Sun Dog, Table Dog

Today is a fiercely windy Monday, and the dogs have been moving from room to room in search of sunny spots.  Basenjis are superior at making the most of a tiny beam of sunshine in an otherwise dreary day. 
My first Basenji Phoenix made an art form out of sunbathing.  Unfortunately, the sunniest spot in my first house was in the dining room--in the center of the table!  That dog loved to jump up on the table, stretch out on her back and "catch some rays."  I always thought if she'd been a Weimaraner, she's have made a perfect model for William Wegman.
Nonetheless, I tried everything to break her of the habit:

• Putting tin foil down on the table top because I was told dogs hated having their nails touch tin foil.  Phoenix thought it was great fun making scratching sounds on it.
• Taping balloons along the edge and top of the table because I was told the popping sound would scare her enough to stop her from jumping up.  Phoenix made an agility game out of that by seeing how gingerly she could weave between them.  Then she'd grab one and bite it to enjoy the noise she had created.
• Shooting her with a water pistol when I found her lying on the tin foil among the balloons.  She would continue to sit there but now added batting water away with her paw to the game!
• Etc., etc., etc.

After months of exhausting myself coming up with ideas to get her down, I finally declared her the victor in "The Battle of the Broyhill."  The terms of the surrender were simple. The conquered would cede the territory hereafter known as "The Dining Room Table" to the victor in exchange for the victor's assurance she would no longer eat the flowers out of the flower pots or nip at the conquered when she told her to come out of her crate.  The terms were so reasonable that until the day we moved, the truce was adhered to and Phoenix never missed a day in the sun.