I've had my young adult shelter dog (Yorkie/chihuahua mix) since November. When I first got him, he was taking "stuff" out of the cat's litter box, so I bought an expensive heavy wooden barrier that the cat can get over. This week, the dog figured out that he can jump the barrier. The dog hasn't gotten into the litter box, but he's been eating the cat's food every chance he gets. I scold the dog when he does it, and I'm sure he knows he's not supposed to get into the cat area, because he waits until I'm not in the room- like when I'm in the bathroom. I'm home all day and the dog is crated when I'm not home and overnight for bed. I tried raising the barrier with books, but the dog can still get over it.
My husband thinks it's my fault for teaching the dog how to jump through a hula hoop.
Yeah- maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
He also will jump on the kitchen table (when we're not looking) by using the chairs as steps to get food. He scrambles down when he's caught, so I'm pretty sure he's just being sneaky. When we remember to push the chairs in, he can't get up there.
Any ideas how I can keep the dog out of the cat food without blocking the cat's access to it? Thanks.