Counter Surfing Dogs
Counter surfing is an unwanted behavior that can be hard to break.
Dogs have a tendency to counter-surf, often snatching a snack or two off the counter and making a mess in the process. This can be a frustrating experience for both the owner and their canine companion.
Why does my dog always jump up on the counter?
Counter Surfing is a self-rewarding behavior, and once dogs have had some success snatching a tasty treat from an inappropriate location, they are likely to take advantage of a situation and do it again as the opportunity arises.
To correct this behavior we recommend being proactive to remove opportunities for the dog to reward themself. The solution also requires consistency and some creative training to paint a clear picture to the dog that this is no longer going to be successful for them. Once the dog has experienced success stealing food, merely removing the opportunity will likely only stop reinforcing the behavior, but it is not likely going to resolve the problem.
I typically start the training with some very tempting food and have the dog on leash. We set boundaries for the dog on leash and then progress to off-leash training. Many dogs learn that they are not supposed to take the food from an inappropriate location, rather quickly. Often, they will avoid the treats if the owner is present but will not hesitate to take it as soon as they think the coast is clear. Remote collar training can be a simple solution to maintain the boundaries whether the owner is present or not. Some well-placed cameras, a delicious temptation, and a proper prior foundation in remote collar training can complete this objective. Many good quality remote training collars have enough range that you could get into your car and leave the residence a short distance to convince the dog the coast is clear. Monitor the cameras and administer a well-timed correction should the dog try to take the temptation.
It is important to also provide some positives when the dog does not give in to temptation. All dogs are wired differently and while this may work for a majority of dogs rather quickly, there will be others that you will find you have to have more consistency with and utilize other training methods.
