Countersurfing

[NoVA Lab Mama]

Apparently Stella's realized that she's tall enough to check out what's for dinner...

[Jerry]

That's awesome. Max is starting to do the same thing.

[Rosy]

Haha that was cute She say mum where's my food

[smartrock]

What a cute photo!

Now, Stella, don't get too interested! Many dogs have done more than peek at the counter contents. A German Shepherd we had when I was a kid ate about a dozen raw hamburger patties my mother had formed and stacked in trays on the counter for a birthday celebration. She ate the entire top layer and the front row of the 2 bottom layers without unstacking the trays. Fortunately my 2 current knuckleheads haven't taken to sampling from the kitchen counter!

[SoapySophie]

It's cute the first time, when luckily they don't reach anything of value, but next time won't be so cute. Nip that behaviour in the bud right now if you can. Even though we are very mindful of edible things on the countertop, Sophie now knows there can be prizes to be had, and she has found a few. You only have to turn your back for 10 seconds and it can happen.

[TT120]

Milo got hold of a plate of shredded cheese on the counter the other day. He got about 3/4's of it down before I noticed. Super score for Milo.

[NoVA Lab Mama]

We watch her like a hawk in the kitchen. But that night she did jump all the way up onto the picnic table (all four paws!) and grab a burger! I pried it out of her mouth so she didn't get to enjoy it but spent the rest of our meal in her crate.

[Labradorks]

I pried it out of her mouth so she didn't get to enjoy it but spent the rest of our meal in her crate.

You might think about management (crating while preparing and eating food, for example) and teaching a really good leave it and drop it and even a bring it. Prying food from mouths doesn't always result in the dog learning the lesson you want them to about stealing food. Often the lesson learned is to take food quickly and run off and hide while they eat it so you can't get it! Or to be sneaky. Also, resource guarding can develop when stuff like this happens. Just taking the food is self-rewarding; she doesn't even need to eat it.

[zd262]

The one time Bubba counter surfed was on Christmas, the leftover ham was sitting on the counter after we had cleared the table and we had all sat back down to enjoy dessert. Luckily the shock of the whole family jumping up at once yelling "HEY!" (not on purpose as disciplinary, but just immediate reaction), was enough for him to learn to never do it again!

[Snowshoe]

LOL, despite my vinegar technique working admirably on Oban at OUR house, when we went to clean up at my sister's recently no one could remember, did we eat all the Oka cheese on the nibblies tray? Or was some left over? Correction, supposed to be left over, as it was all gone. But, two dogs and a low coffee table and no one watching.

Snowshoe's Album: Vinegar to Cure Counter Surfing