Training Your Dog To Stop Begging

Do you have guests coming over for the holidays? Sometimes we don’t realize just how annoying some of our dog’s behaviors can be until we see it from the perspective of company in the home. And that’s particularly true with begging from the dinner table.

Begging is a common behavior problem faced by dog owners. It can be frustrating to have your dog hounding you for food every time you take out a snack or sit down to a meal.

Why Do Dogs Beg?

Begging is a natural behavior, so it takes a lot of consistency to undo the behavior if you’ve been reinforcing it.

Wolves began scavenging for human food many years ago. They started hanging around humans for scraps, and the tamer the wolf the more they were rewarded with extra bits of food. Begging isn’t rude or weird to your dog; it’s instinctive.                     

Domesticated dogs are hard-wired to seek out opportunities to obtain food from humans. And because they’re observant they quickly learn that begging produces results. It is one of the most common complaints of pet owners, but there is hope. If you really want to teach your dog not to beg you’re going to have to learn to stop giving in.

How To Stop Your Dog From Begging

We’re guilty of reinforcing our dog’s bad behaviors, and since our dogs know us so well they’re good at learning how to get what they want. Dogs beg more when we’re looking at them; they know it works. Those big puppy dog eyes and all that whining – it works really well on us humans.

The first step when teaching your dog not to beg is to make a promise to yourself: stop giving in. Every time you give your dog a treat from the table it’s teaching them that begging works. It might not work every day, but our dogs have good memories; they’ll keep trying if they know it worked last week.

It’s not fair to expect good behavior from our dogs if we ourselves don’t remain consistent. If you want your dog to stop begging you have to ensure that you’re not giving him mixed signals. You can’t scold him for begging while company is over and then give in the next day. You have to be consistent and fair.

Training ourselves to be consistent is usually the hardest part; the rest is fairly simple.

Don’t Reward the Behavior

Managing this behavior is one of the toughest parts for dog owners. When confronted with a pair of pleading puppy eyes, it can be hard not to give in now and then and toss a little nibble from your plate or snack bowl.

Unfortunately, if you give in even once, it’s going to be that much harder to put an end to this behavior.

When you’re trying to train yourself not to give in to this behavior, be sure to keep your dog’s health in mind. It’s much easier to resist feeding the dog scraps from your own plate if you remember that it can lead to obesity and a number of health problems for your pet down the road.

Ignore Your Dog’s Begging

If your dog already has the habit of begging for food you need to completely ignore the behavior. If he receives a scrap from you one single time he knows that his efforts might pay off next time.

Don’t look at your dog while be begs. Don’t speak to him. Don’t shoo him away. Just ignore him. Yes, I know how difficult this is, believe me!

If you look into those big eyes while he’s begging you might feel bad for him and give him a bite. Any attention you give him while he’s begging might make him think you’re just about to give him some food since it’s worked so well in the past.

He will probably fuss and protest if he’s a prolific beggar, but you are going to have to learn to ignore it. Your dog will eventually learn that “hey, I guess that’s not going to work anymore.”

Don’t equate food with love. Your dog is not starving. You feed him well every morning and evening. More than 50% of American dogs are overweight, your dog doesn’t need any extras. If you still feel bad just remember, he’s manipulating you.

It’s not their fault that they’re so darn cute,  but remember – your dog is not starving and all those extra bits of food can shave years off his life.

Separate Your Dog From the Dinner Table

One of the simplest ways to stop your for from begging is by preventing the behavior to begin with. You can do this by separating your dog from the dinner table.      

You can teach your dog to lay down in another room while you eat, or you can use a baby gate to keep them in a separate room. If your dog is already a beggar remember that his behavior is probably going to be quite resistant for a little bit before it gets better, but the consistency will eventually pay off.

Have your dog lay down in his bed, in his crate, or wherever you’ve chosen for him. Praise him when he lays down and give him some treats in this spot.

Depending on his stay command you might have to work at this for awhile before he’s consistently staying in his new spot. After you’ve eaten, go over to him and give him lots of praise and give him treats. Let him know that the behavior of sitting calmly while the family eats is what’s going to yield the best reward.

If you don’t think your dog is going to be able to stay for any amount of time or you don’t have a decent stay command mastered, you can choose to separate him with a barrier. Baby gates are a common choice.

Redirect His Attention While You Eat

If you don’t want your dog to stay completely separated from you while you eat, you can redirect his attention to some food, toys, or treats of his own. Give your dog something else to focus on while you eat. Give him one of his favorite bully sticks, or stuff some peanut butter inside of a Kong. Whatever makes him happy and keeps him occupied is what you’re going to use for distraction.

Ignore him if he gets up from his treat to beg. He will probably do this for a while if he’s accustomed to begging.

Another option is to feed your dog his meals at the same time you are having yours. Place his food down for the duration of your meal. Ignore him if he comes to you and begs. When your meal is over, pick up his food bowl whether he’s eaten or not. Your dog will quickly learn that he needs to eat his own food at mealtimes if he doesn’t want to go hungry.

As long as you don’t give in and feed him from the table, your dog will eventually learn that his begging skills aren’t going to pay off anymore.

If you’re consistent and decide to stick with it, begging can be easy to correct.  You need to be firm and persistent and you need the whole family involved.  If someone in the family decides that they’re not going to play along and gives in, you are not going to be successful.  If everyone is on the same page, your family’s teamwork will pay off!