You come home from work, exhausted and hungry. You prepare yourself a sandwich and place it on the counter. You turn your back and ‘poof’, your sandwich is gone! The counter shark has struck again!

Dogs are opportunistic scavengers. If we leave temptation out, they will likely counter surf—jumping up to look for any potential goodies to take. Dogs will commonly jump up for food, but also anything else they find tempting. They quickly learn that counters are treasure troves of food and toys!

Let’s discuss why dogs counter surf and strategies we can use to change this behavior.

Why Dogs Counter Surf: The “Jackpot” Effect

Jumping on counters is well worth it for dogs! If a dog is successful in finding a snack, they win big! So they will check that counter again. And again. Because maybe this time they will find more food. Think of counter surfing as gambling and the counters are slot machines.

Counter surfing can also be reinforced with human attention. Our tendencies to yell “off”, push them down, or redirect them with treats can be reinforcing from the dog’s perspective. Jump on the counter and the human engages.

Dogs are not being purposefully disobedient or manipulative; they just understand cause and effect. This means that counter surfing can be difficult to stop once the dog discovers how well it works. However, we can teach dogs that keeping four paws on the floor is more rewarding than counter surfing.

Management is Your Best Friend

One of the most important ways to stop counter surfing is to prevent the dog from doing the behavior in the first place, also known as management. The more opportunities a dog has to be reinforced for counter surfing, the harder it will be to replace it with more appropriate choices. Management is the short-term solution that supports the training that will lead to long-term behavior change.

Remove Temptation

Be mindful of temptations and keep them off of counters and out of reach. 

• Store food in the fridge, secured containers, or upper cabinets. 
• Return all used dishes to the sink and wipe down crumbs.
• Store all non-food temptations away or up high.
• Store trash bins out of reach and use one with a secure lid.

Make countertops boring and not worth your dog’s time or energy!

When Temptation is High

There will be times when temptation is high, such as mealtime and when guests are over. Households with children may find that certain rooms will always have temptation (e.g., playrooms, kitchens). Set your dog up for success by blocking access to those areas when temptation is present. Close doors, use baby gates, or section off spaces with foldable barriers or playpens. This guarantees your dog won’t surf, even when you’re not there.

Interrupt and Redirect

If your dog shows interest in the counter, get their attention in a positive way by making attention-getting noises like clapping, whistling, or calling their name. Once you have their attention, offer a better alternative, like a chew or toy.

Consistency is Key

Management requires cooperation from everyone in the household. 

• Discuss as a household what management strategies to use and when. 
• Place helpful reminders on counters and the fridge. 
• Inform any guests or workers of what to do.

Now that we have some great management strategies in place, we need to train the dog what to do when confronted with temptation. Training takes time, so continue managing the dog’s access to temptations while your dog builds these new skills.

Training Tip: “Leave It”

We can teach dogs to disengage and move away from temptations using a “leave it” command or cue. When “leave it” training is paired frequently enough with the same temptation, the dog will start to ignore it on their own without us asking first.

Start by presenting an easy temptation like kibble or food that your dog can’t have and reward them when they ‘give up’ and leave it alone. Use reward treats that are the same or higher value than the temptation you are asking your dog to ‘leave’ to make it worth it.

1. Place a low-value temptation in your hand and hold it at doggy level. 
2. Keep your hand closed and still as long as your dog is touching your hand in any way. 
3. As soon as your dog stops touching your hand or looks away from it, mark or say “good”. 
4. Take a high value treat and toss it away from you. 
5. Repeat until your dog is no longer interested in the temptation or stops touching your hand after a couple of seconds. 
6. Repeat the above steps, but when your dog looks in the direction of the temptation or interacts with your hand, say “leave it”. Continue waiting until your dog looks away or stops touching your hand before rewarding.
7. Once your dog quickly looks away from the temptation when you say “leave it”, practice with various food and non-food temptations.

Once your dog has mastered the steps above, begin practicing with temptations on counters or raised surfaces. Keep items far enough away that they can’t be reached, even if your dog jumps. Say “leave it” as your dog notices the item—before they attempt to jump—and reward for disengaging. Gradually increase difficulty, and if your dog jumps more than once, make the setup easier.

Training Tip: “Go to Place”

“Go to Place” is a stationary behavior: the dog goes to a specific spot and lies down until they are released. This is a great behavior when temptation is high, like mealtimes and dinner parties.

Select a mat—any distinct object that your dog can comfortably lie down on like a dog bed, yoga mat, small rug, or floor mat. Start by turning this mat into a treat button—anytime the dog is on the mat, treats rain down! If the dog comes off the mat, treats stop.

1. Place the mat in an accessible area of the kitchen or other room of interest with no temptations present.
2. Using a treat, lure your dog to the mat and into a down position. 
3. Offer 10 treats, one a time, in quick succession while your dog is lying down on the mat. If they get up, lure them back into position and continue offering treats. 
4. Say your release word and encourage your dog to come off the mat. Wait 10 seconds. 
5. Repeat these steps until your dog is quickly returning back to the mat on their own without the treat lure. Then add a verbal cue like “place”, “go to place”, “bed”, etc. Say your verbal cue after you release your dog and while they are moving towards the mat. 
6. Build a longer stay on the mat by pausing for one full second before offering the next treat. Then pause for two seconds between treats. 
7. Slowly add more time as long as your dog is able to stay on the mat. If your dog moves off the mat, lure them back on and wait to offer the next treat. 
8. If your dog moves off the mat more than once during the 10 treats, reduce the amount of time between treats.

Once your dog has mastered the basics, start to gradually increase difficulty by taking one or two steps away between treats. If your dog stays in place, start to walk to the fridge or sink between treats. Slowly add in more distractions like opening the fridge, taking food out, or light food prep. Continue returning to your dog frequently to offer treats. Over time, build up to real-life situations like full meal prep, mealtimes, and dinner parties.

Final Tips and Reminders

Reward Good Choices

In addition to “leave it” and “go to place”, reward your dog for making other great choices when faced with temptation. Anytime your dog ignores the counter, walks away from temptation, chooses a toy or chew, or settles on their own—mark and reward it. The more you reinforce these good choices, the more they’ll become your dog’s default behavior.

If You Catch Your Dog in the Act

Remember management—if you catch your dog counter surfing, stay calm. Remove the temptation, gently guide them from the space, and use a barrier to prevent them from returning to the counter. Avoid punishment or scolding—it may stop the behavior in the moment, but it doesn’t teach your dog what to do instead. Many dogs simply learn to counter surf when you’re not around.

Scare tactics (like loud noises or booby traps) can also backfire, creating fear or anxiety around the kitchen, sudden sounds, or even you. This can lead to more complex behavior issues that are harder to resolve than counter surfing itself.

The Bottom Line…

Management paired with positive training is the best strategy for stopping counter surfing. Management takes the reward away from counter surfing, and positive training places the reward in the choices we want our dogs to make. This creates long-lasting behavior change, even when we’re not home. Training takes time, consistency, and patience—but it’s well worth it to keep our sandwiches safe!