Counter surfing

[sarah]

Sam is getting pretty tall now (he's 6 months) and he is constantly putting his paws up on the kitchen counters looking for anything he can grab (he doesn't just steal food either, he likes to snatch anything he can get from tupperware to napkins to our keys, mail, etc.). I looked up a couple youtube videos on counter surfing and they mainly address leaving food alone, which is helpful, but I want him to not get up on the counters AT ALL, whether he decides to leave the food alone or not. He has turned on the burners on our oven a couple of times and we have a gas range. We have the kitchen gated off so he's hardly ever in there alone, but he could still burn himself or set something on fire pretty quickly when my back is turned or my hands are full. Never mind the danger, it's plain annoying trying to block him from pulling everything off the counters while i'm trying to make a sandwich.

We tried tossing food on the floor and saying 'off'. I almost think this prompted him to get up there more because it told him when he puts his paws up, he gets a treat. I tried praising him when he just sat there and wasn't up on the counter, but I can't tell if he *knows* that is what he was being praised for. Neither has has worked anyway.

We start our next round of obedience classes this saturday and I think this is one of the subjects that will be worked on. In the meantime, can you give me our best tips to keep him off the counters short of locking him out of the kitchen entirely?

[g-girl]

Hi - Your story is very familiar! Bailey was a champion counter surfer - food, paper towels, dish towels, etc. She also turned on our gas range while surfing and that scared me. I tried the usual tricks (jar of coins, squirt of water, mouse traps) and nothing worked. I am sure there are better dog trainers out there who could have worked with Bailey and trained her not to get up on the counter. I, unfortunately, did not have success.

We have a DogWatch fence system which works extremely well for Bailey. I was looking at their website and noticed that they have a portable, battery-operated disk that works with the same receiver she already wears on her collar. I got one and set it up on my counter. It was easy to adjust and it came with little white flags to set up and warn her. I took off her collar and held it up close to the receiver. She heard the warning beeps and that was that. I left it on my counter for a while, but Bailey never went back up there. I was able to set it up so that she could still lie at my feet while I was cooking - it would only activate if her collar got close enough to the top of the counter.

It is about the size and shape of a smoke detector. We took it on vacation and set it up at the bottom of the stairs. My daughter and her friends were staying upstairs and they had candy and socks and hair ties, etc. I just didn't want Bailey up there. I went through the same procedure...set up the device, put the flags up, took her collar off and let her hear the warning. She never went past it. Much easier than trying to block off the stairs with a gate or chairs, etc.

I don't know if this helps. It worked great for us. Good luck!

[Polly Pipkin]

Is it possible to use baby gates to block him from entering the kitchen? That would be helpful when you are cooking. You can also teach him that the kitchen is a 'no-go' zone - every time he wants to come in, back him up, pair it with a cue word "Out" for instance and make him lay down/stay. That way you reinforce his down/stay and you can work in the kitchen safely. Give him treats for being out of the kitchen, don't make the mistake of giving him any in the kitchen (random reinforcement is strong!) and be consistent. This means everyone in your family has to train him to stay out.

Make sure there is nothing tempting on the counters - I keep mine totally clear. I learned my lesson when 4 month old Polly swiped a scone off the countertop! I couldn't believe it as Duchess never would do anything like that!!

I've also heard that you could put string (or floss), tie the ends to 2 cans with pennies inside and place on the counter. When he jumps up, he would move the string making the cans shake with the noise and should scare him. But, this is negative and I prefer to use the positive approach.

[sarah]

We do have a baby gate at the kitchen door. I just hate shutting him out, he barks and whines and makes me feel like the meanest person ever lol. I agree I should start using it though, I just wish I could get him to behave, you know.

I suppose we just need more training and more training (and more patience)!

[Polly Pipkin]

Sounds like he is wanting his own way - so more reason for you to be consistent, lol!

I was told dogs are extremely good at persistence which is why our best way forward is to be more determined than they are, combined with training and patience and more training! Good luck!

[Labradorks]

You really should nip these behaviors in the bud now. I would start with more exercise such as swimming, off leash running/playing (like hiking or at a safe park) as well as playtime with other dogs, and training, even just three 5-10 minute sessions per day, and working on your consistency. Somewhere down the line he learned that throwing a fit made you give in. NILIF would also be a tactic that I would use on this dog. The advice in staying out of the kitchen is also good.

Another thing you might try is to find his favorite chew toy. Kong with frozen stuff or something and ONLY give it to him when you are in the kitchen and he is not and he is being good.

[Meeps83]

We have the same problem with Maverick. We give him the command "floor" and praise him. He still does it, but at least he learned a new command. I figure that this too shall come to pass.

[POPTOP]

Archie has been our only real counter surfer. I've worked with him on a leash, putting him in a down in a certain spot (you can use a rug to specify the spot), and kept correcting him. It does interrupt progress of making a meal, but well worth the effort.

[Woodrow_Woodchuck]

Sunshine was a surfer for a bit. It was impossible to ban the kitchen because her 'enclosure' was on the other side, she HAD to go through it to be contained.

I am not a treat trainer, treats are only for special occasions and random. My rule has always been NO treats in or anywhere near the kitchen, especially when I am in it. Everything in the kitchen is "mine". Her food dish was another matter but it was not really "in the kitchen" it was in her enclosure.

I setup her 'blanket' right on the carpet, outside the tile kitchen. She can see me from there anywhere in the kitchen or living room. This way she is not missing out on the action but being a good girl for being in her spot.

We all know a lab pup is trouble looking for a place to happen. Blink, sneeze, yawn, while they appear to be 'sleeping', next thing you know... GONE! Noise makers on the counter didn't work. As soon as they hit the floor she brought them over to me all happy! "Look what I found! Can we play with it???" Spraying with bitter apple, lemon, vinegar... no luck. I finally went against the golden rule, and set her up for failure!

I would pretend to be busy, and not watching her. She would sneak into the kitchen. I would sneak up, so she could not see me and wait. As soon as one paw hit the counter I'd pop up and YELL, "WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE!!!!!!!" It would scare the Bajesus out of her! The l@@k of surprise you got was priceless! LOL! It took more than a few times for her to get the message. When Sam gets to the point where he will start walking towards the kitchen, stop and look back at you for a minute, you have it licked. It is then time to use a phrase 'Don't even think about it', 'Not a good idea', No Kitchen'... with a hand sign to let them know not to do it. My 'silent signal' which morphed into a general "don't do whatever you were about to do" is to drop my forehead, drop the eyebrows (to look really mean!) use two fingers to point to my eyes, and then roughly point at her with one finger. The 'I'm watching YOU' thing.

At around a year old she gained my confidence enough to where she is locked in the bedroom when I go out. We have since banned the kitchen entirely. She can stand or lie on the carpet all she wants, NO feet on the kitchen floor. Banning is another time consuming and PITA training lesson. You will spend a majority of your time keeping the pup out rather than cooking, but worth the effort in the long run!! When Sunshine encroached or entered the kitchen I used "back up" with the hand sign. I would then stop what I was doing and literally crowd her back out, onto the carpet. Walk right into her, blocking any side to side escape, until she 'backed up' out of the kitchen. Then a "relax" (down) with the appropriate hand sign and she is a GOOD GIRL for being so good. As with many 'lessons' or training, it will seem like a losing battle for a loooong time. But then, all of a sudden they catch on and it is a great moment!

[Snowshoe]

Vinegar worked for me. You must keep the counters scrupulously clean of anything he might take as well.

Key first step, offer him a bowl of vinegar to drink. If he comes up sputtering and looks at you like you've lost your mind, continue. Some dogs will drink vinegar. A bit won't hurt them. If he drinks it happily this won't work

I wiped down the counters and stove top after every meal and left it sort of wet. Vinegar has natural antibacterial properties and lots of people clean their counters with it even if they don't have a dog. I also left out two small plastic dishes of vinegar. Plastic in case he gets up and knocks them off, so they don't break. I did that for a week. Cured. I mean the dog.

He relapsed about three months later and I did it for another couple of days. The odd wipe down with vinegar will help reinforce this. Worked for me. The big, big advantage of this is it works when you aren't there. And I can leave even food sitting on the edge of the counter but only for short times, it's not fair to tempt him.