Counter Surfing....

[luvsmylilfruitloop]

I'm just lost. i'm sure this has been asked a million times, but i need help with this. Bloomer is awful about it. If i catch her at it. she looks at me, then the mess, then looks away. i think she thinks i cant see her. our house is set up funny. the best place for the dogs, is in the laundry room. but the only way in there is thru the kitchen. i hate to baby gate that area off, or keep them in their room. anyone have any ideas, tricks, ect to help curb this bad habbit of hers?

 

we've cleared off everything in the kitchen. now she goes after anything, not just food. im just at a loss.

[Batmom]

Totally naked countertops and sink.

 

Commit to doing it for a year, and she may give up looking for amusement there.

[Wonder]

muzzle?

[Patclara]

Set her up.

Take many and all metal pans, cookie sheets and lids on the counters and any other place you think she will surf.

Set them up at a precarious angle so that when she hops up with her paws, they come crashing down loudly and scares the stuffing out of her.

Hopefully a few well placed set ups and she will stop.

If you have been are able to catch her at it before, did you scold her loudly, clap hands, stamp feet and yell?

Or?

[Guest SillyIzzysMom]

Millie has a deep and abiding love of bread--and if one of the kids would use some bread and leave the bag on the counter, she would steal it.

 

So. . .one day I got tape and string and about 10 empty coke cans and booby-trapped the bag of bread to when she pulled if off the counter all the cans would come crashing to the floor.

 

The trap worked--it wasn't 10 minutes until I heard the crash. I went to the kitchen expecting to see a cowering dog (Millie is a little shy) but instead I see Millie staring at the mess on the floor, her tail wagging a mile a minute with a huge dog grin on her face.

 

Now, we just try to keep the counters empty of edible items.

[cleptogrey]

go for it! 2 fantastic traps and maybe try keeping her in the kitchen w/ you while you cook. try a down/stay and lots of praise when she is staying w/ you. i also teach dogs not to go in the garbage at the same time as staying away from the counters. i presently have a foster here who went for the chicken....inbetween my body and arm as i was cutting it up! a swift turn and body block moved her out of the way and a loud WRONG....she was shocked. i invited her back into the kitchen and then started praise when she was just standing and watching, not grabbing. she ignores the counter and has quickly learned that the fridge is not her domain at the same time. the lab i board has learned the same and is fantastic here (not at home) leaving food alone while i prep a meal or bake. i do keep all my couters free of food.

[Guest zoolaine]

Millie has a deep and abiding love of bread--and if one of the kids would use some bread and leave the bag on the counter, she would steal it.

 

So. . .one day I got tape and string and about 10 empty coke cans and booby-trapped the bag of bread to when she pulled if off the counter all the cans would come crashing to the floor.

 

The trap worked--it wasn't 10 minutes until I heard the crash. I went to the kitchen expecting to see a cowering dog (Millie is a little shy) but instead I see Millie staring at the mess on the floor, her tail wagging a mile a minute with a huge dog grin on her face.

 

Now, we just try to keep the counters empty of edible items.

 

 

:rotfl Millie, you crack me up!!!!! Zali is my counter surfer and is very bad. I can't tell you how many times I have found silverware in the bed! And forget about leaving bananas on the counter. The other day I found a nasty, half eaten, black banana down in the folds of the couch. That girl loves fruit! I am going to try the empty cans and pans to try and scare her. She is pretty chicken so I hope it works.

[luvsmylilfruitloop]

Bloomer finds herself very confused, by the pots n pans. cant understand why mommy has these things in her way. she hasnt set the traps off yet... my kitchen looks like i havnt done dishes for days... lol

[Guest whimzical]

Jonsey was a big counter surfer, I used the soda cans - a bages - string - and a cotton ball with listern on it. I filled the soda cans with a few pennies, tied a string to the bagel and attached it to the cans so that when Jonsey went for the bagel the cans would come crashing down. while he was out side i set it up and a few min after he came in the house he took the bait, well the cans came crashing and the he went running out of the kitchen. Jonsey is a big boy his nose is level with the kitchen counter so i did leave one can on each counter as a reminder. for Christmas we went to my sil for the day, i brought the cans to put on her counter (knowing there would be lots of food) nothing was touched.

Good Luck!!!

 

ps the listren is to use for a sent reminder

Edited January 16, 2010 by whimzical

[jenn8]

I know you said the best place for Bloomer was in the laundry room but it might be worth a try to see how she does in a different room. Perhaps one that she spends most of her time in or seems most comfortable in? I think my dog would have a huge temper tantrum if I left him anywhere but "his" living room and could not have a good hissy fit without destroying something. He does really well otherwise.

 

Jenn

[Guest TBSFlame]

My hounds have taught me to keep my counters clean and my shoes put away.

 

 

[Guest SusanP]

Just curious--what were you doing in the past when you caught her counter-surfing?

[Guest BeakerBoy]

I hope that you're able to get the counter surfing under control! I was worried about that when I got Beaker since I'd always heard that greys have a well-known habit of doing that. But Beaker isn't the biggest fan of the kitchen floor, so he's only in there when he needs to be (eating/drinking, walking through on his way to the basement, etc.), so I haven't had to worry about counter surfing.

[Guest spider9174]

This was the recommendation from a trainer I worked with:

 

string empty soda cans together. In a couple of the cans, you can put some pennies. then leave a couple of feet of string and attach the end to something she'd go after--some bait. push the cans to the back of the counter. She goes up to get the "bait". When shes on the way down or on the ground, the cans will come down. You want to make sure the string at the end is long enough that she is on the floor before she sees the cans fall.

 

muzzling works well too.

 

the best solution...clear counters.

 

I have a master surfer. the best thing to do is just don't have anything up there that will be pulled down.

[luvsmylilfruitloop]

Bloomer found hersef very confused by the traps. not enought to keep her down. when she set the first off, it was a nice stack of lite weight of cookie sheets n mixing bowls. she hit our living room like a ton of bricks, looking at us like... Holy cr@p what was that?... now i keep just the cookie shhet up by the sink. the pop cans dont seem to bother her, but after reading the above reply, i just might tie something to the end so maybe when she goes for the "treat" there will be a BIG surprise at the end.

 

thanks all. i just love GT!