Counter Surfer: 'Gee, That Pumpkin Bread Was Good!'
I need some help with a dedicated counter surfer. We've taken steps to move things back out of Panda's reach... well, hmmm... most of the time. Panda is almost a year old and we've had her about a month. She's gotten the bones twice and a bowl of dog food that was set out for the next meal a couple of times. All are now on top of the microwave. I would really like to train her to simply leave it like the other girls do. Is this do-able or am I dreaming? Last night she feasted on half a loaf of pumpkin bread  while I let 2 of the other girls outside to do their business. I came back in and, oh yeah... she was one very happy and satisfied sheepie-girl while she was cleaning up the floor. Just relieved she didn't eat the plastic bag too!  Do I need to add she slept soundly through the night? Thank goodness she didn't get the poops.
Will we always need to have nothing on the counter or will she eventually learn to "leave it" with consistency ? I've never had a counter surfer so if anyone has ideas on how to stop this hobby of Panda's, please let me know. Wouldn't you think a sheepie with severe hip dysplasia would stay on all 4's? Geez! Thanks! |
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| Jaclin,
My only experience with a counter surfer is my parents' sheepie, Maggie, who is 8 and still going strong as a CS. I would say she has become more selective and adept at grabbing things than in her younger days. We've all tried to stop her, and if we're there, obviously she won't, but if we're gone for a second, literally, she can grab a single item off the counter, not even disturbing the plate... So....I would say, just learn to keep everything back. From the start with Barney, since we knew the habits of my parents' dog, we kept all items, food and anything else that might seem interesting, out of reach and off counters and I don't think I've ever seen him even get up to look on the counter. Probably not what you wanted to hear...but it keeps out kitchen cleaner! Good luck! |
| OMG I Love your avatar!
You need to associate her habit with something not so nice. Spying on her may help--as soon as she looks like she will do it, yell, scream, yelp, or put some coins in a can and shake them, jingle your keys, anything to get her attention. Just some ideas! Good luck! |
| I too have had my share of great counter surfers........and currently have another. No food on counters, tops of refrigerators, etc. It's a hard lesson to learn (and I'm still trying). Be creative.........maybe a "bread box" approach...any counter food must be kept in a secured bread box. Nothing short of pad lock for some dogs. Store in refrigerator. I don't use my dishwasher, so that's where some items are kept.
There are the training pads that screech when touched, or mousetraps. Of course we should have trained the dogs not to enter the kitchen at all....but a little late now. |
Oh goodness! I have some stories  I could tell but I'll save them for another day since you are asking for advice. These pups are bound and determined.
We have extremely clean countertops as there isn't anything on them anymore. No matter how far you push food to the back, how slippery you think your counter top is, how deep you think you're sink is...the OES will get to the food. We often put baked goods and bread in the top cabinets, inside the microwave, or in the oven to keep them safe. You need to be very careful and proactive as the contents of the food might not be harmful, but the wrappers or alumnimum foil they are in can be. Just think..your OES can teach you to have a very clean uncluttered kitchen that your friends and family will marvel at!  |
| My Cody is getting very good at counter surfing..And helping himself to the food on the dining room table.It was actually pretty funny..My brother had cooked hamburgers.Made sure everyone got one and one extra just in case.He turned around to get some fixins,back around to his plate.No sign of Cody.. (I had seen him take off).I told my brother he hadn't put a burger on his plate yet..he thought he had lost his mind..Anyways! It was funny at the time..gotta love um.... |
| Once they have discovered that they CAN get stuff off the counter it is very difficult to stop them. You need to make it rewarding for them NOT to counter-surf. Bosley does not sniff counters, tables very much, or even try to get into the garbage if it is left out. This is how we have trained him from a pup. When we are in the kitchen at the counter he never got anything "from the counter" when he was standing or sitting. If I was making sandwiches (I don't cook, do wouldnt' be doing much else in the kitchen) I would ask him to lay down, then wait a few seconds and give him a piece of whatever I had. He has tasted lettuce, cheese, friut, bread, all kinds of veggies etc. but only when laying down on the floor. So we get the best of both worlds. He doesn't steal, becasue he gets whatever he wants when he lays down, and I have a polite dog that lays down on the floor AWAY FROM THE COUNTER when there is cooking or something going on. All good things come from ME. Mind you I do give him little bits quite often, to keep him primed up for this, but it is well worth the effort. And I also control what it is that he gets, and sometimes now it is just a bit of kibble, or boring potatoe peel, but heh, it works. With an older dog what you will need to do is phase out the opportunity for the dog to reward himself by stealing, and make it beter for him to lay down and get rewarded that way, so food needs to be put away so they can't get it, and start rewarding then with teney bits of yummy stuff iwhen laying down. You can also then reward only when laying down on his mat, or just outside the door etc. when they do that on thier own. Make a special place a "rewarding" place, but keep it rewarding by bringing bits and pieces their way quite often, at the beginning. |
| I have a counter surfer as well. I can't leave the house without either taking my boys with me or locking the oes in the hallway with two gates because he jumps over one. Aside from put things away, I have learned the microwave is a great place for bread unless you need to use it...lol after my oes ate about 6-8 loaves of bread. And hamburger grease, they love it?? Who knows dogs will be dogs. I just put away what I don't want them to have and make sure he knows he should not be on the counter when he occassionally checks them out while I am home. |
| Thank you all so much for the suggestions. Hee-hee... some of the stories were very good... would like to hear Annie's Moms stories some day too! Come to think of it the counters are much cleaner and less cluttered than they used to be!
When I saw what had happened the VERY first thing I did was make sure she hadn't eaten the plastic... yikes! Would have been a late night call to our vet. So relieved that she at least had some limits this time... or maybe she just didn't have enough time to consume that too.
I just read online where someone ties a penny filled can to a piece of food and when the naughty dog takes it it makes a racket and you make a big to-do about it. Or double faced sticky tape on the counters? Maybe this could be fun! Oops... sorry... got carried away there. My little stinker is an opportunist. I guess we'll try to stop this behavior with some staged setups but will otherwise make sure everything is put away. I can see where if they succeed once they have been rewarded for the behavior. Thanks again for your help Have a good weekend! |
Annie's Mom wrote: Just think..your OES can teach you to have a very clean uncluttered kitchen that your friends and family will marvel at!
Love that positive attitude! |
| Counter surfing... *sigh* one habit I've NEVER been able to break with any oes I've ever had...lol... Just basically have to oes proof the counter. |
| How about a scat mat? |
| The other day I was making supper and cut two pieces of pumpkin pie and left them on the kitchen counter when I went upstairs to change clothes. When I came down Winston was in the dining room and he looked guilty. Well, he countered surfed for the first time and ate one piece of pumpkin pie! Then later when we were eating supper and having the pie, Winston started crying and crying for the pumpkin pie. I think there must be some spices and smells that pumpkin has that drives them crazy because Winston was going crazy for the pie. And he didn't get sick from it either. |
| I love these stories. Is countersurfing specific to sheepdogs or do many big dogs have this tendency? I don't have any experience with other big dogs so I am curious. |
Rosco is so good he can eat your whole dinner while you're standing there, he doesn't make a sound. When you turn back around your plate is so clean you aren't sure if there ever was any food on it  |
| There is a thing called a Sraminal too. It's a motion detector about the size of a remote control. If the beam is broken it sets off the most ungodly noise. We used it to keep the cat off the tops of the chairs. Worked pretty well too. It's reinforcing the fact that you don't want them in that area everytime, no human error like having to catch them in the act.
Two things with it though. They can become smarter than the machine. The cat learned how to stay low and lay under the beam. We just readjusted the angle to fix that. And, if you don't remember that it's on, it'll train you pretty quickly to stay off the counters too! We had many a time where you'd plop down in a chair and set it off. Great cardiac workout. |
| Hi,
I think the sneak up on em and catch them in the act may be the only way to cure a counter surfer...then again..don't listen to me..LOL My Merlin is the worst counter surfer. My Panda (pictured in the avatar) would probably be as well but Merlin goes running in the kitchen every time he hears Panda trying and as alpha boy in the house...only Merlin is allowed to do this. Good ole Blue..never tries. So...in a nutshell I can't offer any advice but like others mentioned..The counters are always clean!!! Oh one last piece of advice...My counters are always clean now except for the sugar bowl left by the coffee maker. Don't forget yours..as for weeks I kept refilling the darn thing..thinking my son was using an awful lot of sugar in his coffee...until I caught Merlin happily licking it!! It now sits on top of the fridge. If you can't stop it...well maybe outsmart them. Good luck to you Marianne and the boys |
Oh counter surfers! Gotta love them! 
I am lucky that the way my house is set up, there is no opportunity for them to be in the kitchen when I'm not there. However, as we learned last week, Murphy will take the opportunity to get the food off the table if you are not there...so I guess we would have a problem given the opportunity! Good luck with your tricks...all sound good to me! |
Maxmm wrote: There is a thing called a Sraminal too. It's a motion detector about the size of a remote control. If the beam is broken it sets off the most ungodly noise. We used it to keep the cat off the tops of the chairs. Worked pretty well too. It's reinforcing the fact that you don't want them in that area everytime, no human error like having to catch them in the act.
Two things with it though. They can become smarter than the machine. The cat learned how to stay low and lay under the beam. We just readjusted the angle to fix that. And, if you don't remember that it's on, it'll train you pretty quickly to stay off the counters too! We had many a time where you'd plop down in a chair and set it off. Great cardiac workout. I need one of those! Dancer has been barking her ever lovin little head off at the heating vent in the kitchen for 2 weeks! She's driving me mental! LOL She gets close to it, barks and growls, then digs at it, barks some more. Crazy. LOL |
| Mollie was a counter surfer. However, she must have had a sweet tooth. At 2:00 a.m. I heard a big bang! I came running downstairs and Mollie was near the front door as I went into the kitchen to find broken glass everywhere. I had a zucchini nut bread in a glass baking dish sitting on the kitchen counter.
Another time (you'd think I learn my leason)  Mollie ate half of a apple pie. After that, all counters were kept clean of food. Thank Goodness, Beau doesn't have a clue to counter surfing. |
| Karen-
Rosco would be happy to come over and teach Beau He surfs for everyone in my house, they all lay down until he brings them the goods My Beau won't touch anything Rosco grabs because he knows it's wrong and doesn't like to be in trouble. |
I know I liked the name Beau for a reason. My Beau doesn't like to be in trouble either. Seems Rosco keeps everyone in line. I bet Rosco and Mollie would have gotten along very well. I still miss her.  |
| I had a cat once that liked to jump on my piano. Decided one day to leave the cover open on it. Solved that problem with one jump. Liked to scared him to death. Of course, you can't put a piano on the counter now can ya?
I never had counter surfers, mine liked to sneak in the trash so I sprinkled it heavy with pepper. Usually took care of the problem until they forgot what it was like and I reminded them of it. Come to think of it it solved the counter surfing cat problem. Good luck. |
****SIGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH******** Counter Surfing Sheepies.............. a subject I could write a Doctoral Thesis about..........
 To some sheepies counter surfing is like breathing, no stopping it
There is definately a counter surfing gene, some got it some don't
Genetic testing will not help identify it
Tupperware is not countersufing sheepie proof
No counter is too high or too wide for a determined sheepie
Sheepies will not remember what gave them a terrible belly ache last time
The same sheepie that can go to great lengths to reach that plate of cookies on your counter needs help getting into the back of the SUV
The basket of brussel sprouts is safe
Don't forget to disinfect the counter before you roll out the pie dough
Maltese can't reach the counter tops, unless of course they climb on the back of the sheepie
Good luck |
| Tasker's Mom wrote
Quote: The same sheepie that can go to great lengths to reach that plate of cookies on your counter needs help getting into the back of the SUV
Isn't that the truth! |
| Molly has been really good at staying in the kitchen when we're out, with a babygate in the doorway. However lately i've noticed the marigolds, teatowel and highly suspicious fish on the floor that had been defrosting. She hadn't even eaten it, just licked it well to claim it as her own.
I don't really keep anything on the counters but now ive made a conscious effort to keep them clear. I actually caught her yesterday and she panicked, dropped down and then rolled onto her back for a belly tickle. She sometimes does this when she has been naughtly and is about to be told off. It took all my power not to drop onto my knees and tickle away! |
| What she is doing is showing her submisiveness. This is how a dog will show that they are inferior to you. She is trying to make sure you know that she is a little worm and you are so wonderful. This type of behavior should be rewarded, so she knows it is the right type of doggy-communication. She doesn't know right from wrong, but just knows from your face, actions of tone of voice that you are not happy, so she is demenstrating calming signals to appease you. |
| oh, that's good. So i could have tickled her...? |
| einy doesn't just counter suffer he bed surfs shelf surfs and table surfs
he also (when being really naughty) cupboard surfs i caight him coming out od my closet the other day with a pair of high healed shoes he really has a shoe thing oh well |
| Panda Update...
Well... she did it again. This time I was taking Kaytee "to the fence" and my husband had to get a UPS delivery. She enjoyed the chicken and croissants we had for dinner. I know, I KNOW... it's our fault. 
So I fixed her wagon. I have this little security camera that I had bought about a year ago at Sam's Club but never opened. I hooked it to the TV in the living room, set the camera in the other room so I could see the kitchen table and set her up with some tasty food on a plastic disk. Oh... and I put a remote control citronella collar on her. We went to the living room and waited for her to strike. She circled the table several times getting the lay of the land then made her move. And each time she got her feet up on the table to take the food, she got the #3 hit of citronella (that's the big blast button on the Gentle Spray Commander Collar). She tried for it 4 times, then decided it just wasn't worth it and went and laid down.  for Panda!! We'll set her up a few more times... gosh, that sounds mean but she could really get into something she shouldn't.
I gave her a different treat later... should I have given her some of the food I was baiting her with? The reason we hid is I didn't want her to associate us with the "dasterdly deed". Thought maybe it would be better to keep her guessing as to why it happened. I'm in unfamiliar territory here so any advice is welcome! If this doesn't work I found something called a Tattle-Tale for around $18 that sounds an alert then there is vibration or motion. |
| The only time "positive punishment" should be used is when it is given every single time the unwanted behavior is executed. Unless you can do this every time she does "whatever" you don't want her to do you run the risk of her associating the punishment with something else. For example, if it was daytime when she tried, and got sprayed, she may only associate it with daytime, or even just with that type of food. If you want this to stop in every other room then the set-up must occur there, too, or in anyone else's house, and also outside. Dogs don't generalize very well, so she will be pretty specific about what just happened. So unless you can be pretty certain to punish her every single time she does "whatever" and be very specific about it, you may start to make her anxious, and uneasy about something you wouldn't even think that she is relating it to. Remember, you are correcting her for something, but she doesn't necessarily knwo what it is. And if she gets away with it one more time, then she will not make the connection at all, and she will just be confused. |
Bosley's mom wrote: The only time "positive punishment" should be used is when it is given every single time the unwanted behavior is executed. Yikes! Good point... we'll make sure we follow through because it can be so darn dangerous. So should we holler "OFF- LEAVE IT!" when she gets up on the table so she associates the behavior with the "punishment"? We have been diligent about not leaving food out except when my husband was unexpectedly called away from the table to sign for a delivery. Thank goodness the chicken was boneless. It goes to show that "just for a minute" is way too long to leave a counter surfer unattended. Panda the fearless... sigh. She doesn't really seem to care when an alpha emits a warning growl... she stands there and just looks. NEOESR had said that, "The reality is she needs more lessons in the art of housebreaking. She also needs someone to teach her that the house and all its contents belong to the uprights, not to Madison." The only issue has been kitchen table or counter surfing and it's ONLY done when no one is in the room with her. I would simply ban her from the kitchen but that's actually her safe place when we run an errand and it also accesses the back door. When Panda first arrived we used a crate but found it caused her distress. She's the first dog we ever adopted that would soil her crate. (We were told she went to work each day and spent it, or at least part of it, in a drying cage.) So I think a crate is viewed by Panda as a form of punishment... never it's intended purpose. So we put in second Dutch door last weekend... this way the kitchen has more of an open feel. What we do for our dogs. Tasker's Mom wrote: ****SIGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH******** Counter Surfing Sheepies.............. a subject I could write a Doctoral Thesis about..........
How about a book! Those were sooo funny
Thanks again to everyone for your ideas, stories and comments! |
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