Counter Surfing And Garbage Raiding

[southerngirl]

Piper's driving me nuts we have know had her for three months and all those three months when she has gotten on the counter. She has been called of and told good girl, hands clapped than praise, stomping, timeout, NONE have worked AT all. She hasn't gotten better, she'll even do it when I'm in the kitchen with her. Yes, you're probably thinking keep the food up, well it's no that easy when your trying to get five other people to keep food up. Also we have to hand wash dishes so we'll have a stack of plate on the counter to be washed, and other dishes. I have also tried Kikopups way it did not work.

Garbage it's the same as the counter. All I can say is Piper is very very stubborn, hard headed dog.
Please help. I can't turn my back without her getting into one or the other.

 

[brody_smom]

Unfortunately, if she is being reinforced for the behavior, it's going to continue. If you can't keep food and dirty dishes out of reach, then you have to keep her away from the kitchen, or put her on a leash so she can be controlled. The more chances she gets to rehearse the behavior, the more it's going to happen. Keep working on the "leave it" exercises, increase the value of the food you use to tempt her, and give really good reinforcement for making the choice to "leave it" without being told. Also, teaching her a really strong down and sit as control positions (meaning, she doesn't ever get up from a down or a sit until you give her a release cue) will be very useful, and you can practice this in the kitchen with food on the counters as well to test the strength of her self-control.

 

[southerngirl]

Thank you.
I was able to teach this to Missy easily, but Piper seems to be very determined that she will do what she wants.

 

[jackienmutts]

Brodysmom is right. Piper is being rewarded every time she succeeds. And since she's a determined dog, you're "upping" her game a bit, so she's gotta get better and faster and sneakier at it! The best thing you can do is manage her and the counter. Hard to do, yes (esp with a houseful of people) - but to try to teach her not to counter-surf, with people giving her every opportunity to do so, and then her being rewarded for doing it, is just futile. It's a losing proposition for both of you - you get frustrated (moreso every time she does it), she gets reinforced and better at it (moreso every time she does it), and what eventually may happen is that since she's doing it, Missy may join in the fun (cuz hey, what's fair and fun for one, is fair and fun for all!).

Good suggestion by Brodysmom - start working on "going to mat" (and staying there) when things are going on in the kitchen. She'll learn good self-control (altho don't expect wonders at first). Also, can you maybe make the kitchen "off limits" for her (would that be unreasonable) during/after mealtimes? Don't give up/keep working on "off" and HIGH value reward for not counter surfing (just even looking in that direction, "Off", or "uh-uh", she changes her mind (just looks away for a split second), and HUGE reward tossed away from counter), maybe leashing her to you or someplace, or crating her, when there's kitchen activity - lots of things to keep her out of the "line of heavy fire". My guess, she's probably a pretty tall girl, isn't she? .. and the counter is fairly near her nose and mouth? So many wonderful things and temptations there just waiting to be grabbed!! Remember - the less chance she has to practice, the "less good at it" she'll become. Right now, she's a champion, she's practicing a lot. You know in life - the more you practice at anything, the better you become. Take away her opportunities to practice. Management is key.

Don't give up, keep at it -- it's all part of the "joys of puppyhood".

 

[southerngirl]

While dinner is being made she is not allowed in the kitchen unless I'm the one making it because that way I can keep an eye on her. She is not allowed in the kitchen while we're eating either and after dinner she stays in my room with me until the food is put away. I need to work on boundaries or put down some kind of mat for her to go to while the kitchen is busy because right now I'm being lazy by tying a leash to the leg of the couch while were eating. The living room is connected to the kitchen by two open doorways on either side of a wall.
And Piper is 22 inches tall so yes the couch is pretty close to her nose
Thank you so much for all the help. I will start working on off, leave it and rewarding her for deciding not to get on the counter.
Ha joys of puppyhood She may make my hair turn gray and I'm only 19. Puppies are a handful I really had forgotten my last one was about 3 years ago.

 

[kassidybc]

Sorry, I'm not much help with the counter surfing problem, but Chloe is a big garbage raider. You can always take the simple way out. A child lock.

 

[brody_smom]

While dinner is being made she is not allowed in the kitchen unless I'm the one making it because that way I can keep an eye on her. She is not allowed in the kitchen while we're eating either and after dinner she stays in my room with me until the food is put away. I need to work on boundaries or put down some kind of mat for her to go to while the kitchen is busy because right now I'm being lazy by tying a leash to the leg of the couch while were eating. The living room is connected to the kitchen by two open doorways on either side of a wall.
And Piper is 22 inches tall so yes the couch is pretty close to her nose
Thank you so much for all the help. I will start working on off, leave it and rewarding her for deciding not to get on the counter.
Ha joys of puppyhood She may make my hair turn gray and I'm only 19. Puppies are a handful I really had forgotten my last one was about 3 years ago.

Your house layout sounds a lot like mine. Our kitchen is galley style, like a hallway with counters on either side. I learned pretty quickly with Brody never to leave food on one of the counters and turn my back on it... he would steal it! He sniffs relentlessly at the edge of the counter while I am chopping food, and even cooking on the stove, so if he doesn't learn quickly, he's going to get his nose cut or burned. We have been working on the controlled sits and downs, but if things get hectic, he goes to his crate. Other family members have to be trained too. No leaving food out, and if they don't wash their used dishes right away, (we don't have a dishwasher either) at least scrape and rinse them off so there is no temptation for him. Not a bad habit for people to learn anyway, right?

 

[southerngirl]

Piper has already figured out how hot a pan is she shoved a hot pot with her nose and ran, thankfully it didn't burn her.
I don't crate her because she seems to have separation anxiety and I'm working on that currently.
If only the family could be trained. Maybe I should give them a treat every time they was a dish. Everyone is suppose to wash any dish they use, but my brothers don't Out of the 6 people in my house me and my 17 year old brother are the main dishwashers. I miss the dishwasher so so much.