Counter Surfing. Part 3. Training Humans

So what if you are willing to keep the counter clean but you are having a hard time with family members leaving stuff on the counters?



We can still manage our dogs using  crates, barriers, etc.. We can go behind family members cleaning after them.
And we can try positive reinforcement on family members:

Simple - Thank family members whenever the counters are clean. The more that desired behaviors are reinforced, the more they will be repeated.

More elaborate - Check the counters 5 times a day. On days that the counters are clean during at least 3 checks, the family gets a star. After 5 stars, the family gets a fun outing, or an expensive treat.

For more ideas on using positive reinforcement on humans, read Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot The Dog."  Also research "Tag Teaching" - mentioned Karen Pryor's "Reaching The Animal Mind"

See more on counter surfing here:
http://www.stubbypuddin.com/search/label/counter%20surfing