Question: Our dog has developed the bad habit of stealing food off our kitchen counters when we aren't paying attention. Can this problem be fixed?
Answer: To the uninitiated, "counter surfing" is when you have a dog who knows there's food on a kitchen counter or tabletop and has a tendency to thieve it. This issue may take extreme measures to fix, so as with all behavior modification, you must be willing to stay the course.
To me a spoiled dog isn't necessarily one who drinks from the toilet or gets scraps from you while you eat (although I do not advise this) or sleeps in your bed. These are simply examples of fairly normal domestic dog life. (And for a dog, it's a pretty good gig if you can get it.)
A "spoiled" dog to me, however, is one who has objectionable behaviors but we are too much of an easy touch to do anything about them. And so we cave, making excuses for Max like people sometimes do for their kids.
Some counter surfers are dogs who are big enough to put their paws on the counter to see what's up there. But some are smaller and have the athletic ability to actually jump up onto your kitchen counter. The first thing to do is to feed Max only in his dish from now on. I don't have a problem giving him some of what you're eating after you finish, but it should go into his dish. And he must stay well away from you while you eat.
Dogs understand on a subconscious, primal level that when the leaders eat, the subordinates stay away from the food. Additionally, in your case, you should eat before him. This is about setting new parameters. An appropriate mindset to embrace is to recognize even his food, isn't "his." It's yours. He will start to change his position on human food if you start with these changes.
Vigilant awareness is indispensable here. Catching and subsequently busting your dog for transgressions sends the message that you're omnipresent and on top of everything he does. You wouldn't let a toddler wander around for very long before you got a visual on him. So just keep a better eye on Max when he's in any areas that have human food. He must start to learn that you are watching him more closely now. Kind of like watching a convict.
I generally start giving a dog negative reinforcement when he's just sniffing the countertop or tabletop. Something like "ahh, ahh, ahh" or your basic "leave it." If he dares to actually jump up onto the counter anyway, he gets a very loud "NO!" along with a hand clap. If he ignores this you must get to him and push him off as you say "NO!" or "OFF!"
Once he's down, you must flip the switch and go to the positive reinforcement side, telling him "good boy… c'mere." You're redirecting him after the correction to come to you to get some affection. He's being rewarded for getting off. Obviously at this point you have to drop any residual anger you have about him getting up there in the first place. When it comes down to it, Max must understand you're going to guard all countertops.
How do you protect your countertops when you're out of the house?
About the easiest thing you can do is put double-sided carpet tape around the edges of your countertops. Max won't like the way that feels on his tootsies. As an added deterrent you can put a length of tinfoil on the counter as well. It makes an objectionable sound and also feels weird on his paws.
And, of course, if you aren't already, you could stop keeping food anywhere close to the edges of your countertops. But beyond that, Max should start to figure out you're paying better attention now, having become a better watchdog.
Originally from Louisiana, Gregg Flowers is a local dog trainer who “teaches dogs and trains people.” Contact him at dogteacher7@aol.com or dogsbestfriendflorida.com.