Does your dog like to jump up whilst you are in the kitchen preparing food? Or maybe your dog jumps up at your children whilst they are eating their dinner at the table?
Have you tried telling your dog off, pushing him/her away, locking him/her in the crate or shutting him/her out of the room but none of these seem to stop the behaviour from happening in the first place?!
In our classes the very first thing you learn is to settle you pup/dog. Settle or Magic Mat is your key here. Teaching a dog to settle is a really important skill and can be used in lots of different situations, for example whilst you load the dishwasher, whilst you prepare your dinner, whilst you eat at the table/ on the sofa.
I know a lot of people worry about the amount of food that is used in training but you don’t have to keep using treats if your dog will work for his/her dinner. Take it out of his/her daily allowance so your dog is working for it.
When working on Magic Mat it will feel like you are teaching your dog to beg, but you aren’t. Hear me out. Place the mat next to you. Encourage your dog onto the mat and into a settled position then reward. You will need to drip feed whilst you eat or prepare dinner. Over time and when your dog starts automatically going to the mat, you can start to move the mat away. You will need to do this gradually and at a distance your dog can cope with. If you feel s/he keeps getting up but was fine previously you may need to move the mat slightly closer to you. Over time you can move the mat to where you want it to be. Then you can look at reducing the amount of food you use. The ultimate goal here is you have a dog that goes to his/her mat when you start to prepare your dinner/ open the dishwasher/sit down to have your meal and doesn’t need rewarding, they just understand what it is you wanted him/her to do in this situation.
If you don’t wish to handle kibble (dog biscuit) and your own food (I personally wouldn’t) then you could use some chopped up fruit or veg. You could use ham, cheese, chicken etc but be mindful how much you are giving and reduce your dog’s dinner to compensate.
And of course make sure you clear away any left over food and wipe your surfaces down to prevent your dog from self rewarding.
Never underestimate the power of Magic Mat. Practice in different situations and at different times of the day.
If you are struggling with Counter Surfing and you would like some additional support, why not get in contact so I can help you figure out why this is happening, to teach your dog to settle and also how to prevent it in the first place.
Happy Training
Leah
info@positivetrainingforcanines.co.uk