Why is my dog counter surfing?
If they’ve not had any prior training not to do so, all dogs will try to get food left on the counter or table. Are they naughty or disobedient? No, they’re just scavengers who love food! To stop your dog counter surfing, you have to firstly prevent them from getting into the habit of stealing food from the counter. Next, you teach them what it is you want them to do whilst you’re preparing food. The upside is that dogs can readily learn that all the good things (ie food!) happen for them on the floor or in the bowl, rather than on your kitchen counter.
Management
As with all training, we start with management. We can think about management like prevention, and prevention is always better than a cure. When it comes to preventing counter surfing, you’ll want to have a gate blocking your dog from entering the kitchen when you’re not supervising. You could also utilise a crate or have your dog on a lead either held by someone or tethered. Alternatively, shut the door to the kitchen and have your dog in another room whilst food is out. Your dog will very quickly get into the habit of stealing food from the counter if they have regular opportunities to do so. This is why management is so important- it prevents them from rehearsing the behaviour when you’re not there to actively supervise and train.
Stop your dog counter surfing with training
To stop your dog counter surfing, you need to give them something else to do that is equally, if not more, rewarding. Teaching your dog to go to their mat or bed works well. We have a blog post here on how to teach mat work. Whilst cooking or preparing food, keep a pot of your dog’s food or treats on hand and intermittently drop treats onto their mat whilst they’re on it. This can then become their go-to spot to hang out whilst you’re cooking. You could also ask your dog to do a ‘down, stay’. However, having an actual mat is generally more comfortable for your dog and easier to stick within the boundary of the mat, rather than shuffling closer to the source of the food!
Teaching your dog the ‘off’ cue
I’d also recommend teaching your dog an ‘off’ cue. You can train this with the below steps.
- Stand next to a sofa (or a tree stump, bench etc anything they are allowed to jump on) and hold a treat in your hand. Lure your dog up onto the sofa with the treat whilst saying ‘up’. Reward them for jumping up onto the sofa.
- Then lure them off the sofa with another treat towards the floor and say ‘off’. Reward them when their paws hit the floor.
- Repeat the above steps 4-5 times.
- After a few practises, cue your dog up onto the sofa but just offer them praise as a reward, instead of a treat. Continue to reward the ‘off’ with the food reward.
- You are teaching them here ‘off’ means get off the sofa/counters and you will be rewarded with a tasty treat.
Have a watch of this video on our instagram to see what I mean. Give us a follow whilst you’re there too!
More training
As well as mat work and teaching an off cue, you can use a marker word to teach your dog appropriate behaviour around food preparation and serving areas. You can read our blog post about teaching a marker word here. When your dog understands their marker word, you can then use it to ‘mark’ any and all appropriate behaviour around the counters. For example, if your dog is calmly standing or sitting, mark and reward that behaviour. Basically, as long as they’re not jumping up on the counters, you can mark and reward that behaviour! This is known as shaping.
Lastly, teach your dog that good things happen for him on the floor, not on the counter. You can do this by scattering a handful of treats on the floor and encouraging them to use their nose to find them all. Snuffle mats, stuffed kongs and other food toys placed on the floor also help your dog to learn that’s where the fun happens. These types of toys also help to provide your dog with sufficient mental stimulation, meaning they’re less likely to go counter surfing in the first place.
Should I punish my dog counter surfing?
No, don’t punish your dog for counter surfing. They have no idea they’ve done anything wrong and once it’s happened, it’s over and done with. Move on, just remember how the situation came up so you can prevent it happening next time. By utilising management and implementing the above training tips, your dog will easily learn not to counter surf.
What next?
- Looking for help with your dog? Contact us to arrange in person or online training.
- Read more blog posts here.
- Perfect Recall: Teaching your dog to come back when called every time. Our guide is free to download when you join our email list- sign up here.