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<\/a><\/p>\nDo you have guests coming over for the\u00a0holidays? 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\u00a0begging\u00a0from the dinner table.<\/p>\n
Begging is a\u00a0common behavior problem\u00a0faced 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.<\/p>\n
Why Do Dogs Beg?<\/h3>\n
Begging is a natural behavior, so it takes a lot of consistency to undo the behavior if you\u2019ve been reinforcing it.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t rude or weird to your dog; it\u2019s\u00a0instinctive<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Domesticated dogs are hard-wired to seek out opportunities to obtain food from humans. And because they\u2019re 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\u2019re going to have to learn to stop giving in.<\/p>\n We\u2019re guilty of reinforcing our dog\u2019s bad behaviors, and since our dogs know us so well they\u2019re good at learning how to get what they want. Dogs beg more when\u00a0we\u2019re looking at them; they know it works. Those big puppy dog eyes and all that whining \u2013 it works really well on us humans.<\/p>\n The first step when teaching your dog not to beg is to make a promise to yourself: stop giving in<\/strong>. Every time you give your dog a treat from the table it\u2019s teaching them that begging works. It might not work every day, but our dogs have good memories; they\u2019ll keep trying if they know it worked last week.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not fair to expect good behavior from our dogs if we ourselves don\u2019t remain consistent. If you want your dog to stop begging you have to ensure that you\u2019re not giving him mixed signals. You can\u2019t scold him for begging while company is over and then give in the next day. You have to be consistent and fair<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n Training ourselves to be consistent is usually the hardest part; the rest is fairly simple.<\/p>\n Managing this behavior\u00a0is 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.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, if you give in even once, it\u2019s going to be that much harder to put an end to this behavior.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re trying to train yourself not to give in to this behavior, be sure to keep your dog\u2019s health in mind. It\u2019s much easier to resist feeding the dog scraps from your own plate if you remember that it can lead to\u00a0obesity\u00a0and a number of health problems for your pet down the road.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t look at your dog while be begs. Don\u2019t speak to him. Don\u2019t shoo him away. Just ignore him. Yes, I know how difficult this is, believe me!<\/p>\n If you look into those big eyes while he\u2019s begging you might feel bad for him and give him a bite. Any attention you give him while he\u2019s begging might make him think you\u2019re just about to give him some food since it\u2019s worked so well in the past.<\/p>\n He will probably fuss and protest if he\u2019s a prolific beggar, but you are going to have to learn to ignore it. Your dog will eventually learn that \u201chey, I guess that\u2019s not going to work anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t 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\u2019t need any extras. If you still feel bad just remember, he\u2019s manipulating you.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not their fault that they\u2019re so darn cute,\u00a0 but remember \u2013 your dog is not starving and all those extra bits of food can\u00a0shave years off his life.<\/p>\n One of the simplest ways to stop your for from begging is by\u00a0preventing the behavior\u00a0to begin with. You can do this by separating your dog from the dinner table.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n Have your dog lay down in his bed, in his crate, or wherever you\u2019ve chosen for him. Praise him when he lays down and give him some treats in this spot.<\/p>\n Depending on his stay command you might have to work at this for awhile before he\u2019s consistently staying in his new spot. After you\u2019ve 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\u2019s going to yield the best reward.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t think your dog is going to be able to stay for any amount of time or you don\u2019t have a decent stay command mastered, you can choose to separate him with a barrier. Baby gates are a common choice.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t 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.\u00a0Whatever makes him happy and keeps him occupied is what you\u2019re going to use for distraction.<\/a><\/p>\nHow To Stop Your Dog From Begging<\/h3>\n
Don’t Reward the Behavior<\/h3>\n
Ignore Your Dog\u2019s Begging<\/h3>\n
<\/a>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.<\/p>\nSeparate Your Dog From the Dinner Table<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nRedirect His Attention While You Eat<\/h3>\n
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