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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." |
Be
a good leader.
Pack instincts and a natural
respect for the leader are what keeps your dog from overstepping boundaries
you have set. Your dog must respect that the counter,
table and plate belong to you and are off limits. If the dog sees you as the
leader, he will respect your right to own the resources.
It is your right to share --or not-- at your whim.
Own the resources.
All things the dog wants are on work-to-earn status. He must
do 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 all things and the conduit
to everything your dog wants and needs.
Be consistent.
Inconsistency gives the smart dog the opportunity to work the
system and find the loopholes. Supervision means super VISION. Pay attention!
You must monitor your dog's behavior so you can interrupt and redirect if needed,
and recognize and reward proper choices. 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 avoids invading your space and moves on. "Good
boy!" Reward!
Should he make the wrong choice, you recognize the exact instant that the dog chooses to reach onto the counter with intent to grab. You 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. He avoids getting his nose too close. You recognize future cautious approaches with appreciation. 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.
Teaching avoidance is the answer. The unpleasant consequence of attempting to
steal must ALWAYS result in a disagreeable outcome. Counter surfing must NEVER
be rewarding. The occasional "win" ensures that the dog will be back
again. NEVER leave anything on the counter that you haven't purposely planned
to leave there that will NOT be rewarding if he gets it. The item itself could
be booby trapped.
The deterrent could be bad taste or sharp sound or startle producing event that causes the dog to withdraw. It must be big enough that he avoids repeating the behavior. A cotton ball soaked in Bitter Apple, a penny can attached by a string to something too large to be swallowed or a person hidden from view with a squirt bottle to startle the dog away. If it is to work, it must be big, immediate and doesn't have to be repeated and not associated with the pet owner. "How big" is "big enough" depends on the individual. What is adequate for one dog might be traumatic for another. The goal is to create avoidance, not panic and fear.
Please note: these are last resorts to deter the dog who has been successful (rewarded). You must also teach the dog what TO do, not set him up to fail so you can catch him again.
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:
