Puppy Help - Counter Surfing

Help PLEASE! Our Bruce has been great -- really great. Relatively easy to house-break, knows sit, come, and lay at 6 months. He still jumps when excited, but we're working on it. One thing we cannot get a handle on is counter surfing. I've found the suggestion about putting mousetraps on the counter to scare them, but I have little kids and would like them to retain the use of their fingers.

Does anyone have a family friendly way to deal with this? We don't give him people food, we don't feed him from the table - he helps himself - usually off of my son's plate.

Maybe put something large and loud sounding when they are knocked off on the counters? Empty coffee cans that have the stay fresh foil seal rather than the ones you have to use a canopener on?

Spray bottle of water like you'd do for cats?

[spotty_dog]

Don't leave anything on the counter.

Seriously, it's a self-rewarding behavior. The way to extinguish it is first and foremost to eliminate the reward! It's extra tough with kids and husbands and such around to spoil your hard work, but do try to recruit them too.

If you catch him *in the act*, clap sharply to distract him, then set him to do something else (toss a ball or something), and PRAISE him for doing that other thing!

On the extinction front, also keep him away from the source of temptation by crating him or tethering him to you when you can't pay attention to him.

How old is he now?

EDIT: Also, train "Off". This is detailed in Patricia McConnell's books but basically you offer a tidbit and if he lunges, close your hand and say "Off". If he's persistent, thwap him startlingly and say "Off". When he hesitates or backs off, praise and give the tidbit!

Then you can extend this new command, "Off" (meaning "that's not for you/back away") to other situations. In the countersurfing, you can interrupt his attempt with "No, OFF." And praise/reward for obeying! Consistency will build a habit; occasionally reward him just for keeping four on the floor.

I agree with Alison -- our puppy trainer told us the same and it worked! Same with the catching in the act, especially for the trashcan. We would even leave him in the kitchen with the trashcan and walk out, hide around the corner and wait for him to try. Eventually he must have thought we were always lurking around the corner.