Monday, October 29, 2012

Trainer Tips--Begging


Have a dog that begs?  Begging can become an annoying and sometimes gross dog behavior.  One of my dog's actually got to the point where she would have a large puddle of drool wherever she was sitting, watching us eat.  Pretty gross!
So...how do you avoid this problem?

To avoid begging, never feed your dog from the dinner table, or wherever you eat.  This is not to say that your dog cannot have human food scraps.  To avoid begging, put any food scraps you wish to give your dog in their bowl, even better, mix the scraps in with their daily meals.  If a dog knows he will not get a random flying piece of food from you while you're eating, he will leave you alone.  To take it one step further, do not allow your dog to lay in an area near where you are eating.  If you have a dog that stares at you during meal time, have your dog lay on their bed or in their kennel in another room.  Dogs who beg have been previously rewarded for this behavior.  If you do not allow the behavior by following the simple things listed above, you will not have a dog that begs.

Remember that all members of the household should always have the same rules.  If you do not want your dog to beg, make sure that everyone is following the rules.  Sneaking your dog that one little snack here or there will set back your progress in training.

Notice how they stare at the food.

Mmm, that looks tasty.

Staring and drooling.

This is begging!
Remember...remove the dogs to their spot in another room, 
where they can NOT see you and watch you eat.

Instead, mix any leftovers in the dog's bowl with their regular dog food.
Depending on how much extra you mix in, 
subtract that much regular dog food from their normal size meal.

Add leftovers to the regular dog food.


Mix all contents of the bowl together.


We like to throw a little extra tiny bit of regular dog food on top.

Dogs must perform a "Watch Me," and wait to be released in order to eat.

That's a good dinner!!!


No comments:

Post a Comment