Im raising a thief

[Shotze's Mom]

Lately, it seems, Shotzes countersurfing has gotten out of control. Last night she stole a piece of pizza. I made sure I moved it to the far back of the counter but the little turd still got it. Every time I turn around her nose is sniffing everything on the countertop trying to find something else to steal. She ate rotten milk out of one of the kids ceral bowls. (they had forgotten it in their room...YUK!) She has stolen my pot holders, licked countless dirty plates left beside the sink, and God only knows what else. If she goes missing, thats where she is...surfing down the counter trying to find something.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to break her of this habit? I tried spraying the countertops with bitter apple, but it doesnt seem to bother her.

Kat and Shotze the sneak

 

[Scorpio]

Well, the way I would do it would be to put something on the counter and tell her NO!! OFF! just like getting her to stay. When she objeys praise praise and treats.

 

[kirabug]

Stealing!

Kira has stolen raw steaks off the counter before...they were getting ready for the grill, full New York Stirips. She did this a couple of times and the only way I got her to stop is busting her in the act, and her getting sent to her room for a really long time out! Ever since, no more counter surfing...but I should also state that Kira takes getting in trouble so personally (it makes me cry) and being SENT to her room...she hates it more than anything!
I hope you find a good solution!

Ang & Kira

 

[cl2ysta1]

oh those days.. my border collie used to be a pro at that.. we'd see him licking his lips coming out of teh kitchen and knew wut happened... we tried setting him up with a peice of chicken marinaded in REALLY HOT SAUCE.. didnt phase him... eventually busting him in the act fixed it.... b ut it took more3 than one punishment!

 

[BeckyNC]

Schotze's mom--I read on BW several months back that if you put double-sided tape near the edges of your counter tops for a little while it should deter a dog from countersurfing. The dog jumps up and puts it's paws on the tape and finds she's sticking a bit to the tape. She doesn't like that sensation and stays away. You then remove the tape.

 

[Az Boxr Lovr]

Hi. We basically stopped putting any food products on our counters. That stopped the counter surfing because no food = no reward. Besides, my kitchen looks a lot cleaner now!
Cheryl

 

[Shotze's Mom]

I think Ill try the double-sided tape. It would be really hard for me to keep all the food off the cabinet. I bust her at it all the time and give a stern "off". She just rolls her eyes, gets off, then 15 minutes later she is at it again. It isnt just food. She chewed up a plastic bowl yesterday and a plastic tumbler the day before.

 

[tcarlisle]

Yeah, it may be unrealistic to keep food in a place the dog can reach, and expect him to not go after it. If you are storing foor within reach, then you are reinforcing the behavior of counter surfing. And since food is typically the highest form of reward, well, then he is going to develop a strong tendancy to continue that behavior.

Once the reinforcement has been removed, the behavior will go away. It is not comfortable for the dog to jump up and put paws on the countertops, so if he has no beneift in doing it he won't.

Please be careful about using any form of negative method, even non-physical like verbal scolding. If the dog is gettging the food because it is left in his reach, unsupervised, then that is not his fault and scolding is not fair. I am not implying that you scold, I am throwing this in for anyone that reads this thread in the future looking for answers

If this is an issue where he is jumping up for food you are preparing, in your presence, and you never leave food out -- then this is an issue of leadership. The dog probably does not know you are the leader, and your food is not his.

My dog has never counter surfed, and in fact I can prepare a plate of food and put it on the living room table (well within his reach without having to jump up) and I can leave it there for a few minutes without him even thinking of touching it. This is not something I specifically trained, but just sort of developed.

But, recently I have taken on a cat, and the cat countersurfs becuase things that are kept high enough that the dog can't get it, the cat can. So they are a team -- the cat gets it down and they both enjoy it. Well, training any animal to not do this is futile, but especially a cat. Yeah, I view cats as less trainable than dogs

So the solution is to not put food where the cat can get it either. Of course the cat doesn't walk the countertops either anymore.

Interestingly, the cat used to beg and even try to steal food while I eat, but he doesn't anymore. Why? Because I have never ever given the cat a piece of my food, and I have never ever let him be successful in taking a piece.

Likewise my wife complains that the dog drools and begs while she eats -- yet she also likes to give him a piece of her food. Well, there you go -- that reinforces the begging.

Sometimes I find it easier to train the animals than my w.... I had better stop right there!

 

[Rlr.Giraffe]

Contradicting the last post, we were told to say "off" when we catch Willis counter surfing and then reinforce the good behaviour of all four paws on the floor. This is also how we deal with jumping in general, and slowly he is catching onto the notion that four paws on floor= good, two paws=bad. While I know it is our fault for leaving food within reach, I think it is also important that we have a command that he listens to that makes him get all paws on the ground quickly.

That being said, we also make sure to keep food out of reach, and that includes keeping the counters free of crumbs. Willis has also gotten a slice of pizza, which was actually funny because he didn't know what to do with it, so he started to lick all the toppings off very slowly instead of chowing down. He will also surf for my personal items like glasses, brushes etc. not just food as a reward, so now we have a really tidy house!!! These kids... how frustrating they can be!

 

[Shotze's Mom]

Yeah, its not just food. Its ANYTHING she can get her teeth on. As I mentioned, potholders are her target also. She is the worse while Im cooking, so I have added a gate to the kitchen entrance to protect the food Im preparing and discourage her. It isnt working all that well, now she stands at the gate and barks at me while I cook. Im cursed with a small kitchen and not alot of counter space, so cleaning the counter off completely is impossible. The gate will work until school starts and I can get some "house cleaning" time in. Im gonna combo the double sided tape and cleaning off the counter as best I can. DH might have to add on to the kitchen somehow. .

Thanks for the advice!!!!