Jumping up on counters!

**jnmurphy312** · 12-05-2011, 09:54 PM

This is probably the most obnoxious bad habit Ella has. She will stand with her paws on the counter and grab anything and everything she can and run around. She has eaten all of my potholders, several dishtowels, bills, mail, tupperware, etc. I know it's a game for them if you chase, but we don't. We corner her, take it away and put her in a "timeout" in her crate (which was a suggestion by a dog trainer). We have tried everything in the book. We've ignored her, we've hit her on the nose, we've put her in time outs, everything. When we're standing at the counter she gets up there and looks around. I think she just wants to be included, and ultimately wants to play with whatever she grabs off of there, but it is getting old. REAL OLD. Help

**Sophiesmama** · 12-05-2011, 09:58 PM

Its called Counter-surfing! Its a labby thing. Sophie is a master at it! We now put everything up in cabinets or on the fridge. I would hesitate using the crate as punishment. You don't want her hating her crate. We aren't putting up a Christmas tree for the first time in our 33 yr marriage! Guess why! Miss Sophie the dog destructo!!

**jnmurphy312** · 12-05-2011, 10:02 PM

I am starting to see more and more commonalities between your chocolate lab and mine

I really hope she "grows out of it"

**deidra** · 12-05-2011, 10:04 PM

If you see her get on the counter correct her. Don't use just no use something else like no counter surfing or something. f you dont see her you cant really yell at her. If she is eating something and you see her eating it then you can correct her. If she has already eaten/shredded it and you didnt see her she wont know why you are yelling at her. I also would not use the crat as a punishment. If my dogs get to wild I just simply grab their collars like Im laving or something and put them in. Or Ill tell them to crate up.

**dweck** · 12-06-2011, 08:45 AM

Use a leash or a grab-tab and CORRECT THE BEHAVIOR!!! Have her wear it around the house so it's always available (grab tab is better because it's not so cumbersome as a leash). Give her a stern OFF and pull straight downward with a sharp yank. NO COUNTERS!

And then praise when she's four-on-the-floor. Good girl! =)

**SharonaZamboni** · 12-06-2011, 08:55 AM

Bean was constantly on the counters. I tried everything to keep him off. We ended up with basically nothing on the counters, so there was nothing he could get to. He did pretty much give it up, but I'm sure my daughter left food out while she was dog-sitting for a week. He's back to doing it, and even gets up onto the table. And he takes magnets off the fridge.

Now I'm back to bare counters and constant corrections.

**bearbuddymarie** · 12-06-2011, 10:01 AM

get a can and put a few pennies in it, set it up under a towel
or something so when she goes for the towel, the can will fall
and make a loud noise and scare her.
or you can shake the can when you see her go for the counter !

**SharonaZamboni** · 12-06-2011, 10:23 AM

Bean was happy to get a bunch of loud objects falling on him, LOL! Big Fun!! Just remembered-when you catch her on the counter, squirt with a water bottle or squirt gun. Seemed to help with my dog.

**Laceezmom** · 12-06-2011, 12:07 PM

For not jumping on the counters I agree you should teach her not to with the "off" command - same as jumping on people - and deter her with the squirt of the water bottle. Even though they like water they do not like it squirted. I have trained mine not to go after dishes in the dishwasher and after just a couple of quirts, with the handy hose, she does not enen try.

To get things back that she has taken, teach her "trade." Mine learned this very easily - it must have been a good day. Using treats tell her to trade whatever is in her mouth and then treat her. Teach this with her own toys and then after she drops the item and you treat her, give the toy back. This summer I taught this to my daughter's lab who was crazy and wild and loved being chased. It took about a minute to get her to stop running off with pool toys and get a treat. Later in the day my son-in-law was playing with the kids when she took off with a toy. He yelled "trade" and she dropped the toy but he had no treats. No problem - she trotted over to me and poked her nose on my pocket so I could give her one.

**redw4rds** · 12-06-2011, 12:13 PM

I remember reading a puppy book that said it's 'simple' to stop your dog getting into the habit of counter surfing - 'just' make sure your counter is completely clear for every second of the first six months - if they don't find anything exciting they won't bother looking again...

We are not spotless kitchen types so needless to say, at nearly two, my choc Bryn sees counters as a secondary food source after his bowl - he likes anything that has/has had food on it, esp dish cloths, oven gloves and spoons!

I like the idea of having a grab tab to correct him with...