As much as I love my youngest husky, Luna, she does drive me crazy when it comes to her bad habits. Her worst one so far is counter surfing. If there is anything at all on the counters (a dirty plate, a few crumbs, spilled sauce, etc), she is up on the counter getting whatever she can reach. As much as I love having clean house, my kitchen is not clean 24/7, and want to find a way to keep her from counter surfing. I've caught her doing it multiple times, and she understands it's bad, but how do I prevent her from doing it in the first place?

Thanks!

The simplest way is to catch her in the act and put the fear of God into her. She will continue to do it until she associates the experience with a negative. Basically, her punishment has to be more negative than the positive she is getting from counter surfing.

My guy had a horrible problem counter surfing and like the previous person stated, I put the fear of God in him. I also put a small stack of baking sheets on the counter sorta on edge and he knocked it off and made a LOUD noise where it scared the crap out of him! He hasn't done it since.

That's a great idea with the baking sheets, thanks! When I catch her in the act, she gets punished, but sometimes it's just like she doesn't even care. Any other ideas of putting the fear of God in her?

Asia has the same issue! Kristina, arooroomom, told me to sneak up behind her and bang a pan with a metal spoon to scare the crap out of her. While you can't always catch them in the act, when you do, it works! She's been doing it less and less.

I understand your frustration. Asia,specifically, loves licking dirty dishes in the sink!

Anna loves licking dirty dishes out the dishwasher as I am trying to load it. She also counter surfs but only when she knows I put goodies up there to prepare for when I put her in the crate. Everytime she eats them off the counter. And I push them back. I finally just put them up on the higher counter. Don't know why I didn't do that it in the first place. But sooner or later she will be able to completely reach up there. She tends to do it when I'm at my mom's house and also when my mom is over. Very frustrating.

Definitely glad I'm not the only one who is dealing with this! I've caught her in the act multiple times and I'll definitely say "no" in a firm voice. It was getting to the point where I had to put stools, with the back blocking the sink and counter so she couldn't reach anything. She's just so stubborn when it comes to training in general. Being the whole alpha role leader for them is not something I'm used to (these are the first two huskies I've ever owned). So definitely still in the process of learning training tips.

I can hear her hit the counter so ill very sternly tell her no ma'am. And she usually gets down right away.

Only thing that works for us is gating it off...

mheath0429 wrote:

Only thing that works for us is gating it off...

Us too. I've tried everything; scaring the bejesus out of him, time-outs, simple no and redirection, nothing works with kale. He KNOWS he's being bad. He just doesn't care. The only thing that solves the problem and makes us not want to rip our hair out is blocking off the kitchen when there's food out, and putting everything away afterward. The behavior dropped significantly when he didn't have access to the countertops all the time, and I don't constantly want to kill him for eating half our dinner! Lol

our Kitchen is always blocked off unless I open the gate an allow them in - there are lots of reasons, but the main reason is so I can eat in peace. IT also blocks off the basement where the cat boxes are.

This worked for us. They are called snappy trainers.

I have the same problem with Nikko, and it will continue with Yukon as soon as he is big enough to reach the counters. I know he’s been doing it because I will look over and he will have the dish towel in his mouth running around with it. The problem is he thinks it is a game!

Also I have the same issue with both of them licking food off dirty dishes in the dishwasher when I am trying to load it! First, its gross, and second who knows what they might lick off! If I had raw meat or stuff that is bad for them I don’t what them licking it.

Quote :

Also I have the same issue with both of them licking food off dirty dishes in the dishwasher when I am trying to load it! First, its gross, and second who knows what they might lick off! If I had raw meat or stuff that is bad for them I don’t what them licking it.

Counter surfing and the above problem are two very different issues, In my mind anyways.

Counter surfing tends to be done with no supervision.... I'm not saying it is never done by pups when people are there, I'm saying those incidents should be fewer; as you are actively there to correct and reinforce the action when it does.


The dishwasher example however is done while you are loading and are present in the room, as I don't know many people who just leave their dishwasher doors open and leave the room We have one as well.

Simply put during food prep, and if we are working in the kitchen the girls are asked to wait outside of it. They can, and do, stare at us from the doorway but they are NOT allowed in. There are many reasons we enforce this rule, from limiting the amount of hair is in our food to not having a pup or human hurt by tripping or dropping a knife.

We enforced the boundary by slowly walking towards the pups with out stretched arms until they backed up to an acceptable location. We used OUT as we did this and as soon as they got to location we deemed acceptable we stayed in that pose until they sat or laid down.

Once they did we chimed in a GOOD GIRL and went back to our work. now we just have to point and say OUT and they move their butts. Sometimes they get excited and forget the rule (Bone prep on Fridays) but we just remind them of it by walking towards then slowly and they get it.

The girls go into my kitchen all the time to hoover the floor, and just to get to the back door. They know they are allowed to be there. But if one of us is inside now they give us our space.


In terms of counter surfing the ONLY thing that really worked with Ripley, because she was BAD with it, was a conjunction of teaching her LEAVE IT, requesting she laid down or was away from us while we ate, and catching her in the act a couple of times and placing her in time out.

In general, just teaching her manners and enforcing them.

~Chris~