Any ideas on getting rid of this behavior? She just started within the past week and literally nothing I do seems to keep her little tounge off the counter and table! It's driving me crazy. I never keep food on the counter so she's not getting rewarded for getting her nose up there.
Some dogs seem to just find the action of having a look rewarding. Willow is one of these. I make sure all counters are always clean, not even any crumbs or any sort of residue, but she still has a look. It doesn't really bother me. When I'm preparing food, she is trained to sit outside the kitchen so she never does it while there's anything important around. It's more difficult when we go to other people's houses, so I normally just pop her on the lead if she can't be otherwise kept out of the kitchen.
My dogs are the King and Queen of counter surfing! It has never really bothered me - or hasn't bothered me...up until now. Charlie, very politely, gently jumps up and puts his paws on the counter to have a look. But, he wouldn't dream of actually taking any food I'm working with and indeed he only does it really when it's 'his' treats that I'm chopping before walk/training time - I can't ever remember him doing it when I'm preparing human food (he probably did, and I've forgotten ). I can be chopping up the most delicious treats ever and he'll just quietly stand with his paws up, observing. I don't care about this. In fact, I've always sort of enjoyed the company. Give him a bit of a hug and discuss what I'm doing with him. Give him a bit of chopped sausage or whatever time to time. Betsy, however, hits the counters like a bat out of hell. Nightmare puppy. She jumps and scrabbles, and tries to reach for food. Eeek! It's most uncivilised. Charlie is quite disgusted. Last night she hopped round the counter on her back legs, scrabbling until she fell off and over. Charlie and I just looked at her... So, Betsy's counter surfing has to be brought under control. I'm not bothering training this when I'm not there. When I'm not in the kitchen, the counters are clear and Betsy can do what she wants. I'm training this when I am there. First, if Betsy jumps up, both of us (me and Charlie) step away from the counter and just wait. Whatever it is that she has jumped up for - me preparing her kong, or other food or even a bare counter. We just step away and wait. Eventually, she gets down. We count to 10, then give her a treat. Step back to the counter. Rinse and repeat - no matter how many times we have to do this. If she stays down, we give treats rapidly. We also do 'set ups'. Put out delicious things on the counter (just out of puppy reach) and click and treat when she approaches the counter and doesn't jump. This is really very effective. The thing is to reward not jumping up, it's a form of impulse control. Turn away to get what you want.
Oh, yes, agree with this. It's actually Shadow that I have to do this with more than Willow. Shadow does not counter-surf. I'm not sure why. But he does come into the kitchen when I'm preparing food. It doesn't bother me per se, because I came up with the "sit outside the kitchen" rule for Willow, who is a counter-surfer. But, the rule is there, so I have to enforce it for both of them. Willow, who is desperate to get on the surfaces, sits so beautifully outside. Shadow, who doesn't want to get on the surfaces, struggles to contain himself. He's not even really a massive foodie. But, me working away in the kitchen is massively exciting to him, even at two years of age. Every time his foot enters the kitchen, the knife (or whatever) gets put down and I step away from the counter. He backs up, normally bouncing backwards like a kangaroo. Hmmm, do kangaroos bounce backwards? Probably not. I've created a chain somewhere along the line here, so if it bothers you, then make sure this doesn't happen. For me, I'm not massively bothered by him being in the kitchen in the first place, and it makes me laugh when he jumps backwards. So it's fine we have this little routine. I'm pretty sure it's more about attention than it is about food. Sorry, that was no help/
