Pilot is a Labrador retriever whose greatest skill is stealing food off the counters. He is a champion counter surfer and nothing is safe up there. This is not only inconvenient for his owners, it’s dangerous. Dogs have ingested all kinds of deadly things while trying to get to food. We have been teaching Pilot to ignore the counter and offer better behavior to get what he wants, which is any kind of food! Here he is with some of his favorite snacks very close to the edge. He’s making a better choice! He has already learned that lying down usually gets him something good, so he’s offering it here without us asking. There are certain behaviors that should never require us telling the dog to do them. Dogs should be taught that all four feet stay on the floor and not up on the counters or on people, and they should learn to do this on their own. Pilot is a work in progress so we will continue to teach and test him until he no longer cares what is on the counter. A+, Pilot!
Port Orange, FL
