Suppose you and your family are enjoying a meal at your dinner table. Before the first bite is taken, your pooch is standing next to your chair. His tail is wagging and his eyes are focused on the food hanging from your fork. It’s clear that he wants you to share. Instead, you decide to ignore him.

Before long, your dog raises the stakes and places his paw on your leg. His eyes are now switching between you and your food. When you continue to ignore him, hoping he’ll get the message, he begins to whine. He may even bark. He is a persistent beggar.

A begging canine is a nuisance for you, your family, and friends. Unfortunately, many owners unwittingly reinforce the behavior, making it more difficult to curb later. Below, we’ll provide a few suggestions that will help you nip the problem in the bud.

How Owners Encourage A Bad Habit

A lot of owners simply give in to their canine’s appeals for food. Sometimes, this occurs at the dinner table. As the dog’s staring turns into pawing and whining, the owner finally surrenders. This teaches the canine that he merely needs to paw or whine more persistently in order to receive what he wants: food. Next time, if forced to do so, he’ll become even more persistent; after all, it has been successful in the past.

Discouraging your canine from begging starts with taking a “no tolerance” stance. That is, decide upfront that you will not capitulate, regardless of your dog’s pleas. If you yield, even once, you will send the message that begging works – if only sporadically. This reinforces the habit and increases the likelihood your canine will beg in the future.

Same Time, Same Place

Once you have resolved yourself to never giving your pooch food from your dinner table, establish a set meal routine for him. Feed him at the same time every day. For example, if you normally give him two meals each day, feed him at 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and avoid deviating from that schedule.

This builds an expectation in your canine. He’ll know when his meals are supposed to be given to him. There is no confusion.

Also, provide his meals in the same spot. This creates a connection in his mind between his food and his feeding area. He’ll learn that any food outside this area – aside from treats – is off limits to him. If you and your family are eating your meals at the same time as your dog, have him eat in another room.

Train Him To Wait For You

Dogs beg because food has been given to them in the past when they do so. Begging is a habit learned over time. You can use positive reinforcement (dog treats are an ideal tool) to shape your canine’s behavior in the other direction. For example, place his favorite treat in your hand, and close your hand while he watches. If he has grown accustomed to begging, he will have trouble sitting still. He may bump your hand, whine, or even bark to let you know he would like the treat.

Avoid opening your hand while he begs. Instead, wait for him to sit on his own. When he does, open your hand and give him the treat.

This teaches your dog several important lessons. First, he learns the most reliable way to receive food from you is to recognize and respect your authority. Second, it teaches him that his begging will not persuade you to give him a treat more quickly. Third, it reinforces the idea that he’ll be given food only when he remains calm and avoids begging.

These lessons dovetail. As they do, they will slowly curb the bad habit. Your dog, as a result, will become better-behaved and more pleasant to have around.

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Category: Pets
Keywords: pets, dogs, dog chews, dog treats, dog behavior, being a dog owner, dog training, dog begging