The best way I’ve found to extinguish counter surfing is to reward your dog for keeping his nose on the floor. Instead of teaching her what NOT to do (get on the counter), teach her what TO do (stay on the floor), i.e. differential reinforcement of an opposite behavior.
I recommend spreading his dry kibble or high value treat on the floor under the toe kick at every meal for two to three weeks. The dog must be out of sight when you do this, but soon he will start to look for food on the floor more often than on the counter. It is helpful to remove everything off the counter during this process. Once the dog learns to consistently look on the floor, start spreading less kibble on the floor at every meal. Then begin doing it every other meal, then every other day, and so on. The dog will soon think the kitchen floor is where all the good stuff is, NOT the counter, and only ‘floor-surf’ from there on out… and I like to call that vacuuming!
If you catch your puppy on the counter, there is no need to make a huge deal of it, especially if she can’t get anything on the counter. In fact, sometimes just walking away works so you aren’t giving any negative attention… because guess what? Negative attention is better than nothing. You can also try ‘Puppy, Off!’ and then praise when he gets down. You can use ‘Watch Me’ (once your puppy learns it) to redirect. You can also use ‘Puppy, Go to your Place’, and lure him to his mat.
Remember- always teach your puppy what you want her to do instead. Skip the yelling, the big scene, the punishment, the squirt bottle, and the snappy traps. Simply make it more rewarding to stay on the floor, and then your puppy won’t be so focused at getting on the counter. It will take a few weeks, but be consistent and patient, as with everything in puppy training, and you’ll have a better outcome!
