How to Solve Counter Surfing
This is one of those things I hear about a lot; dogs getting on counters, tables, and what have you to eat the delicious food that’s left there. Of course, the first bit of advice is not to leave food there if you can avoid it. I realize, though, that that isn’t always possible, so let’s talk about some techniques to solve the problem.
- Management first. As much as possible, keep food off the counters — push items back against the wall, put dishes in the sink. This removes temptation while training happens.
- Reward disengagement. When the dog glances at the counter and quickly looks away, reward immediately with praise, pets, or food. Looking-and-moving-on is exactly what you want reinforced.
- Interrupt lingering attention. If the dog stares at the counter for longer than a heartbeat, interrupt with a sharp noise — a finger snap, “uh uh,” “no,” or a hiss. (Of note: Noises are better than words: dogs notice and respond to noises more reliably than to spoken words.)
- Staged training. Once you’re ready to actively train, put tempting food on the counter and have a squirt bottle or noise maker on hand, or be prepared to body block. The moment the dog goes to sniff, you squirt or make noise to startle it away, or body block them back until they turn and leave. Repeat until the dog stops approaching the food. If you have a particularly food motivated dog, repeat until they stop looking at the food.
- For dogs that only surf when unsupervised: set up a phone or tablet in selfie mode, propped to see into the room, then leave and monitor remotely. The moment the dog goes for the food, start making your naughty dog noise and continue making it until you can get in and correct your dog with your tool of choice–body block, squirt bottle, or noise maker.
- For especially persistent/sneaky dogs, we use self-deterrents:
- Aluminum foil on the counter (works for some dogs, I have no idea why)
- Thin baking sheets balanced on the counter edge so they clatter down when the dog jumps up (must be thin/lightweight enough not to hurt the dog. Paper plates work too, but not as well unless you put some things on them that will make noise as they fall)
- My favorite: mouse traps, set and placed inside paper bags on the counter — when the dog bumps the bag, the trap snaps inside it, startling the dog without physical harm. Effective for very determined dogs.
After a few days to a few weeks of consistent use, you’ll see your dog improving dramatically!
Jenna
Scout says, “Who, me? I would never!”
