator. They are crated during the day when I am gone, but this is happening while I am at home. I have a child lock on the cabinet below the sink where the garbage is located, but she knows how to open it. Whats next ? Yesterday she ate 1/2 plate of freshly baked cookies while I was in the bathroom. I don't want to give her "bad attention" by punishing her, but what can I do? She knows she is in trouble, but doesn't seem to care. Otherwise, she comes when called, obeys her other commands, even understands " out of the kitchen " when I am cooking and eating. She is a "hooligan" and I am at a loss what to do ! I can't close off the kitchen, I have an open floor plan. Help !!
 
#21 · (Edited)
I have 2 Labs, one female 8 yrs. old and one male 10 yrs.old. My female Lab has recently started getting into the kitchen garbage, takes food off of the counters and just this past week, opened the refrigerator. They are crated during the day when I am gone, but this is happening while I am at home. I have a child lock on the cabinet below the sink where the garbage is located, but she knows how to open it. Whats next ? Yesterday she ate 1/2 plate of freshly baked cookies while I was in the bathroom. I don't want to give her "bad attention" by punishing her, but what can I do? She knows she is in trouble, but doesn't seem to care. Otherwise, she comes when called, obeys her other , even understands " out of the kitchen " when I am cooking and eating. She is a "hooligan" and I am at a loss what to do ! I can't close off the kitchen, I have an open floor plan. Help !!
.

Welcome to the board.

Try starting a new thread in the training section of te board - your question will get little attention at the end of a thread that is this old unfortunately.
Also - how on earth is she able to open a child proof lock? Unless she is breaking it, the only way to open the type i buy you have to use two hands. What type did you try?

You also need yo be more aware of her around the house. If you pit food on the counter suprvise her! Or baby hate the kitchen. Leash her to you.

You can also look into the can monster.
 
#23 ·
My dog does the same thing and he is a 75lbs german shepard husky mix. We have tried to put him in a kennel for his own safety when we have to leave the house or go to bed but that back fired hard and was a huge waste of money. every kennel we have bought he breaks out of or chews though we have tried several expensive ones(he destroys my house in the process, he has created 3 areas where the carpet got ripped up and the baseboards on his escapes, I could go on for days at all the distruction he has made in my home, and when I tell ppl about ppl don't even believe me a dog could do these things) so we gave up on the kennel fearing he will hurt himself or getting stuck and strangulat himself. Our best option is to block the fridge with our kitchen table and a bench. Although has also backfired as well, we had to buy a new fridge because in his attemp to get in the whole 45mins he is left alone twice a day he did his magic again to get in and completely destroyed the seals and broke something inside that wasn't worth repairing and it stopped working, I'm at the point of thinking about putting my fridge in the garage. It is very frustrating. I feel your pain. We have tried training but don't have the money or the time to take him professionally. I'm going to try child locks next but my hopes are not high it will be successful 😵‍💫 he is wonderful dog when your with him but he can not be trusted out of your sight with destruction. The vet says he has separation anxiety and gave him meds but it barely helps. I think I need the dog whisper. Lol.
 
#24 ·
I need advice on how to stop my lab from getting into the fridge and cabinets.

Rocco, my very smart 4 year old chocolate lab gets into a ton of trouble during the day. I've tried baby locks, masking tape, duck tape, blocking the fridge and no matter what I do Rocco has learned to open the fridge and has even recently learned how to open pull out drawers with his paws. You have to see it to believe it. We used to think we were leaving the things open or not securing the fridge and drawers, but we tested our theory and he definately learned how to open the treat drawer. We tried baby locks, but they aren't strong enough and he breaks them. Duct tape doesnt last long enough. We have to change it everyday and If we forget to change it or tape it back up, we come home to a mess.

Not only is it the most fustrating thing in the world but we are worried about Rocco's safety. He got into the fridge yesterday and ate raw chicken, Cheese and almost ate an onion. The time before that he ate an enitre rotisserie chicken, bones and all.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop him??
How many hours a day are you away from home? How much exercise does he receive in a day and what type of exercise? For example, do you take him on an hour-long walk in the morning and an hour-long walk in the evening every day? Is he from working lines or show lines?

I would say that if you can't install a door to close off the kitchen, you'd probably have to crate the little stinker or keep him outside when you're not home. If you can catch him in the act when you are home but out of the room, scold him, take the food away, and put him in a short "time-out". Hopefully these measures will help drive the point home to him that you can't be messed with, but the hard part is that he most often does his dirty work when you're not around to enforce any consequences. That's why I'm thinking you're best off crating him or keeping him outside. :/
 
#25 ·
IMO - Marley was a very poorly trained and managed dog. Sounds like you have one of those too. That requires change on the part of the owner to protect the well being of the dog. Being "stubborn" is not an option for any dog of mine. It's all about being consistent with training.
 
#26 ·
I believe the owner is doing the best she knows how. I'd love to know how would you deal with a dog like this if you were in her situation? The real challenge is when the bad behavior occurs when the owner isn't around to enforce a consequence.
 
Top