Dogs And Counter Surfing

I have worked with many dogs on counter surfing.  I must say that the training in someone else’s home is much easier than it is in my own!  Giving advice can be so much simpler than applying it! Teaching a dog that food on the counter is not for them is challenging at its best.

One product/tool I used with great success was the Tattle Tale.  It is a small box that sits on the counter and emits a very high pitched tone when it senses warmth and movement; i.e., a dog’s schnoz!  Some dogs merely find it annoying.  Violet, a large Great Dane, was terrified of it.  In fact, she wouldn’t go in a room if it was anywhere in sight.  Oh, if it were that easy.

Rather than go into other training tips, here’s my advice.  Ready?  Keep things pushed back and off the counters or keep the dog(s) out of the kitchen.  That is probably the only way to achieve 100% success.  Unless, of course, you have a dog like my Zoe that would not even consider doing something as barbaric as scouring the counters for human food.

The dog in this picture pretty much confirms my thoughts and takes counter surfing to a whole new level.