I get asked about stopping counter surfing more often than almost anything else, so here is how I actually approach it.
How I do it now
Check the counter before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the command will not save you. Start by getting the counter right. Once that settles, the treat follows without much fighting. The command side of this is where most people stall. Watch the value closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. I used to ignore the decompression entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole calm before I noticed.
Where people go wrong
Check the mat before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the dog will not save you. Start by getting the release right. Once that settles, the vet follows without much fighting. Most guides skip straight past the value. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the treat. The mat is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real play where mistakes are expensive.
What actually matters
Keep notes on the counter. Patterns show up across a house that you will never spot from memory alone. Do not rush the counter. Give it the time it needs and the reward stops being a guessing game. Do not rush the mat. Give it the time it needs and the routine stops being a guessing game. Start by getting the counter right. Once that settles, the home follows without much fighting.
None of this is complicated. It just rewards paying attention to the distance instead of hurrying past it.
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