Dogs are notorious for their love of food, and their instinctual drive to scavenge can lead to frustrating behaviours like counter surfing and trash can diving. These behaviours often start innocently enough—sniffing out tantalising treats left unattended—but can quickly become habitual if rewarded even once. To keep your kitchen safe and your dog well-behaved, proactive prevention is key. Here’s how you can set the stage for success from day one and manage any culinary capers your furry friend might attempt.
Why dogs steal food?
Dogs are natural scavengers and opportunistic feeders, so counter surfing and trash can diving are basically hard-wired behaviours. Smelling those juicy morsels just out of reach and figuring out how to get them becomes a delightful game that needs barely any reinforcement to develop into full-scale obsession.
Prevention: First, last, and in-between.
The best protection against counter surfing is to prevent the habit from forming in the first place. If the behaviour pays off once, it is very hard to change—because of the double whammy reward of food and a challenge—so don’t let your new puppy or dog develop a taste for it.
Follow these rules from day one:
Make sure your dog isn’t actually being fed too little.
Make sure your dog gets enough exercise and mental stimulation. Many dogs become counter surfers out of sheer boredom.
Scavenger-proof your kitchen:
Always put leftover foods away (this is good food safety advice, too).
Keep countertop foods in Tupperware containers.
Keep bread products in bins or jars.
Put fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator or well out of reach. Install child-proof latches on cupboard doors.
Use a trash can with a lid or place the can in a cupboard (with a latch).
If the damage is done
If your dog has once managed to gulp down a loaf of bread while you fetched the mail, chances are you have an incurable counter surfer on your hands.
What’s the answer? Manage, manage, manage. In addition to the above advice, consider installing doors in your kitchen and pantry or using a baby gate to restrict your dog’s access anytime you are not around to supervise.
What about deterrents? There are many products on the market that claim to cure counter surfing. Frankly, most deterrents are ineffective. Hard-core counter surfers are typically highly food-motivated, crafty dogs that are not easily put off. The more you try, the craftier they get.
What not to do. Don’t scold your dog unless you catch him in the act of stealing food. Dogs don’t understand delayed consequences, so your dog would not know why he is being lectured.