The holiday season is here, and with it comes a lot of cooking we may not normally do. Odds are you’ll see at least a couple photos on social media in the coming months laughing about how Fido sneakily got up on the counter or table and ate a chunk of that night’s main course. Counter surfing is a frustrating and potentially dangerous habit for your dog to develop, however. Ingredients toxic to dogs such as garlic, onions, grapes, potatoes, chocolate, and xylitol (an artificial sweetener found in many candies, store-bought baked goods, and diet foods) can kill your dog if ingested while counter surfing.
Dogs tend to eat everything that is put in front of them, leading them to overeat to the point of sickness when presented with the meal you prepared for your family. Additionally, bones in chicken and fish can cut their mouth, esophagus, and stomach when swallowed. It is difficult to catch your dog counter surfing in the moment, since they usually wait until you are gone to sneak a bite. As a result, it is tricky to correct–if not addressed immediately, you pup likely won’t associate the punishment with the act of counter surfing. It’s also unfortunately a self-reinforcing behavior, because every time they successfully snag some food, they reward themselves with your dinner!
Dogs may initially counter surf while you are around, before they understand that you aren’t pleased when they do it. If you punish them by raising your voice to shout or by hitting them in some way, they won’t stop the behavior–they’ll simply wait until you’re not in the room to snag a yummy treat. So how do you approach training this bad habit out of your pup?
The best way to keep your dog from counter surfing is to prevent their access to the counters and your food in the first place. You may choose to keep them out of the kitchen entirely while cooking and serving food–use a baby gate to block off the kitchen doorways, or put your dog in their crate. Alternatively, if you can’t or won’t block their access to the kitchen, there are other steps you can take. Keep kitchen counters clean of any crumbs or drips that might tempt your dog to jump up. Never leave food out on the counters, especially near the edge. If your counters are deep enough, keep exposed food pushed to the back of the counters where a mischievous pup cannot reach.
Aside from prevention, you can also work on teaching your dog an alternate behavior that doesn’t allow them to counter surf. This can include making them sit, lay down, or go to a “place” location while you are preparing and serving food. As they master these behaviors over time, you can slowly begin leaving small bits of food on the counter and correcting them if they get up and attempt to counter surf. Purposefully leaving food out during these training sessions gives you the chance to catch and correct their behavior if they attempt to steal it. Work your way up to the most tempting foods–begin with something bland like a vegetable or plain cracker, and gradually introduce more enticing foods like meat. With time and patience, your dog will learn that the food on the counter is not for them.
The experts at Gulf Coast K9 Dog Training are here to help you to train your dog in obedience or advanced behaviors. If you live in Sarasota or Manatee County and could use some help in this regard, call us today.
