Smooth Ways to Stop Dog Counter Surfing

If your dog is channeling his inner scavenger every time there’s food laying around a kitchen table or counter then you’ve got a problem on your hands. Dog counter surfing is usually the offspring of being rewarded for engaging in such behavior.

Dogs are insanely curious souls.

If your dog has been rewarded for being a snoop, especially with tasty foods and treats, then he’ll always be on the lookout for more opportunities to win awesome goodies.

If you punish and yell at your dog, then you can expect him to pull out all the stops when you’re not around or not looking. Overreacting or using aversive strategies won’t do much to resolve the matter in an encouraging way.

Before we get into how to deal with dogs jumping on counters, lets discuss some of the methods you can use to prevent this from happening in the first place.

Prevention & Maintenance

Whenever a puppy or new dog enters your home, you should always start by laying down the ground rules in a way that clearly shows this new member of your household how to behave.

You can do this very effectively by managing access and giving your dog a crash course on proper house etiquette. This is done primarily with some positive crate training and supervision when Curious George is out exploring his surroundings.

Your dog should never succeed at being rewarded for counter surfing. A few victorious attempts can be curbed with some quick training but, repeated occurrences can lead to bad ‘dog on counter’ habits that are very tough to kick. I will discuss how to deal appropriately with a professional dog counter surfer in just a bit.

Whenever your dog is crated, there are no worries. When your dog is out roaming (perhaps after a nice outdoor potty break) you should have your eyes on him at all times. Keep him leashed to your waist or tied close by if needed. Allow your pup the chance to play and explore but always in a manner than allows for constructive feedback from you – his teacher.

When your dog is around the kitchen or when you’re preparing food, always reward and praise whenever he is calm or resting close by and not obsessing over the food.

If you’ve already taught the down command, you can ask for it and reward with a nice treat and praise.

If he’s being really good and minding his business, you can occasionally toss a tasty morsel from the table or counter. Offering treats in the kitchen or at the table is perfectly fine if you’re reinforcing the right behavior. This should of course be avoided if your dog is harassing you or guests and stalking for kitchen table scraps. In this event, you’re encouraging your dog to harass for food.

If your dog jumps up or attempts to get a taste when it’s not appropriate, you can ignore it as long as he doesn’t succeed at grabbing anything. Then get right back to reinforcing the relaxed, down behavior with maximum rewards. If the behavior is excessive, you can opt to use a time out in a crate or keep your dog tethered close by where he can’t reach. After a short while, you can release him and treat for not jumping.

Using positive reinforcement in this instance won’t take long at all. You can have a fairly calm and relaxed dog, with no intention to counter surf, in a matter of days. It’s all about how effectively you reward your dog for showing good manners around the kitchen table and counters.

This is by far the best way to transform a dog on counter into a dog on four legs.

Leave It Cue!

This cue is really helpful with curbing dog counter surfing. You should setup a few training sessions with food in plain sight.

Keep your dog on leash and approach say, the coffee table with a sandwich on it. Get close enough and see what happens. If your dog looks at you for an ok or ignores the food, praise heavily and treat.

Repeat this exercise a few times and slowly incorporate the “Leave It” cue and keep rewarding for the right behavior output. Take the time to setup different situations with different foods to tighten up the response.

You can of course use whatever vocal cue you like, including “no touch” or “not for you” or “no, that’s not yours!” or any other easy command.

You’ll teach your dog that “leaving it” provides extreme benefits like treats and heavy praise.

“If I touch the Pizza, Mom and Dad won’t be happy and I might get a time out. If I wait patiently and let them eat peacefully, I usually get a couple of pieces of tasty crust. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” } Halle

This is also something you should keep working on. Don’t assume that a few successful trials will keep Fido off the Birthday Cake. It’s unfortunately not that simple.

Supervision is vital and several weeks or even months of good dog training and practice will yield the results you’re looking for.

Halle has learned to be really awesome around food for the most part. I wouldn’t necessarily leave food around her intentionally but she has truly exceptional dining table manners and is a real lady when she’s near our food. Her picnic etiquette is also pretty strong and that makes us really proud!

Dealing with an Obnoxious Counter Surfing Pro!

I’m not calling YOUR dog obnoxious. I’m calling his food stealing antics obnoxious. He just needs guidance, direction and a different perspective, that’s all.

If your dog has turned his counter surfing into a habit then you’ve got a little more work cut out for you.

Starting right now, you have to make sure you never leave any food or enticing items laying around for your dog to snatch. I’m very serious when I say NEVER!

Keep food stored, keep your counters extra clean, and garbages on wrap. Be extra vigilant when you’re preparing food. Keep your dishwasher closed at all times. You have to remove any and all chances for your dog to win any trophies as a counter surfing professional. He can play all he wants but No Winning!

This will naturally slow him down because your dog won’t enjoy playing if there’s nothing in it for him.

There are other variable and factors of course. I recommend reading our thorough Stop Puppy Jumping article for some in-depth insights on how you can prevent your dog from jumping on counters and furniture.

Then, depending on your situation, I would recommend praising your dog and offering treats whenever he settles down around food. Because we’re dealing with habit, the very first good reinforceable occurrences might take some time. Be patient and stick with it. Once you’ve rewarded the appropriate behavior a few times, your dog will slowly shift his behavior in accordance with your expectations.

If he’s just too much too handle, then keep him close, tethered to your waist, so you can kindly instruct him on what you expect of him now that you’re actively working on this problem. Never punish or lose control. Be calm, patient and instructive. Whenever your dog is resting around you or when you’re eating or preparing food, praise and treat. Let him know how proud you are of his progress.

You should also seriously consider using some of the techniques I mentioned earlier to teach a “Leave It” command. This will be golden to help your dog learn to change his ways.

But when all is said and done, here are the 3 most powerful rules to kick your dog’s counter surfing habit:

1. No more prizes! Remove all food and items that might encourage your dog to engage in counter surfing. Don’t leave anything to chance and make sure the entire family is on board.

2. Your dog should always be under strict supervision so that you can provide feedback and rewards for behaving the right way.

3. Keep using positive reinforcement to improve your dog’s manners tenfold. You want to use really high value treats and lots of praise whenever your dog behaves in a way that is in line with house rules.

You really have to stick to it! I can assure you that your dog WILL come around. Take the time to sit down with your family and create a game plan that incorporates the 3 rules above with consistency.

We know how annoying a counter surfer can be! There’s nothing like a vanishing sandwich or precious dessert that ends up in your dog’s belly when you look away. Speak your mind in the comment section below and share your stories.

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