Having a dog that jumps on the counter can be frustrating, especially if you’re trying to cook; no one wants to have dog hair in their food!
If you are ready to learn how to stop a dog from jumping on counter read on, for easy-to-follow solutions!
Why Dogs Jump On The Counter
Before we jump into learning how to stop a dog from jumping on the counter, we first must understand why dogs jump on counters, to begin with.
Dog jump on counters for a variety of reasons, but here’s the most common:
Poor Management:
The first reason and the most common is due to “poor management” from puppyhood.
Dogs that jump on the counters do this because they were not adequately supervised as puppies and thus learned the behavior while being watched.
Food:
Another reason your dog may jump on the counter is because of food. your dog has likely learned that by jumping on the counter, there’s an opportunity to get “rewarded” by getting food off of the counter
Habit:
Many times if your dog has begun jumping on the counter and still does, your dog has likely created a habit towards jumping on the counter.
Many times habits start as a voluntary response. Still, with enough repetition of consistently repeating the jumping patterns on the counter, the behavior essentially goes on “autopilot,” meaning your dog doesn’t think about even jumping on the counter; they automatically do it.
Boredom:
Another reason your dog may jump on the counter is simply that your dog is bored. It is not uncommon for dogs that are bored to get into trouble to satisfy their mental and physical needs.
Never taught:
Your dog may also jump on the counters because you have never taught your dog that counters are “off-limits.” Remember, dogs don’t understand much of the human world; it’s our job to teach them. Creating boundaries is something that we must take the time to instill and train our dogs.
Lack of impulse:
Many dogs are impulsive and very opportunistic; training is essential in helping our dogs control their natural impulses. If we don’t take the time to teach our dogs how to manage these urges, then your dog will do what he wants with no regard to you.
How To Stop a Dog From Jumping On Counter
Now that we understand the several reasons your dog may jump on the counter, here are some ways to effectively learn how to stop a dog from jumping on the counter!
Management
The most important aspect of learning how to stop a dog from jumping on counter is proper management!
Proper management is about preventing your dog from rehearsing the exact behavior you don’t want because the more your dog practices a behavior, the more your dog will make that a habit.
The easiest way to accomplish this is by supervising your dog so that if your dog wants to jump on the counter, you can prevent your dog before they even get the chance!
Create Superstitious Associations
You can learn how to stop a dog from jumping on counter by creating a “superstitious association.”
Superstitious associations are where your dog associates a reward or punishment with an independent behavior away from you.
For instance, this is accomplished by stacking pots on top of the counter so that when your dog jumps on the counter, the pots fall and make a lot of noise.
Your dog begins to associate the counter with “loud pots” and soon thinks that the counter is responsible and thus begins to stop jumping on the counter because your dog has created the superstitious association that if he jumps on the counter, the counter will be scary.
Doing this can work because it is very impersonal, meaning that you have nothing to do with the pots falling in your dog’s mind, “the counter did that”
Avoid Having Food in Reachable Areas
To effectively stop your dog from jumping on the counter, be sure to ensure that your dog isn’t able to get rewarded by eating any reachable food on the counter.
Teach Your Dog to “Leave It”
Teaching your dog a “leave it command can also help in many ways because you can tell your dog to leave something that he is interested in alone, such as jumping on the counter!
Teach Your Dog A “Place” Command
Teaching your dog to go to a specific place or spot while cooking is a great way to teach your dog an alternative behavior; instead of jumping on the counter, your dog can go to their bed chewing their bone.
Use A Barrier
An easy way to prevent your dog from jumping on the counter is to use a barrier to prevent your dog from jumping on the counter.
Conclusion
Learning how to stop a dog from jumping on counter does not have to be too difficult; as long as you follow the guidelines above and stay consistent, you’ll quickly notice that your dog will jump on the counter less and less until it completely stops.
To learn more how to train dog to not jump on the counter and to awaken your dog’s true potential contact us here or Give us a call!
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