This week, I had the pleasure of working with a family that may resemble yours: there was a working mother of two, her children, her parents (one of whom recently began using a walker), and a Bichon Frise mix who had recently become a counter surfer.
For those of you not living with a counter surfer, allow me to explain. A counter surfer is a clever type of dog who learns to climb onto your counter and eat everything in sight —including in this case, five out of six “Fourteen-dollar gluten-free butter tarts.”
Counter surfers are incredibly dextrous. This little Bichon mix may actually be hiding retractable thumbs underneath that fluffy little coat! You know those plastic containers butter tarts come in? The ones that humans need the extra-special penny-cutter scissors to get into, and sometimes the odd machete or blowtorch?
This was no match for their furry little friend.
Her other amazing trick, was making toast disappear from the table in the morning. Grandpa would make some toast, set it on the table, and go back to the kitchen to pour some orange juice. He’d return to an empty plate and be forced to wonder: Did I already eat that?
The family was very excited to learn what to do to stop the counter surfing, and other behavioural issues they were experiencing.
When I asked what their adorable dog’s currency was (imagining it was likely food), the owner’s reply was: “Nothing. She works for nothing. You just tell her to sit and she does it.”
The family revealed that The Butter Tart Bandit used to be very overweight. In fact, she was having such bad knee issues that their veterinarian proposed surgery or weight loss. No one expected that when she dropped the weight, she’d learn to climb on furniture to reach the countertop and, well, become the Butter Tart Bandit.
I was very pleased to hear that the family wasn’t stuffing her full of treats. I was happy to train with them all evening without EVER giving their dog any food! And you know what? That dog was AMAZING!!!!! And so was her family. In less than an hour, they were walking her at a heal inside and outside the home, something they had never been able to do before. The Butter Tart Bandit worked for verbal praise and loved every second of it. She even followed us to the kitchen when we left food on the dining room table to see if she’d make a mistake. This is the power of developing an amazing relationship with your dog, where they value YOU more than a pile of food on a table.
Is your dog a counter surfer? Leave us a comment below and tell us how you trained them to stop.
Have a wonderful weekend and good luck with your training!
Alyssa
This week’s photos by: @charlesdeluvio