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OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS! Basic survival instincts guide their behavior. Young puppies are naturally investigative. Things they couldn't reach yesterday are suddenly within reach today. Prevention and supervision are the key requirements of keeping your dog from becoming a counter thief. |
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Teach "leave
it."
He can't resist temptation unless you teach him how. If you can
place a piece of food on your open palm under his nose and teach him to "leave
it" and he looks to you and waits patiently instead of grabbing the food
from your hand, you have achieved baby step number one of teaching him to leave
your sandwich safe on the coffee table.
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But
it is a baby step. It doesn't mean he will generalize the lesson to every
situation. You must teach him to "leave it"
with all the various items in all the places that you expect your things
to be left alone and practice and proof and set him up for success.
It is up to you to make leaving a temptation alone more rewarding than it would have been to take it. "Leave it" means "come away from there" - "that is not yours to have." |
Carefully taught manners and a rich learning history instill the behavior that keeps your dog from overstepping boundaries you have set. Your dog learns to respect that the counter, table and plate belong to you and are off limits.
Instead of "how could I steal
it when no one's looking" - "what
could I do to earn THAT thing that I want?"
All things the dog wants are on work-to-earn status. He does
something that you want in order to gain access to things he wants. This includes
doorways, visitors, his dinner, games ... you are the
the rightful owner of your things and the conduit
to everything your dog wants and needs. He waits, he gets. He asks politely,
he gets. He wants something, he turns to you.
Be consistent - what gets rewarded,
gets repeated. Desireable or undesireable.
Inconsistency and focusing on "catching him in the act"
gives the smart dog the opportunity to avoid correction and find the loopholes.
Supervision means super VISION. Pay attention! Did you put the butter away?
or is it still left out? You must monitor your dog's behavior so you can interrupt
and redirect if temptation wins, and recognize and reward proper choices. Never
miss a chance to catch him doing something right! A typical scenario: You are
chopping vegetables and your dog wanders in. You go about your business, aware
of where the dog is. The dog begins air scenting, scoping out the counter's
contents. You pretend not to notice. He backs away and sits, or goes to his
place at the doorway instead of underfoot. "Good boy!" Reward!
What if he launches himself onto the counter to grab food right under your nose? You certainly don't ignore it. You could go berserk and, for a brief moment, attack the counter like a crazed person. The dog retreats. Just as quickly, you go back to chopping as though nothing in the world happened. You recognize future choices to keep his nose off the counter with sincere appreciation, not warning. What a good boy to stay away from the counter!
Note that your outburst was not directed at the dog at all. It was startling and surprising and paired with his choice, but not directed at him personally. A neutral, impersonal, startling interruption.
After the fact is too late.
"Uh oh, Twix"
- photo courtesy of Kristi Peplinski
You walk in and find a mess. The dog's expression above is in response to the look of horror on your face, not guilt or apology. Don't assume for a moment that any tantrum you might have in response to the mess will change your dog's decision the next time he gets bored or discovers something marvelous has accidently been left within reach.
Stanley takes the pizza
box on cue as part of his acting job on "The Family Holiday." It took
many weeks to teach this
former counter thief to take the box, even with permission, once the "nothing
from he counter" rule was in place!
Circumstances train the dog.
Be proactive. Do not allow your dog to practice what you don't
want him to learn. Police the counters, don't leave temptations available. Unattended
food will teach your dog to come back for more. NEVER leave anything out when
you are not around to safe guard it, or your dog will learn to scavenge in your
absence - not because he is inherently sneaky, but because history has taught
him that it is only SAFE to take food from the counter when you are not there
to see him.
Small
dogs are not exempt from counter surfing!
What if he's already
been successful at counter thieving?
Management! Clear that counter
every time you leave the room. Put food in the microwave for safe keeping if
you need to leave the room. If his learning history has proven that cruising
the counter is likely to be rewarded, he will be back to check again and again.
Close the kitchen door, crate him when you leave.
If a negative consequence is to have any affect on future behavior, it must ALWAYS result in a disagreeable outcome. If it is to work, it must be big, immediate and doesn't have to be repeated and not associated with the pet owner. Counter surfing must NEVER be rewarding. The occasional "win" ensures that the dog will be back again and again, no matter how big the booby trap you contrive. NEVER leave anything on the counter that you haven't purposely planned to leave there that will NOT be rewarding if he gets it.
You picked this puppy
because she was a fearless - a potential agility dog ...
IT IS MUCH EASIER TO PREVENT A COUNTER THIEF FROM DEVELOPING
THAN TO CHANGE A BAD HABIT THAT HAS BEEN REWARDED OVER TIME.
Clear the counters, put the butter away, keep the garbage can in a cupboard under the sink, confine the pup away from temptations when you aren't there to supervise. The puppy who never had the opportunity to find out he could help himself to free food left out, may very well not even consider it a possibility as an adult. Be pro-active, not re-active!
Go here to see a nice little video about counter surfing.
See also:
