# New user here with a few questions



## bwalker (Sep 20, 2011)

Hey folks!

My wife and I recently rescued a pair of golden littermates from GRRAND, a golden rescue group, here in Louisville. Lucy and Bailey are almost a year old and are total sweethearts that came to us both house broken and crate trained, so we are extremely lucky. We have started obedience training and are working on basic commands. My questions arise around a few things that fall outside of standard obedience training:

- How do you stop counter surfing?
- How do you teach the dogs to stay off the couch? 

Thanks for the help! 

Beau


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for rescuing. 

My favorite for counter surfing is to line up a row of empty aluminum cans on the counter. The sound of falling cans will usually break them of the habit.

To stay off the couch I would just call them to you and when they come give them a treat. Then have them do a down on the floor. Repeat as often as necessary and they will learn it is just easier to lie on the floor or in their bed.


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## jimla (Oct 9, 2008)

You really lucked out with Lucy and Bailey and they do look like sweethearts! Roxy and Elliot have their own couch to sprawl on but they are not allowed on other chairs or beds. We manage counter surfing by keeping everything well back from the edge of the counters.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Welcome, congratulations on the adoption of Lucy and Bailey, they're beautiful. I hope you will post more pictures of them and tell us more about them.

Both of my goldens are Rescues, one adopted from a GR Rescue here in NC and the other from my County Humane Society. So far I haven't had any problems with Counter Surfing, sometimes my newest boy Remy will sniff to see what I've got out when I'm fixing dinner. I either say No or un-uh, and he backs off. I make it a habit of not keeping anything out on the counters for the most part more so because it would create a huge bug problem. 

If you prefer not to have your goldens on the couch/sofa, do as Oakly's Dad has recommended. My goldens are allowed on the furniture, Roxy rarely gets on the couch, but Remy spends a lot of time up on it. I have blankets down on a section where he's allowed and he's real good about staying on them.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

What a lucky twosome!

Keep the counters, sink and stove clear of food and dishes. 
If they are expert counter surfers...watch out for the trash bin they will find that too! 
You may even have to gate then from the kitchen while you cook.

A lesson I learned the hard way was to keep ALL food and ALL dishes off the stove if a counter surfing dog is in the house -- not even for a minute! I left a glass baking dish on the stove...a certain red-headed girl turned on the burner with her paw and the glass dish exploded sending molten glass everywhere ruining the floor and filling the house with smoke.


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## bwalker (Sep 20, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice! The two of them know they aren't supposed to get on the couch (more the wife's choice than mine) and counter surf and stop if we catch them so hopefully we can get them to avoid both of those altogether at some point. Now if we can just get them to walk a little better on lead (our trainer is helping us and recommended using pronged collars which do help some but not 100%) and stop chasing the cats we will be golden!

Here are a few more pics:


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Something that makes noise on the counter if mover. I have some little buzzy thing I got online that makes a noise if moved, but cans will work, or coke can with pennies or beans (then taped) so if it moved it will fall and make a startling noise. Sort of self correcting, because if they only don't counter surf when you are around, they will do it when you are not. As to the couch, no idea since I let Jaro up.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Lucy and Bailey*

Bless you for ADOPTING Lucy and Bailey.
Grrand is such a wonderful rescue!!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

LibertyME said:


> What a lucky twosome!
> 
> Keep the counters, sink and stove clear of food and dishes.
> If they are expert counter surfers...watch out for the trash bin they will find that too!
> ...


Oh my gosh-unreal what they can do!

You brought up a great point about trash cans, I learned a long time ago to keep mine in the pantry behind closed doors and also keep the ones in the bathroom under the cabinet.


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

A big thank you to you and your wife for adopting Lucy and Bailey!


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## Angelina (Aug 11, 2011)

Beautiful dogs and I hope they give you years of pleasure and joy!

All good suggestions given for your questions...only difference I would say is use 'off' to get off the couch instead of 'down' as 'down' means something different... 

I'm still working on the counter surfer issue too...slowly getting better...scary objects just didn't do it as the habit was so ingrained when we got her at age 18months...

For the cats; I've always kept the dog on leash in the house and never allowed chasing cats. Once they were friends, like eating close to each other (I would set that up with a gate between them), the leash came off and the no chasing enforced. Now they are best buds and at the stage dog does chase cat but only because cat wants him too (outside)!

Have fun, just beautiful dogs!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Hank is/was? the first counter surfer I've ever had. I'm not sure if he's outgrown it or that I'm better at keeping the counters clear! I got extra diligent after he wolfed down a patch of home made meatballs. We have too much counter space to mess with pop-cans filles with pennies or stickie tape on the edges. I leave nothing out.


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## bwalker (Sep 20, 2011)

We may have to try the leash trick in the house with the dogs. We have baby gates up in a few areas that are about six inches off the ground so the cats can come and go but the dogs are kept out of certain areas. The two of them are just VERY interested in the cats. They have cornered both of them and won't hurt them at all, I just want them to ignore the cats when the cats aren't trying to play with them. That is all.


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## DNL2448 (Feb 13, 2009)

First, welcome, your girls are beautiful, thank you for rescuing them!

On the counter surfing, which I really have never had an issue with so take my advice with a grain of salt, my friend purchased a little air can thingy, that has a sensor in it. When it senses movement it shoots out a little poof of air. With one "shot" it has detered her cats that were getting up on the counter, and made her husband think twice about using the sink (scared the living daylights out of him). May be worth a shot.


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