How to Keep Dogs From Begging When We Are Eating

When a dog begs at the dinner table it can be distracting and uncomfortable for the people eating. A dog should respect its human owners when they eat by keeping its distance instead of staring, drooling, whining or pawing its owners. In addition to how irritating this habit can be, it is harmful to a dog's health if he is regularly given human food from the table. You should have clear boundaries with your dog; he should eat separately from you and must not beg while you eat.

Things You'll Need

  • Chew toy
  • Dog treat
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Instructions

    • 1

      Start teaching your dog good habits as soon as you bring him home. He will learn by example, so if you never give him food from the table he will never expect to receive it and so he will not beg, according to the website PupListings.com. A dog is none the wiser if he has never tasted human food, so he won't know what he is missing, according to Happy K-9's website. If you have given him your food in the past, you must break this habit immediately. Stop giving him human food from the table and eventually he will tire of begging and learn that it will not achieve the desired results.

    • 2

      Feed your dog after you and your family have had dinner, writes PupListings.com. This will demonstrate the household hierarchy, and that he is the lowest ranking member of the family and therefore should not try to eat the food of superior members. Reinforcing yourself as the pack leader will effectively put your dog in his place and establish a routine that he can understand and live by.

    • 3

      Teach your dog to "sit" and "stay" on command, according to Happy K-9. This way you can signal to him that he must keep his distance and remain calm while you have dinner, instead of being under your feet or jumping up at the table. If your dog is particularly disobedient when it comes to begging, you could start off trying to retrain him by putting him in a separate room or outside while you eat. Creating this sense of separation during dinner will demonstrate to him that he is not a part of it. You could use a distraction aid to make this process easier, such as a chew toy.

    • 4

      Reward your dog with a treat if he has behaved well while you ate. This will reinforce his appropriate behavior. If you want to reward him with human food, make sure you put it in his dog bowl to remind him where he is supposed to eat.