How to Control Counter Surfing

We’ve all been there; you’re right in the middle of cooking and you turn your back for just a moment. Suddenly, your half-baked, tasty treat is gone! You glance down and see that Fido has nabbed your masterpiece right off the counter and is now scarfing it down as fast as his little body will allow. You try to tell him to stop, but it’s too late… Fido, your counter surfing genius, has struck again!

Counter surfing and stealing food right from under our noses is a common dog behavior that many pet parents struggle with. And with Thanksgiving right around the corner and many people preparing to do a lot of cooking, it’s important to learn how to control and stop this annoying and potentially dangerous habit.

Kitchen Management

The trick to curbing counter surfing is, of course, management. Making sure that items and food are kept as far back off the counter as possible is the first step to stopping the habit. This is because every time your dog jumps on the counter and successfully steals an item, they have reinforced the idea that this habit gets them a reward. If, however, the rewards are out of reach and your dog continuously fails at reaching their goal, they will eventually give up and learn that jumping on the counters get them nothing for their efforts.

As such, it’s always important to move all food items as far back as possible, and monitor your pet while you cook or interact in the kitchen. Better yet, have your dog stay in a different room while you bake. Reward them for their behavior with a puzzle toy or treat.

Positive Reinforcement

And speaking of treats, another way to stop your dog from counter surfing is to reward them for when they aren’t. Assign a cue word to when your dog stops counter surfing so you can mark it in the future and train them to stop jumping. For example, if your dog puts his paws on the counter or table simply say “off” or “leave it” and as soon as his paws hit the floor, reward him for the behavior. This will reinforce the idea that paws on the floor equals treat, while paws on the counter equals nothing. Eventually, you can begin to cue your dog before they even make the jump and slowly weed out the behavior all together.

AWS Resources

If you’d like more information on how to control counter surfing, or other negative behaviors, our Canine Training Team is here to help! A private consultation with one of our certified professional dog trainers may be just the thing you need. We also have an upcoming class, Santa’s Advanced Holiday Manners, part of our Reindeer Games, that will cover counter surfing in a fun group setting. If you haven’t taken a basic training/manners/obedience class with your dog in the past, then Frosty’s Festive Foundations may be just the place to start!