How do I stop my dog from swiping stuff off the counter?

• Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter answers readers' pet-related questions and promotes the pets of the week.
• One reader asks if cats can have asthma.
• A reader learns a Pavlovian method to train a dog to stop taking items from a kitchen counter.

Q:  Can cats get asthma?

A:  This one surprised me, but yes, they can. Asthma in cats is similar to asthma in people in that the airways get inflamed because of an allergic reaction to dust, germs, cigarette and wood smoke and other irritants.

Symptoms are pretty similar as well:  shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing. Sometimes cats with bronchitis can develop asthma.

Serious asthma attacks in cats can be fatal, so if you're wondering if your cat could have this disease, get him to a vet to determine your best course of action. Siamese and Himalayan breeds can be more prone to asthma than others.

Cutting down stress and reducing unnecessary fumes in the air will help anyone with asthma. Be especially mindful of air fresheners and other man-made perfumes.

Humidifiers can help reduce the dryness in the air, which can help a cat with asthma breathe better. If your feline develops the illness there are ways to make his life easier.

Q:  My dog is always grabbing stuff from the counter. He's quick and often does it when my back is turned. What can I do to stop this?

A:  This is tough because often in order to correct the behavior, you have to catch him at it. A dog’s nose is powerful and he can smell good stuff from a long distance away.

First, I wonder, is there any way to block your pup from your kitchen? Keeping him away from the object of his attention and affection could be an easy solution for you, especially when you’re not home. It might be a good idea to make sure you're not leaving anything on the counter, especially when you’re not around.

Also, I have a friend who taught her pup the “leave it” command to keep him off her counters. She used yard flags – like the kind you mark trails or paths with.

She would put the flag in front of her boy and say leave it. When he didn’t sniff or pay any attention to the flag, she gave him a treat. Eventually, she took the flags out into the yard, stuck them into the ground and when her boy wouldn’t go near them, he would get a treat.

He learned to leave the flags alone. Now she puts the flags on her counters and her dog doesn’t counter surf anymore because the flags are there and he has learned that they are a no-no. It’s very Pavlovian.

If you can train a dog to respond to certain objects, like the flags, you can hopefully train him to stay away from areas where he’s not so welcome. Sometimes we have to make allowances for our dogs and who they are. I hope you can figure out an option that works best for you.

Ask the Shelter: Can my new cat catch feline leukemia from my cat that just died?

Ask the Shelter: Do flea treatments work better on short-haired dogs?

Ask the Shelter is a weekly feature aimed at pet education. If you have a question, contact Jennifer Vanderau, public relations coordinator, for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter, at cvascomm@cvas-pets.org or 263-5791.