Hang 8: Counter Surfing

counter surfCounter surfing is an undesirable and dangerous habit that some dogs are very good at. A variation of the regular “leave it” command works well for this. Begin with really tasty treats in your pocket and a lesser treat up on the counter. When your dog looks at the counter say “leave it” in your normal training voice, the dog is not in trouble. When he looks away or towards you say “yes” and feed him a delicious treat from your pocket. Slowly move the treat closer to the edge of the counter as you step farther away from it. Every time your dog looks away, reward him. Continue until you can step into the next room and have him leave it. Then increase the value of the “leave it”. Go from a dry cookie up to something delicious like ham, that can hang over the edge. If you want to really test the dog, set up a walkie talkie on the counter next to the “leave it”, then leave the house and spy on the dog. Say “leave it” into the walkie talkie, if the dog moves away then rush back in and reward the pup.
Once you are comfortable with things up on the counter, start the same process for lower surfaces like coffee and end tables.

If you are still having trouble with your pup surfing, then you can call us in for a home consultation