Does your dog like to steal food from your countertops or kitchen table every chance he gets? This behavior, called counter surfing, is not only annoying for you to deal with, but it can be very dangerous for your dog if he eats something toxic or ingests – or even suffocates on – a piece of plastic. That’s not a sight you want to come home to!
So what can you do to prevent your dog from counter surfing? Luckily, there are several different things you can do to teach your dog to stay off the countertops and safe from the temptations up there.
Keep food off of the counter
This is the simplest solution, of course. If your dog never gets rewarded by finding food on the countertops, he will eventually stop looking. It’s also important that you wipe down your counters well – even a tiny lick of something tasty will reinforce the behavior.
Of course, this isn’t always possible. Sometimes you just need to keep your dog away from the food, either by putting him in a crate or by blocking off the kitchen with a baby gate. The key is still to keep your dog away from the temptation in the first place.
Teach them a spot to go to
If you place a mat or a dog bed nearby and consistently reward them for going and staying there, they will eventually learn that going to their designated spot is more rewarding than hoping to snatch something off the counter when you aren’t looking.
You can also use an “invisible line” across the doorway with this same technique to show your dog that he will get rewarded for staying out of the kitchen and ignored when he tries to come in.
Teach them to “leave it”
“Leave it” is a helpful command in a wide variety of situations and should be mastered by your dog regardless of whether or not he’s a counter surfer. Here’s one way to teach your dog to “leave it”:
Put a treat in each hand. Offer one closed fist to your dog and put one behind your back. Say “leave it,” and once your dog stops sniffing, use a clicker or say “yes” and reward him with the treat from your other hand.
Once your dog consistently stops sniffing as soon as you say “leave it,” put your dog on a leash, toss a treat out of his reach, then say “leave it.” Once he stops trying to reach or sniff the treat on the floor, click or say “yes,” then offer him a better treat than the one he ignored.
Eventually, your dog will realize that ignoring temptation when responding to “leave it” leads to a better reward.
Teach your dog to keep all four paws on the floor
Similar to training your dog to stay in their spot (place command), you can give your dog a treat as a reward for keeping all four feet on the ground.
Once they realize that jumping on the counters rewards them with nothing and staying on the floor earns them treats, they will have less incentive to jump on the counters (or people, for that matter).
Training your dog not to counter surf requires a lot of patience and may need the assistance of a professional dog trainer, but it is absolutely crucial that you work on this with your dog.
Your efforts could save your dog’s life – and it could save you from a lot of heartache that you would experience if your dog passed away as a result of counter surfing.
