# Counter surfing!



## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

Ruby has always been pretty good at not counter surfing, UNTIL we had a party at our house with about 40 people and there were paper plates left with left over food in easily accessible areas. Ever since then, any time we take Ruby to a party she'll jump up on the counter and try to get the food! It's so embarrassing. She KNOWS she's not supposed to do it, because she waits until no one is looking. Obviously we could keep her on a leash so that she stays by us, but there are always a lot of other dogs at the parties and she wants to go play. (our friends are just as obsessed with their dogs as we are, so all house get togethers include furry friends as well).

Tips? We have an e-collar that we have used for other training purposes -- would that work in this situation?


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

No advice, but I feel your pain. Dexter doesn't counter surf anymore (he really listens to "off" at home) but he knows when we're at the vet that they keep treats behind the counter. Of course, the receptionist gave him some for jumping up as a puppy and now he's a maniac about jumping up there. I don't let them give him treats now unless he's sitting, but he still does it. I know he just needs to relearn "off" in a new setting, but my hands are always full at the vet paying, making appointments, etc. and the minute my attention leaves him, he's up there (often knocking off their display racks, too!). They sure have good memories, the little stinkers 

I guess if it were me, I'd just make sure to have a lot of trash cans with lids placed around the house so the plates don't make it to the counter


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

something that I heard, but I've never tested it, is to put a row of desert spoons along the edge of the worktop, when the dog jumps up at the worktop/counter it knocks them off and gives the dog a little start.


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

If it was me I would set Ruby up. I would start with working on it in your own home by placing plates of food (using enticing food item she can safely consumer just incase there is an accident) around the house as guests would - on counters, coffee tables, side tables, etc, keeping a long lead dragging behind her so that you can correct her if she goes for the food. Once she has the idea in your house, I would then ask a friend or family member if you can do the same at their house. I would do this at a couple different locations until you get a reliable response on the off, and the desirable behavior from your girl.


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## toadnmeme (Jun 7, 2014)

I SO feel your pain. When I read this post I was thinking, whew, so glad we are past that point with out 15 month old who has not counter surfed in months (and used to be the WORST). Then today, while I was in the other room getting the puppy used to the dremmel, the older one ate all the freshly baked biscuits I had left on the counter. Back to square one. Big sigh. 

No advice from me...obviously. Just sympathy 😜

PS I think he was jealous of all the treats the puppy was getting during his "pedicure"


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

The only surefire method is to keep your counters clear. One time, five biscuits mysteriously disappeared from my kitchen counter when I had to leave momentarily to put some towels into the dryer. I was only gone about sixty seconds. It's still a mystery to me!


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

I'd got 2 dozen sausages out of the freezer once, went to light the bbq and when I came back they'd disappeared!! Ruby was looking very sheepish :


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

Lilyloo...

I posted this on another thread, that may help you..

You had asked, how to discipline… There are certainly instances where a dog needs disciplined, but I try to approach a situation from a different angle….and analyze the situation differently and ask myself these questions when the dog fails to listen to me:

1. Have I taught the dog the behavior I am asking of it at this level of distraction?
2. Why is the dog choosing not to listen to me (that answer is rarely “because he is being a jerk and chooses to ignore me” – it is often because the option he chooses is more enjoyable/rewarding).
3. Since the answer to #2 – is usually that the option he chose is more rewarding for him – I ask myself how do I make the option I want him to do even more favorable than the one he chose?

My task as the trainer/handler is to show the dog choosing the option I want him to do is the better option whether that be by treating/praising etc. 

For example…countersurfing…. I don’t yell/discipline my dog for counter surfing. If my dog surfs, I know I need to show him a better option. I teach him “up” so he put his front legs on me, and then teach him “off” (4 legs on the ground). It’s tough to teach “off” if you only yell it when he is surfing. After doing so, I have now set myself and the dog up to succeed as he knows “off”. Then I set him up to counter surf, so when he does I can tell him “off”, and I know that he knows the command (because I already taught it), and then I make sure I am in a position to treat/praise heavily when gets off the counter. In doing so, I have showed him that listening to me gets him treats/praise and is a better option than counter surfing (which I have also made a point to make sure everything is off the counter so he isn’t inadvertently rewarded for surfing) as opposed to yelling/disciplining the dog surfing and trying to teach “off” only as the opportunity presents itself.

In your two scenarios – going inside and getting into the car. I am exaggerating here a bit, but I bet that if every time you called your dog into the house he got a hamburger, he would be more than happy to listen to you in a nanosecond. Some idea with getting into a car. You just have to figure out what makes your dog tick. 

Also, based on what you described a collar grab is the trigger. Sometime or another the dog has decided that grabbing the collar means bad things are coming, it was an effective response to get what she wants, or that she simply doesn’t like it and growling is the dogs preferred option. I would suggest working to counter condition that. I would grab her collar, and quickly give her a high value treat. I would try to do it such that I can grab the collar and treat prior to the growl. The idea is that now she thinks “ Collar grab = good things” . I would slowly work up to where I could rush in in a pseudo panic, grab the collar like I am breaking up a dog fight, and have the dog look at me like “cool – a tasty treat/praise is coming my way”.

Dogs inherently want to please you and do the right thing….so if they aren’t doing what you want, you probably haven’t succeeded in showing them what you want and that it is the better option. Far too often, you tell the dog what you don’t want, but never reward for doing what you want. You’ll yell OFF when the dog is surfing, but then immediately fail to praise as soon as the feet hit floor.

Hope that helps…

Nate


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