Counter surfing dog

[vineyridge]

What’s so frustrating is that she never does it when I’m home. She only does it when I’ve left the house for at least an hour. I don’t like to shut the kitchen door because the kitchen is where their water is. But she’s driving me crazy because she knocks food pans off the stove and eats what’s supposed to be my meal for several days. She also knocks over the trash and garbage cans and steals things from counters.

Since I’m not there, I can’t discipline her.

Any thoughts other than closing the kitchen door?

[Superminion]

If you can just close the door, I would. It’s hard to discipline something that you can’t catch!

We had a lab that used to counter surf, until one day my mom put out something nasty tasting for him to snatch. She did it on purpose. He never counter surfed again!

[cnigh]

If you can`t close the door, then keep the counter clear of food. If the garbage is also an issue, you can buy a better can or put it outside right away.

Very easy to fix both issues.

[Big_Grey_hunter]

It’s a very difficult (almost impossible) habit to break, especially if you are leaving food out. Basically, she’s getting rewarded for going on the counters, with no negative consequences. Why wouldn’t she take advantage? First step, stop leaving out tasty, tempting snacks. Second, get trash cans she can’t open. Third- stop leaving things on the counter for her to chew on. Basically, stop making counter-surfing a self-rewarding behavior. If you can, put her in a shock collar, act as if your leaving, and hide. Wait for her to jump up and shock. Don’t let her know you’re there, you want her to think counters=shock, not mom’s watching=shock.

You CAN greatly decrease the behavior, but only if you never leave things out for her to get and regularly correct her. Even then, it just takes one time of eating something for the habit to come back. It’s easier to just move the water to another room and close the door.

[Alagirl]

leave nothing out.

Sucks, but it’s the easiest solution. No, wait, the simplest solution

Also, get a trashcan that she can’t knock down. They make nice kits for in cabinet mounted bins. They are not really big, but that’s not a really bad thing, trains s to take the trash out more often. It’s a good thing!

[2tempe]

One trick worth trying for the counter surfing: a trainer many years ago discussed the concept of the “shaker can”. Coffee can or something similar, add some pennies, nails or other noisy metal items. Dont need a lot. put top on. Take a piece of cardboard, have it stick out a few inches from counter, weight it down w/ can and add something tasty. Idea is that dog will jump up, hit cardboard, and when it falls, so will noisy can. You are nowhere in vicinity. I kept one dog off an entire couch by sitting one can on there - he knew what it was. Give it a try, nothing to lose!

[BuddyRoo]

If you can’t be there to discourage it, then you have to not leave stuff out. I have to tell you, my kitchen is almost always pristine because I have two big dogs. They don’t really even have to work at getting to the counter. It’s in their easy grasp. So I don’t leave stuff out.

Ever.

[Logical]

While I have never had to do this: some mouse traps and newspaper. Set mouse traps cover carefully with newspaper. Doug’s paw touches counter and newspaper setting off mouse traps which make a lot of noise. I have heard it works and have never heard of a repeat offender.

[cnigh]

[QUOTE=Logical;6969923]
While I have never had to do this: some mouse traps and newspaper. Set mouse traps cover carefully with newspaper. Doug’s paw touches counter and newspaper setting off mouse traps which make a lot of noise. I have heard it works and have never heard of a repeat offender.[/QUOTE]

Setting mouse traps? Why would anyone be that cruel to a dog. Counter and garbage surfing is not the dogs problem its the owners. I would never use a shock collar either. They should be banned IMHO. Anyone using mouse traps on dogs should be reported for animal cruelty.

[threedogpack]

how hard are you willing to work at this?

It can be done, but it will take up to a year for reliability.

Most people opt for management (keeping things off the counter).

You might try some scat mats. Don’t know how well it would work, but if management is going to be your method, these will at least reinforce staying off the counters when you aren’t home

[Alagirl]

[QUOTE=cnigh;6970057]
Setting mouse traps? Why would anyone be that cruel to a dog. Counter and garbage surfing is not the dogs problem its the owners. I would never use a shock collar either. They should be banned IMHO. Anyone using mouse traps on dogs should be reported for animal cruelty.[/QUOTE]

LOL, no the traps are not suppose to snap on the dog, just make a noise.
I think one can place them upside down, they still snap shut, but you will be hard pressed to get anything caught in them.

[Polydor]

Couldn’t you just move the water dish to another room when you do have to leave and then shut door to kitchen?

P.

[jherold]

Yep. Mouse traps. They work because something scary happens when the nose hits the counter instead of something good. Of course, if you have a very smart dog, they learn that the mouse traps only snap once! Fortunately most dogs aren’t that wicked smart. I’ve never ahd a dog get stuck with a trap. And considering the dangers of getting into the garbage or on the counter and getting a hold of something toxic or dangerous (ie cooked chicken bones), I think the slight possiblity of a pinched nose is worth the risk. The best thing is that they don’t associate you with what happens.

[cnigh]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;6970139]
LOL, no the traps are not suppose to snap on the dog, just make a noise.
I think one can place them upside down, they still snap shut, but you will be hard pressed to get anything caught in them.[/QUOTE]

Sorry but I still would never do it - upside down or not. You are asking for the dog to get hurt. Mouse traps are designed to snap necks, they work on toes too. It`s animal cruelty plain & simple.

[CVPeg]

Having an Irish Wolfhound, and Labs in the past, can’t suggest any other way except separating the two. I’ve heard the mousetrap suggestion in the past, but a) heard it could hurt (but there was no suggestion of newspaper), or b)wouldn’t have discourgaged the Labs!

I have to do the same when I leave the house. Shut the door to the kitchen. But my dog eats/has water in another back room.

Maybe buy one of those dish strainer liners (the part that goes underneath to catch water) so if you have to put a bowl of water down in a nicer room, hopefully it will contain most of the spillage? Or a cheap kitchen throw rug underneath? That would seem simpler to me than having to move everything off the counters and stove, and buy more secure garbage cans.

[Event4Life]

I think re mousetraps and noise cans it depends on the dogs nature. Mine has fear issues to begin with so I’d never try something like that. She’s tried counter surfing. It was when she was home and mom left a deliccciiiouusss leg of lamb on the countertop to defrost. Whoops, Mom had clearly forgotten how to live with dogs, lol! Now I know she’ll try I just don’t leave anything out. It helps me keep the kitchen clean and less cluttered, which is a good thing because my kitchen is TINY.

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=cnigh;6971945]
Sorry but I still would never do it - upside down or not. You are asking for the dog to get hurt. Mouse traps are designed to snap necks, they work on toes too. It`s animal cruelty plain & simple.[/QUOTE]

Even if the dog doesn’t get hurt, or frightened or any number of other things, the human STILL has to remember to set them every time s/he leaves. If you are going to the trouble of setting them, and you have to remember to do that, wouldn’t it be easier to simply put the food away?

cnigh that was not meant toward you but just in repsonse, probably should have replied to the OP, sorry

[jherold]

No, you don’t have to set them everytime. With my collie, it only took one trap, one time. Something noisy and scary happended when she put her nose on the counter so the nose doesn’t go on the counter ever again. But then she’s a collie…

[Alagirl]

[QUOTE=jherold;6972672]
No, you don’t have to set them everytime. With my collie, it only took one trap, one time. Something noisy and scary happended when she put her nose on the counter so the nose doesn’t go on the counter ever again. But then she’s a collie…[/QUOTE]

LOL, yep.

Some dogs are just too smart…

‘You said I could not counter surf from the right, but I did it from the left!!!’

and the list of excuses is endless…

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=jherold;6972672]
No, you don’t have to set them everytime. With my collie, it only took one trap, one time. Something noisy and scary happended when she put her nose on the counter so the nose doesn’t go on the counter ever again. But then she’s a collie…[/QUOTE]

unless, of course, the dog LOOKS before deciding to counter surf.