[thewisemann]

Our golden, Coco, has developed a bad habit. He was away from our house for about three months while we were remodeling. He lived on a very nice farm area during that time.

Since coming back, since our twins are older, we feel more comfortable with Coco being more of an inside dog than before. So, he is inside the house most of the time, and, for the most part, this has worked out well.

However, there is one bad habit he has developed. He goes into the kitchen, and will actually jump up to the counter area and take food. The other day, he eat my last piece of rye bread.

Any ideas? We try to keep the kitchen doors closed, but we have three young kids, and that is not always easy.

Thank you.

 

[AlanK]

Most refer to your situation as counter surfing. From what I have seen it is common for Golden's. The only advise I have is to keep a close eye on him and correct his behavior.

Good luck....

 

[Angelina]

You are describing 'counter surfacing' and there is a lot of information on it (do a search). The first place to start is to make sure your dog cannot steal anything...it is a good excuse to keep the kitchen clean and food put away at all times! Each time he is successful reinforces his desire to continue the behavior. Good luck to you and perhaps some more knowledgeable people will respond as well! K

 

[Lilliegrace]

My Golden counter surfs but does not jump onto the counter. She gets her paws onto the edge and slithers along checking for treats. We have tried everything with no luck.

 

[Jige]

I would say thsi is the only bad habit Jige has. yes he counter surfs. I never leave anything on the counter so I do not know why he puts his feet up there every night. He never gets anything lol. I had one other dog do this and by the time she was about 1 1/2yrs old she stopped. So I guess it took her about 6mos to figure out she wasnt going to get anything.

 

[Willow52]

Make sure your counters are free of any food. It's a very hard habit to break after it starts. I have a counter surfer too and it has taught me to keep my counters looking like a kitchen on HGTV!