Dog Training Counter Surfing

Kathy santo a dog trainer and columnist for akc family dog recommends the following when dealing with a counter surfing dog.

Dog training counter surfing.

Some basic obedience training will also build respect and strengthen the bond you and your dog share. To start training your dog to leave it go somewhere quiet and less exciting to the dog than the kitchen. Training your dog to not jump up on counters in search of food is all about. Therefore unless you are right there to supervise what is going on the kitchen counter and table should be kept completely clear.

Blocking access to places where food is left out by using baby gates or putting the dog in another room when you have company means there is no opportunity for your. Dog counter surfing is a pretty typical behavior for medium to large breed dogs. To discourage counter surfing there are a couple behaviors you can teach your dog. Let s look at it from the dog s perspective.

Counter surfing is a very common dog behavior problem and for some dog owners it seems the most difficult to deal with. His nose reaches up followed by his front paws. Counter surfing just like chasing objects is a type of dog behavior that we see as a problem but that in reality is a perfectly natural and normal. As the old saying goes.

This is a video on how to train your dog not to surf the counters or in other words put their paws up and eat food and items that are on your counters. Leave it is a useful cue for many situations not the least of which is managing counter surfing. Remove the opportunity make sure nothing not even crumbs is on the. He smells something tasty in the air and that incredible canine nose leads him to the counter.

But most importantly there are better and more humane ways to address the counter surfing behavior. Keep counters clear. The most realistic solution to counter surfing is to use a combination of management and training techniques to make it easy for your dog to avoid temptation. The first step to putting an end to counter surfing involves training for you rather than for your dog.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Obedience training is the key to preventing and solving most behavior problems including counter surfing and other thieving behavior.