# Counter surfing



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

You can use the penny can, attach it with a string to whatever item Oakely likes to steal off the counter so it crashes if he grabs the item. You can do that with pot lids too. One of the other members discovered her dog hated lemons, so she cut lemons and squeezed the juice on the edge of the counter top.

There are some deterrents you can buy at Petsmart like the Scat Mat, and there's a motion activated spray, don't know what that's called. The trainer that the rescue uses said that works really well, she used it to keep her dog off the bed when they were not home.


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

I know is sounds cruel, but many people have found that those small mouse traps work well. They set them off once, and you'll never even have to set them again for most dogs.


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## Griffyn'sMom (Mar 22, 2007)

I think the key is to not let it become habit. You've really got to treat him like a baby and keep things out of his reach until he learns to be polite and not steal. I know it's hard but it will be worth it in the end. 

So far Griff has stolen a bowl of hard boiled eggs (approximately 5) - several cucumber slices and at least 13 homemade waffles. (He got a pretty good booboo belly from that last one.) 

He gets into NOTHING when I am not home - thankfully but if we're home and eating somewhere other than the kitchen, he helps himself. 

My last Golden that had hip issues never, ever stole from the countertops or kitchen table. Coffee table and end tables were fair game - we ended up just plain removing the coffee table and learned not to put temptation in his reach.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

The motion spary can is called the Scccccat can.


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## Rena450 (Apr 16, 2007)

*Update on my Counter Surfer*

Well, I ordered 2 "Snappy Trainers", which are like mouse traps, only they are rigged so they don't hurt your dog. Snappy Trainer. Training Device

Put it in the laundry basket with a sock over it. I go into the kitchen and 2 minutes later Oakley walks into the kitchen with the sock in his mouth. Gee, I thought that was odd, cause I didn't hear the thing even go off. 
I went over to the laundry only to see the Snappy Clicker still set. How could he grab that sock without it going off? Is he that gentle when he grabs something? So, while I set it up again, Oakley is right there by me with his nose in the laundry basket (inquisitive as ever) and the darn thing goes off and scares the $#%&* out of me. Oakley wasn't even fazed by it. It didn't scare him one bit. I wouldn't be surprised if he picks it up to play with it one day . . . . go figure. I could just scream:banghead:.


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## Rena450 (Apr 16, 2007)

Oops, I must of sent this twice.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Awww, I feel your pain. I don't trust Keira at all. She's the worst puppy I've ever had, and I have had lots of them. She obeys and respects me and is a great girl, but she absolutely will chew and steal things.


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

LOL. I think there has to be some pain associated with the mouse traps, in order for them to work (I had my fingers crossed when I said that).


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

I used to put paper on the counter and a mountain of pop cans so when my lab jumped up she'd russle the paper and the cans would fall and scare her. She did that six times and then never again did we have a problem with her countersurfing.


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## timm (Jan 7, 2007)

Crazydog said:


> I used to put paper on the counter and a mountain of pop cans so when my lab jumped up she'd russle the paper and the cans would fall and scare her. She did that six times and then never again did we have a problem with her countersurfing.


hey good idea  we stopped katie from jumping on the counter when we were close by but once we left she would get back up there


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Oh boy can I relate to you on this one! Abby, BL is here to stay now. My son was not able to fix this in here, although he did try constantly. She is like many dogs who are so food wacko that nothing will over come this, she isn't even fearful of noises so if there is food anywhere she is gonna clear a bench or freezer even in my garage to get to it, which out there is the cat food. What she does now is, she just does it when your not looking, so she's picked up on waiting till your eyes are not on her do to all the work in trying to fix this problem.

Mouse traps may work for you, although here they do very little. Right now what i'm doing is keeping all counters clean as a whistle. My next move will be a long line and a collar on her which I didn't want to do here because both dogs play hard and I don't like them collared for this reason, but will just have to watch them closely and end any horse play. Set ups will come in, and then the correction along with the firm NO will be added.


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## MelissaH (Jul 27, 2007)

The pennies-in-the-coffee-can really worked for Katie. As soon as she jumped up onto the counter we'd shake the can and she backed off immediately.It only took a few times before she didn't do it again....that is until we left the kitchen and then we'd hear the scraping of her nails as she hopped back up to search for a stray morsel of grub!


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Found this last night while looking in PetSmart for toys. Anyway, this is yet another option.

Scraminal Deterrent Device 
Petsmart.com - Dog: Training & Behavior: Scraminal Deterrent Device


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

I was looking for help with this problem today. Sasha has just realized that she is tall enough to steal stuff off the counter. I used to booby-trap the counter for Biscuit and it worked except that Jack is noise phobic and the noise of the booby trap would send him running for his life so now I'm looking for something different. I think I will try the Scat Mat and the Sccccccat Can. While I was looking thru the internet for advice I came across this cute cartoon which helps to laugh about the problem.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

HA HA, That would be Tucker with the full belly! He could care less what falls on him. It's that sound that would make him stop!


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## SandraC (Jan 29, 2008)

I feel your pain. I was baking my buns (hee hee....a pun!) off at Thanksgiving and Clyde took a cooling pumpkin roll off the counter. He somehow managed to unroll it from the towel and ate every speck. He's also a wastebasket getter-intoer. He, I am afraid, is a lost cause. He has just trained us to keep things picked up and out of his way.


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## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

Fergus's trainer suggested taking duct tape and taping it sticky side up onto the edges of the counter (i.e. run one long piece sticky side up and tape it to the counter with small pieces at one foot intervals). He said dogs hate sticky things on their paws and he would stay away. Haven't tried it yet as I don't have any tape, but I thought I'd give it a go. Fergus is now a head taller than the counters when he's surfing.


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## wagondog (Aug 24, 2007)

vrocco1 said:


> I know is sounds cruel, but many people have found that those small mouse traps work well. They set them off once, and you'll never even have to set them again for most dogs.


Your advice is well founded, many people use the mousetrap but, I have found that if you set the trap then gingerly turn it upside down with the wood up, the trap snaps when the dog touches it without the pupper getting hurt by the wire.

Another method which sounds cruel and would be if you did it wrong is the carpet anchor strips. Carpet is anchored to the wall using tackless strips. This is wooden firring with hundreds of tacks exposed on the top. You can take a file or sandpaper and take the sharpness of the tack off leaving just dull tacks. Tape a piece to where the dog surfs and his counter surfing is over.

I like the duct tape idea too!


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

Jazzy is my counter surfer! She seems to think when a freshly baked cake is cooling its fair game for her. Can't tell you how many half eaten cakes I have had. Then I found out that she can be deterred by this simple little thing ----- I put the cake (or whatever) in the middle of the counter and in front of it I place a pair of salt & Pepper shakers or a glass or a plate - something in front of the tasty morsel. She leaves it alone!

Love the duct tape idea though - think I'll try it.

That cartoon reminds me of the commercial where the dog gets up on the counter and eats the freshly made sandwich, then pops the pop open and drinks that, then grabs the cat by the scruff of his neck and plops him up on the counter to take the blame! Really cute!

Jazzys Mom


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## wagondog (Aug 24, 2007)

vrocco1 said:


> LOL. I think there has to be some pain associated with the mouse traps, in order for them to work (I had my fingers crossed when I said that).


 Nothing my parents did to me worked unless it had a little sting to it.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

It doesnt have to be food for Cruiser to counter surf. He will steal whatever is up there... Doesnt always eat what he gets.... some times he brings me whatever he took....:uhoh::uhoh::uhoh::uhoh::uhoh::uhoh:


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## moose (Dec 7, 2007)

Moose has been dealing with this issue for some time now. He is very sneaky and waits till I leave the kitchen. Than he will jump up on the counter and have at it. Last week he got into some tomatoes that my wife had cut up for dinner. It made him trow up, than he got into some chocolate chip cookies but Jennie caught him before he ate it.....he is such a little sh*& sometimes, but I love that dog! Anyway so I have been sneaking up on him when he is alone in the Kitchen and catching him. It is great, becasue he thinks I have left the room that I get'em! 

The tape idea sounds good but I woul dhate to have tape stuck to my counter for an extended period of time.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Well I grabbed a check for $50 that Bama stole off of the counter. Luckily I was able to tape it back together. Tomorrow I will take it to the bank to see if they will accept it. Hubby, I swear my dog ate it, I didnt spend it.


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## wagondog (Aug 24, 2007)

My buddy's Gordon Setter Chauncey stole his wifes engagement ring from the counter. He finally passed the ring but I told him he missed a Golden opportunity to sell his diamond dumping dog if the buyer was there at the right moment


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

BeauShel said:


> Well I grabbed a check for $50 that Bama stole off of the counter. Luckily I was able to tape it back together. Tomorrow I will take it to the bank to see if they will accept it. Hubby, I swear my dog ate it, I didnt spend it.


Hahaha! My friend's Border Collie puppy ate a $25,000 check, which was the money collected at our obedience club's obedience/agility trial! Unbeknownst to her, he ate it... but then went to her and threw it up! Yes, she tried to tape it back together enough to have the trial secretary issue us replacement check!


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

Jazzys Mom said:


> .
> 
> That cartoon reminds me of the commercial where the dog gets up on the counter and eats the freshly made sandwich, then pops the pop open and drinks that, then grabs the cat by the scruff of his neck and plops him up on the counter to take the blame! Really cute!
> 
> Jazzys Mom


Oh, now I get it!! I thought he was just replacing the sandwich with the cat! Now it's even funnier!! And I love this one, too! Thanks, Cathy!!

I have a new counter surfer in my foster dog. When in the kitchen, he walks around with his nose up, sniffing, looking for good smells. My other two never did this. He seems to love cheese (hmmm... maybe the mouse trap would be the way to go for him!) and has already stolen almost a full pound of mozzerella. We cought him with the Colby before he ate it, so that was good. One day I left him in there with food on the counter and hid around the corner... I heard the paws and came around and yelled, "Eh!" He got down, but he does not startle easily, so we'll continue working on it.

My friend used those large red 16 oz plastic cups filled with plastic utensils. When Midnite jumped up, the cup fell, utensils spilled, and after a few times, he stopped eating the butter!


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

FlyingQuizini said:


> Hahaha! My friend's Border Collie puppy ate a $25,000 check, which was the money collected at our obedience club's obedience/agility trial! Unbeknownst to her, he ate it... but then went to her and threw it up! Yes, she tried to tape it back together enough to have the trial secretary issue us replacement check!



Oh my gosh!! $25,000!! Too funny! The same dog I just mentioned in the above post also ate my nephew's boy scout collection money. It was only like $18 or something, but it was cash and was not vomitted back up, nor would anyone want to tape it back together once it came out the other end!!:yuck::yuck:


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

My Dakota ate $500 that I had collected from several puppy buyers. I had it clipped to contracts and sitting on my dresser. It was about 2am and I woke up and heard paper rustling. Got up and Dakota was in the hallway with the last of a contract between his paws and a $20 bill under his big butt! The rest was gone, paper clips and all. Not a shread of paper or money except for what I snatched from between his paws! Did I mention Dakota LOVED paper??? I scopped poop, gloved up and sifted poop under water for a week. Got pieces back, washed them and laid them out to dry on newspaper then began piecing together like a puzzle. Matched numbers until I was goofy looking at them! Sent it off to Washington and in a month or so I received a $500 check back!

Jazzys Mom


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

Jazzys Mom said:


> I scopped poop, gloved up and sifted poop under water for a week. Got pieces back, washed them and laid them out to dry on newspaper then began piecing together like a puzzle. Matched numbers until I was goofy looking at them! Sent it off to Washington and in a month or so I received a $500 check back!
> 
> Jazzys Mom


Seriously!?? I don't know if I could've done it...$500 though.... Did you happen to inform the Fed what had happened to the money?


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## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

The pennies didnt scare my Daisy, but I got serious about the counter surfing when her and her partner in crime pulled a 13x9 glass cakepan off the counter. Of course it shattered, but I was out with the horses at that moment, when I got back they had eaten ALL the chocolate cake and the frosting and all that was left was glass shards and saran wrap. I nearly FREAKED okay, how much chocolate does it take to kill a medium/large dog and for gods sake did they eat any glass!?!?!?! After that I wasnt gonna mess around so I hid in the laundry room across from the kitchen and after about 10 mins, if I saw a head pop up I launched an empty 1 gal juice bottle with a little bit of water in it at em while very sternly ordering "GET DOWN!!". I did that several times at different intervals, and still do it. Just so they know I have eyes in the back of my head! They havent taken the bait in a while, but no more chocolate cakes on the counter either just in case.


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

Sunny Delight said:


> Seriously!?? I don't know if I could've done it...$500 though.... Did you happen to inform the Fed what had happened to the money?


Yes, in fact I took it to my bank first and when they all stopped hysterically laughing they told me I had to send it to the Feds with a letter of explanation. I had each taped together bill in its own plastic baggie taped shut so no one would have to handle them. My granddaughter was eight at the time and was here most of the time. She would follow Dakota out in the dog run and come running in yelling, "Come on, he pooped!" We would scoop it up and run it under warm water (with gloves on of course and get the pieces out of the poop. We had a fun week!

Jazzys Mom


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

Jazzys Mom said:


> Yes, in fact I took it to my bank first and when they all stopped hysterically laughing they told me I had to send it to the Feds with a letter of explanation. I had each taped together bill in its own plastic baggie taped shut so no one would have to handle them. My granddaughter was eight at the time and was here most of the time. She would follow Dakota out in the dog run and come running in yelling, "Come on, he pooped!" We would scoop it up and run it under warm water (with gloves on of course and get the pieces out of the poop. We had a fun week!
> 
> Jazzys Mom


Well I'm sure your granddaughter had a lovely story to tell her parents about what she did at Grandma's this week!!:bowl:

And, just for reference, the *Fed* is short for Federal Reserve, where they make money, the *Feds* is a sort of verbal shorthand for FBI agents! I seriously hope the FBI didn't need to be involved in this one!:roflmao:


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

No, no FBI involvement - just typo! Marissa still talks about this to this day! She'll be 18 in April!

Jazzys Mom


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