Stop The Begging!

  Posted on October 3, 2013  by Joy of Living  No comments

Are you guilty of occasionally feeding your dog a few bites off your plate? We’ve probably all done it but if you make it a habit, you are encouraging your dog to beg at the table. The begging can get pretty annoying, plus it can pack pounds on your dog quickly.

Here are some ways to stop your dog from begging:

• Try crating your dog during meals. Provide toys or treats for him in his crate. Teach him that this is his place when you are eating.
• If you don’t want to crate your dog during meals, consider sending him out of the room. Teach your dog to go to his place (to his bed or to another room). It should be a place where he can’t turn pleading eyes on you to beg for food. Don’t let him sneak back into the room or slip under the table.
• Try feeding your dog at the same time you have your own meals. Put his food in his crate if necessary.
• Discipline yourself! Refuse to give your dog food from your plate!
• Make sure no one else in your family is slipping your dog food from the table. This is especially important with children. They are often the biggest culprits when it comes to feeding dogs under the table and encouraging begging. Unless everyone stops feeding the dog from the table the behavior will never stop. Dogs are great at finding the weakest person and working on them.
• If you have a puppy, don’t let the begging behavior start. Teach your puppy from the start to go to his crate when you have meals. Make sure that no one even thinks of beginning to give your puppy food from the table.

Remember that begging is not an instinct with dogs. It is a learned behavior. Someone along the way taught your dog to beg for food, it’s up to you to stop the behavior.

Don’t feel guilty about saying no to your dog! At least 40% of dogs in the United States are believed to be overweight or obese. Your dog will be healthier if you cut out feeding him from the table and stick to his primary diet. Most food for humans is too rich for dogs and not necessarily good for them. For instance, each year after Thanksgiving veterinarians report a large increase in cases of pancreatitis and other digestive problems in dogs because people have shared their holiday meal with their dogs. You can stop your dog from begging and help him be healthier by cutting out giving your dog food from your plate.