[Keechak]

Well I have been meaning to post on this issue for quite some time just to see if you guys have any suggestions for me.

My darling perfect angel, Kechara, has but one flaw, she's a counter surfer. And we handled it totaly wrong when she was younger. When my mother or I would get home and would find a wrapper on the floor She would imediatly get scruffed and givin a muzzle slap and shown the object.

*rolls eyes* Yes I know we screwed up big time with that. Now adays I never scold her for doing it because I figure "I know she's a counter surfer so it was my fault for not putting the *insert food* away"

We still know if she counter surfed while we were gone however because on days that we just happen to forget to put some food away, we come home and Kechara is no place to be found, she hides. When you do find her she has her bellie to the foor with a very fearful look on her face.

Just today I left an empty dog treat bag on the counter (instead of throwing it in the trash like a normal person) and when I came home she was actually there to greet me. I petted her we went outside for an hour and did some backyard Agility with her and Hawk and then we came in for a relax time.

I noticed the treat bag on the floor in the living room and just rolled my eyes and thought "Yep it was Kechara" and I got up and picked it up to throw it away. Well as soon as I picked it up Kechara ran into the other room and did her bellie crawling.

I'm just so stumped, she seems to actually know that taking stuff off the counter is wrong, at least taking it off the counter and leaving it on the floor.

Is a scat mat the only way to get her to stop because we don't have the money for that. Or are we doomed to forever checking the counter and putting all the food out of reach before we go, or have her eat it.

I can train her to do everything else but this. Which makes me mad at my self.

 

[Curbside Prophet]

No, the scat mat is not the only way for this owner-absent behavior. Strategically placed cookies sheets, such that they fall and make a loud noise if she jumps on the counter is one way. So too office desk mats turned upside down so the little pokers stick up.

But yes, you are doomed to always put edibles away.

 

[hulkamaniac]

I'm eager to see what other people say as well. I have a basset hound who is a horrible counter cruiser. I've tried leash corrections on him and got him to where if I'm directly looking at him he usually won't try it. If I just turn my back, he's off to the races. Consequently he can't be loose inside when I'm cooking and I have to be extremely careful as he's also a big chewer and anything he finds of interest on my counter is a goner.

 

[Keechak]

The only owner absent correction method I've tryed is by taking a piece of bread and spraying the bread all over with bitter apple. well she still ate that.
I set up a camera to catch her too and within 30 seconds of me shutting the garage door she had her front paws up on the counters looking for some goodies.

I wont crate her. She is the only reliable guard dog we have right now. Jack and her are both allowed the run of the house. but Jack is deaf and wouldn't know if someone was trying to break in. And I still don't trust Hawk enough to leave him uncrated for more than a half hour.

 

[Mdawn]

Uallis had a tendency to counter surf. He was banned from being in the kitchen unsupervised. When we aren't home, he's crated so then its not a problem. I don't know if he would still try to counter surf or not now (he's still banned...lol)...I think that he probably wouldn't unless we weren't around. He's easily redirected verbally...so just saying his name is enough to make him stop doing something. Uallis is very good at displaying appropriate behavior when we are around...when we're not around...that's a different story. Sometimes I think that he believes, "what they don't know, won't hurt them.." Of course, what he has yet to figure out is that we always find out...lol

 

[Lil Red Express]

Sounds like your counter tops are like a deli or bakery . What do you all keep on there anyways ? If you look at the 'missing pizza' thread a few days ago you will see I had a bad roast beef incident. From that day on ALL counter tops here are dog proofed . No exceptions .

 

[Inga]

I have heard people put the safer mouse traps with a playing card attached. It is not to snap the dog, just startle them when they get up to the counter top. Not sure how it works for sure. I know my dogs wouldn't be impressed by that.
It is just good to know that though Kechara is near perfect... she has at least one little teeny weeny thing wrong with her. Gives the rest of us hope.

 

[Keechak]

I have heard people put the safer mouse traps with a playing card attached. It is not to snap the dog, just startle them when they get up to the counter top. Not sure how it works for sure. I know my dogs wouldn't be impressed by that.
It is just good to know that though Kechara is near perfect... she has at least one little teeny weeny thing wrong with her. Gives the rest of us hope.

LOL all must bow to her perfection. haha.

I do have two snap traps mouse traps with plastic plats on the snapper parts. but once she sets them off she goes back later to get the food.

We often will leave a small tub of butter, or a box of crackers on the counter. these are the things she gets. if we forget to put them out of reach

 

[Marsh Muppet]

I once baited the garbage can with a choice selection of refuse, and placed mousetraps over it. The dog (male Rotty) got snapped and skittered out of the room. A little while later, I heard snapping traps but no skittering. I snuck in and witnessed the dog taking objects off the kitchen table and dropping them onto the traps to set them off. Once he learned to do this, he would set off mousetraps (the ones we set for mice) to lick the peanut butter offa them. That dog was pure evil.

 

[Dog Tracks]

Sounds like some of these dogs deserve to have educational initials after their names...Kechara, MCS (Master of Counter Surfing).

If there was any doubt that a dog can "learn", this should put it to rest!

(Mabel's favorite learned behavior is to go within 4 feet of her electric fence, where she gets the beep-beep-beep but not the shock. She's figured out she can run down the battery in just a few hours. Too smart!)

 

[Nargle]

Lol, it took me a while to figure out that "counter surfing" wasn't actual surfing, like on an ocean wave, but like... backwards XD

 

[Keechak]

I should put the video I took of her stealing the bitter apple piece of bread up on YouTube

 

[rosborn]

teach her to throw her trash in the garbage .... then she won't get into trouble ... LOL it will be fun for you and her!!!

 

[Lolas_Dad]

I once baited the garbage can with a choice selection of refuse, and placed mousetraps over it. The dog (male Rotty) got snapped and skittered out of the room. A little while later, I heard snapping traps but no skittering. I snuck in and witnessed the dog taking objects off the kitchen table and dropping them onto the traps to set them off. Once he learned to do this, he would set off mousetraps (the ones we set for mice) to lick the peanut butter offa them. That dog was pure evil.

Pure evil? I would say he was pretty smart.

 

[winniec777]

No, the scat mat is not the only way for this owner-absent behavior. Strategically placed cookies sheets, such that they fall and make a loud noise if she jumps on the counter is one way. So too office desk mats turned upside down so the little pokers stick up.

But yes, you are doomed to always put edibles away.

If you don't have an office desk mat, try using your car/truck floor mats. They also have a nubby surface that dogs don't like. We had my SUV mats on our couch for a month or so when Poca was a pup -- kept her off the couch. Worked like a charm.

 

[Layladog]

I haven't actually tried this, but plan to as I have a bit of a counter surfer as well...

My dog HATES bitter apple spray. What if you put some things up there and sprayed them with that? Your dog might start to think (after awhile) that things on the counter taste bad and are not worth eating.

 

[Keechak]

I haven't actually tried this, but plan to as I have a bit of a counter surfer as well...

My dog HATES bitter apple spray. What if you put some things up there and sprayed them with that? Your dog might start to think (after awhile) that things on the counter taste bad and are not worth eating.

I tyed baiting her with a piece of bread sprayed with bitter apple and she ate it anyhow. (yuck)

 

[Trelaboon]

What you should do; is smother a piece of bread in peanut butter, and then roll it around in lightning bugs. Those thigns taste horrendous....when I was a kid I accidentally tried one and thought it was the most bitter thing ever haha. Then I immediately gave one to my dog (who also ate anything) he acted like a can of bitter apple blew up in his mouth....

(This is a joke obviously...but my dog *did* hate that lightning bug)

 

[Keechak]

hmm now all I gotta do to wait till July and then go out lightning bug catching