Counter Surfing

Surfing for Food

Dogs will counter surf (stand on their hind legs and place their front paws on the counter or tabletop), to search for food.
Dog are opportunistic hunters. In the wild, they will hunt prey but also scavenge old carcasses or garbage dumps for food. Domestic dogs scavenge for food all the time, it is a natural, instinctual behaviour. Unfortunately, this behaviour conflicts with the way we want our domestic dogs to behave. Therefore, we must teach them not to counter surf.

The surfing behaviour is sustained when every once in a while the dog will find something she likes on the counter and will steal it.
In order to avoid this behaviour, all surfaces must be dog-proofed. Anything that the dog might want to take from the counter or tabletop must be removed. For example, bread, butter, fruits, tea towels, or tissues: anything your dog would be interested in must be kept in cabinets or drawers.

It is important to get your dog in the habit of sitting or lying down while she is in the kitchen. To do this, use the sit- or down-stay command. Practice your stay in the kitchen until your dog can hold the stay for about a minute.
Once your dog is comfortable with the stay, you can bring some food out and begin preparing it on the counter. Put your dog in the stay and work with the food. Reward your dog frequently for holding the stay. If she breaks the stay, use a verbal correction like "AH-AH!" and reposition her.
This exercise teaches your dog that she will get treats for sitting/lying down and waiting - not for counter surfing!
You can use this exercise if you dog frequently jumps on your furniture. Teach the dog to sit- or down-stay in her comfortable doggie bed. She will get attention and treats for staying in her bed - not jumping on the sofa!

To teach the command "off" use the verbal command "off" and the following hand signal: start with your arm outstretched pointing at the dog, then sweeping away and pointing down to the floor. When your dog complies, click'n'treat.
Couple this command with the "up" command, this command instructs your dog to jump onto something. The hand signal will be the same as "off," your arm simply pointing to the place you want your dog to be. When your dog jumps up, click'n'treat.
It is important to practice these two commands together in a neutral place: in other words, do not practice in a place that the dog is not allowed to jump up on. Once your dog reliably responds to the "off" and "up" commands, you can begin using them in real life.
When you catch your dog on the counter or sofa use the "off" command. Next, tell your dog where you would like her to go instead. The best thing to do, when she is on the counter/sofa, is to direct her to her bed. Delay the click'n'treat until she is lying in her bed. You have just taught your dog where she should be.
REMEMBER: When you tell your dog not to do something, always let them know what you would like them to do instead - how else are they going to know?