Counter Surfing
Living with a counter surfer can be really frustrating for us. The truth is dogs will always do what works for them! We can all guess why they cannot resist that level of temptation in that moment. Tasty! Big Rewards! Huge Pay Off! They feel success in getting the food off our furniture or counter and it becomes a bit of a concern we need to address.
There is also a safety concern that they will eat something that is toxic or dangerous to them, so, it is best to teach them that this is not an acceptable behaviour. In order to be successful, we need to teach them what to do instead! We also must ensure that they are not getting access to those big rewards from the counter or furniture again.
This points to how we are managing their environment and can be tricky. You should never feed your dog from your counter. It is also a good idea to block access from the kitchen area using a baby gate or an exercise pen type when you cannot supervise or are busy preparing food. Try feeding them their own food outside of that area as well.
Most of us choose to redirect our dogs when they jump on furniture or the counter. This is usually a cue like “off” or “down” or we ask our dog to sit. Although this can be an effective tool, we need to make sure our dog understands this fully. We need to provide them rewards and feedback when they are giving us the desired behavior and not choosing to surf or jump up.
The ineffective part is it only works when you are in the room, not usually when you are not around or turn your back. This is another reason management is so important while we are teaching our dogs what to do and what not to do! You do not want them to continue being rewarded by getting the food!
Training is key and it should be easy to fit in our lives. Try having practice sessions in your kitchen when food is on the counter. You can interrupt your dog when you catch them in the act and redirect them to the appropriate behavior you want to see.
Your interrupter can be a simple ‘ah ah’ or ‘wrong’. Try to avoid ‘no’, as it is generally used to much and becomes ineffective. Remember if you have to use your interrupter more than two times, this is a good indication that you need to back up their learning a step or two because your dog is not getting it!
When you are teaching your dog what you expect in your kitchen area. You can work on them giving you sit and holding a stay, or better yet to go to their ‘place’ or ‘bed’ or ‘crate’ instead. This should always be something they have a previous positive association with and are being rewarded for their good choices. You can decide what works best in your home and create some peace through critical thinking and assistance from your trainer.
Give them an alternative and build on that learning. Dogs are brilliant and are always learning from us, let’s help them by being clear and allowing them to make good choices to be successful!
