Dogs seem to know how to push our emotional buttons when it comes to food and other coveted things. If the sweet puppy-dog gazes don’t get to you, your dog might opt for annoying, whiney persistence and then downright grabbing. Begging at the table can be one of the most difficult dog habits to break, because the rewards are just too visible, plentiful and desirable.
Dog trainer Jason Ellis of Dog-Training-Works.com shares the following tips:
1. What your dog doesn’t know won’t hurt it.
The best way to stop your dog from begging at the table is to never introduce it to table food in the first place. Your dog won’t know what it’s missing, and you won’t have to know how to stop it from begging at the table.
2. Let your dog know its place.
Dogs are very particular about social rank, and they need to know that they’re at the bottom of the social ladder. Keep to a feeding schedule, but make sure that it only eats after the family has eaten. If it so much as gets a crumb from the table, it will assume that it’s moving up in status and may become more aggressive.
3. Learn the power of commands.
The commands “Sit” and “Stay” are very effective when learning how to stop your dog from begging at the table. After the family has finished eating, reward your pet with praises or treats for behaving.
You may eventually need to take drastic action. Your dog might get aggressive, so let it stay in another room or outdoors while the family is eating. Do not let it watch you, because it’ll only frustrate it further. Once the family has finished, you can then allow your pet to enter the room and eat.
“No matter how cute your dog is, or how aggressive it gets, there’s absolutely no reason to give in to its demands,” says Ellis.
