Picking size to avoid counter surfing!

[c zoomer]

I am going to be asked to pick a  puppy most likely this week.  She wont tell  me "when", so this is a guess.  I would like to choose a mini that can't counter surf.  My problem is the puppies initial size was estimated at 20 pounds.  The dame is 30 and the sire is 15 and according to the breeder, both are around 20" tall.

What should I look for to get a small dog, now that the estimate has increased to 25 lbs/20 inches.?

Should I wait for the next litter that has a 17 lb. dame? (no telling what the sire weighs as this is not always provided on the website).  Currently there are 2 cream pups that resemble? mamma. What are the chances that the 15 pound father will influence their size?  I don't wish to deal with counter surfing. Fortunately there are no stools in the kitchen.  Shoulder height for a surfer?  I had some Springers that were able to get their "wrists" up onto the counter...so I'd like something smaller.

Many thanks,

c zoomer

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hate to tell you this, but I've known many a Poodle and Poodle mix under 15" tall and under 20 lbs who could jump onto the kitchen counters with no trouble at all. Poodles are very athletic dogs, lol. On the other hand, my labradoodle is 25" and 80 lbs and has never once in the ten years I've had him, touched anything on the kitchen counter, or even placed a paw up there.

The point is, size alone isn't going to prevent counter surfing; that involves training, and also keeping the counters cleared. 

[Wynnie & Jim]

I agree with Karen. Imagine a party with friends and hors d'oeuvres on a table -- tempting for any puppy or dog. A well trained puppy will "leave it" with that command. Training is the key to counter or cocktail party surfing. Start early, be persistent and patient. I made the mistake, one time, of using a low table as a training table for an agility lesson. The next time that we had company, my young girl Wynnie was up on the low table and looking at the hors d'oeuvres. Lesson learned by me. LOL. We worked hard on the "leave it" and "stay" commands, and now Wynnie is the perfect hostess. ;-)

[Amy and Annabelle]

Annabelle is a mini and was the smallest in her litter. She weighs 15lbs at a year and a half. She is not tall enough to counter surf, she tries though. She is even too short to get anything off of the table unless it is right on the edge. Her litter was estimated to be between 20 to 25lbs on average with the largest male making 30lbs and Annabelle being a little smaller than 20. Her mom is a 30lb goldendoodle and her dad is a 11lb poodle. She is an F1b which makes her 3/4 poodle. But I agree with Karen the best thing to do is train them not to do it in the first place. But sometimes something is just too tempting.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You somehow duplicated this discussion and have two of them in the forum. That will be very confusing. You can still delete the other one as long as nobody has replied, so you might want to do that quickly, lol. 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/picking-size-to-avoid-coun...

[Sally M]

My puppy is plenty big to counter surf but she has never done it. So getting a medium sized dog doesn't mean they will definitely counter surf just because they are big enough to do so. Also, I've always heard a puppy's size is from both parents, not just the mother as you mentioned. Karen can advise you on this, better than me, though.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I answered the other thread---did not see this one. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I don't think it is the size of the dog as much as the tendency.  Ned is 16 1/2 " tall at the shoulder, weighs 28 pounds, and can counter surf.  Our taller doodle, would never dream of it.  PS, Ned also gets into the trash!  Bratty little guy.  My Springer never got into the trash, never counter surfed, but had separation anxiety and ate couches, chairs, wall molding, edges of rugs whenever he was left alone.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Riley is the smaller of my two and he has springs in his legs and can jump onto any counter should he decide to.  Boris is the taller and he never jumps or reaches up anywhere. Height is definitely not a good indicator IMO.  Training is key to all behaviour issues.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

This discussion reminds me of when I first got my schnoodle, Barkley. At the time we had a hamster and a cockatiel. When he saw the bird cage (which hung from the ceiling down to a little over kitchen table height, Barkley would jump up as high as he could in midair to see the bird. He was so excited, he would do it again and again and again.
When he realized there was a hamster to look at on the desk, he would jump up on the chair to get a better look. Of course we always kept an eye on him as he has a high prey drive. Over the years he has calmed down a little. He is 10 now. My bird is gone and so is the hamster, but he can still jump. If he had ever wanted to, he could have gotten on the counter, but didn't.
I forgot to mention that Barkley is about 16lbs and maybe 12" tall.
I do have a mischievous Goldendoodle puppy now and she has gotten a few things off of the counter and has attempted to get a few more. I'm working with her not to do that and keeping things off that would entice her.
Gracie who is very able to get things off of the counter doesn't even attempt. Though I do see her nose skim it sometimes. ;)

[Stella]

I totally agree with the others, the only way to have a dog that doesn't counter surf is to train them, size has nothing to do with it. My friends beagles are very capable of jumping up onto her counter and they are small! My tall LD used to counter surf when he was younger, we managed to train him to stop, my second LD is smaller, but much springier, and he never tried - just not food motivated!

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

That reminds me of my friend's dog who is beagle basset mix and very short. She was able to pull frozen chicken off of the counter.

[Adina P]

Closing the duplicate and adding in the posts from there, to here: