First step is to change your perspective.
It's not "dishonest" behavior. It's reinforcing for the dog to eat free food and lie on comfortable surfaces. Your dog is a dog, not a judging ethical being.
Your dog doesn't know he's 'wrong'. Dogs have no concept of right or wrong. All your dog has learned is it's not safe to do it when you're home, and to be appeasing (the famous 'guilty' look) when you are mad at him. He's scared of your punishments.
Crate him when you're gone. You're right in that it's not actively training him what to do, but it prevents the unwanted behavior. Prevention goes a long ways towards eliminating a habit. Or, close the doors to the bedroom, put a sheet on the couch that the dog is allowed to go on, and keep the counters clean. That would be a compromise.
Meantime, teach the dog to strongly enjoy being on his own bed or other appropriate spaces. Hide dog-appropriate treats, toys, and chews in spaces where you want him to be if you are going for the compromise option.
These behaviors may go away over time, or they may be permanent. Unfortunately punishment often masks behaviors. I used to think and train similarly and also got stuck. How to you modify a behavior when your dog is too scared to do it in front of you? Sometimes, you don't. My compromise... I keep my trash under a cabinet.
It's not "dishonest" behavior. It's reinforcing for the dog to eat free food and lie on comfortable surfaces. Your dog is a dog, not a judging ethical being.
Your dog doesn't know he's 'wrong'. Dogs have no concept of right or wrong. All your dog has learned is it's not safe to do it when you're home, and to be appeasing (the famous 'guilty' look) when you are mad at him. He's scared of your punishments.
Crate him when you're gone. You're right in that it's not actively training him what to do, but it prevents the unwanted behavior. Prevention goes a long ways towards eliminating a habit. Or, close the doors to the bedroom, put a sheet on the couch that the dog is allowed to go on, and keep the counters clean. That would be a compromise.
Meantime, teach the dog to strongly enjoy being on his own bed or other appropriate spaces. Hide dog-appropriate treats, toys, and chews in spaces where you want him to be if you are going for the compromise option.
These behaviors may go away over time, or they may be permanent. Unfortunately punishment often masks behaviors. I used to think and train similarly and also got stuck. How to you modify a behavior when your dog is too scared to do it in front of you? Sometimes, you don't. My compromise... I keep my trash under a cabinet.
