5 Tips to stop your dog from begging food
A hungry dog begs for food, this is a common phenomenon. But a dog begging at the dinner table is frustrating, distracting and irritating and no one likes a pet dog to consistently beg food from them when they sit down to eat. Pet dogs can not be blamed for begging but you can use a few tactics and tips to change this habit of your dog.
1. Prevention is better than cure
In order to keep the dog away from the area where you eat you can confine the dog in another room with the help of a door or gate. You can also keep your dog in a crate if it is trained to stay in a crate. When the dog is confined to a room or crate you will have to keep it busy so that it remains quiet. You can achieve this by giving your dog a chew bone or a chew stick.
2. Use the leash
If it is not possible to confine the dog to another room and it has to be in the same room where you are having food, but you want it not to loiter near the dinner table - then you can use leash. Leash will keep it in its own space. Fasten the leash to furniture. Keep a mat or a soft bed for the dog. Before starting your meal, take your dog to the comfortable mat and attach the leash to the dog’s collar. Give your dog a chew bone.
3. Teach your dog to stay
If you do not want to employ any of the above method of confining your dog, you can train it to stay in a designated spot when you have your food. This training will come handy when you will watch movie or when you have visitors. You can ask your dog to go to the designated place and it will neither disturb you while watching the movie nor it will jump on your friends.
4. Do not feed from your plate
As soon as you bring a dog to your home start teaching good habits. If you will never feed your dog from your plate it will never expect that and so will never beg for food. If you give the dog tidbits from your plate, surely the dog will diligently keep asking for it.
5. Ignorance
Do not pay attention and do not yell or shout, if your dog begs for food at the table and barks. Even negative attention like shouting or yelling will give the dog conviction that it should keep begging for food. You can try the time out technique. Tie a lightweight leash to your dog’s collar. Every time it barks for food, take your dog to a time out area. The time out area can be any room or area devoid of any fun which the dog can have, it should be boring. After a minute or two you can let your dog come out of the time out room. Every time the dog begs for food repeat this process. Soon your dog will learn that barking for food will lead to the banishment punishment. So, gradually it will stop begging for food.
Have patience and consistency in your training so that the dog stops begging for food. Best way is to set an example for your dog as soon as it comes in your house. Never give food from the dinner table, reward the dog for good behavior and punish for bad behavior.
