Does your dog beg for food at the table? Do they beg even from strangers when you’re at a restaurant? Then you should know, that you are one-hundredth percent guilty of this yourself. If a dog learns to beg for human food, it is an educational mistake. But the good news is, that you can unteach them to do this.
Of course it is ideal, if the dog never learns to beg. For example, my dog never had an issue with this. And otherwise, he is quite a mischievous little dog. But he has never gotten food at a table from anyone, not even while meat was cut in the kitchen. Thanks to this, he has learned that when people are eating, it doesn’t mean, that he is going to. He just knows, that human food is not for him, and that’s why he doesn’t even try to beg for it.
However, if you fail to resist the begging stare of dog’s eyes in the puppy age and from time to time, you give your doggy a piece of food off your plate, he will get used to that whenever you’re eating, something tasty might come from it. Then you can’t wonder why they are begging. They just learn that such behaviour pays off and from their point of view, it is rewarded with a treat.
Unfortunately, it may happen, that even if you yourself will consistently teach your dog, that they shouldn’t beg, then some of your friends or family members might secretly slip something to them under the table here and there. You leave your not begging dog for someone else to watch and you will get a first-class bum in return. What can you do? Steel yourself with patience and start to ignore the begging dog. This way, you can unteach them the begging skills again.
If the dog comes to the table during a meal, starts throwing heart-wrenching stares at you or they start whining or put their snout in your lap. Simply ignore them completely. It is no good to start talking to them in a kind voice, since then they can interpret this as a positive signal which approves of their behaviour. In short, it is ideal, if the dog stays at their place when the humans are dining, in their bed or on their blanket and they aren’t at the table at all. Simply put: before you start eating, send your dog friend to their place.
But if the dog sets off to you to the table, immediately send them back to their place, so that it is clear to them that they are not welcome at the table and nothing good is waiting for them there. If the dog should come back to the place by you after you send them to their place, always order them strongly, to go back.
And one final advice: if you ever wanted to give your dog, for example, a piece of meat that you are cutting in the kitchen, or a piece of your own food, for instance (even though, this is definitely not necessary in case of a balanced diet), always put the food into their own bowl. The dog just has to remember that they are getting their food only in their own bowl, or as a reward during training and not from a human plate that you are eating from at the moment.
So if you have a little dog beggar at home, try to be consistent and patient, and you will see, that they will unlearn this undesirable behaviour after some time.
Arthritis ranks among the most frequent diseases of the joints in dogs. It is accompanied by pain and limitations for physical activity. And because it cannot be cured I’ll give you some tips how to make the life of your buddy with arthritis easier.
It is nowadays completely normal to have dog restaurants, saloons and spas. People try to indulge their pets with all the luxurious things. Some procedures are more helpful than others. But thalassotherapy is one of those that can have a positive...
Nowadays even our pets are subject to diseases of civilization. Obesity is no good for them as well as for people. Do you know how to tell if your cat is obese and what are its causes and consequences?
The season of ticks is back again and so it is the right time to start protecting our pets. These parasites also bring anaplasmosis except from borreliosis. And the fact that this disease is not generally know does not undermine its serious impacts on...
You, as cat keepers, will probably be frightened when hearing “cat plague”. But precisely this phrase is sometimes used for panleukopenia which is a very dangerous cat disease. You may not only prevent it thanks to information obtained but to identify...
The whiskers on cats’ face are probably too noticeable to ignore them. But do you know all the places where cat’s whiskers with sense of touch are? And do you know how this comprehensive tactile body functions?
As you might know, the assistance dogs help people with various physical or mental disabilities nowadays. But there is a program in the US and in other countries which helps children to improve their reading and communication skills.
We are all try to give our dog companions the best, from health care to the leisure activities. Nutrition is no exception to that and it is prone to modern trends similar to those of regular human food. Reducing or opting out the grain from the diet is...
Whether it has undergone castration or any other surgery, your dog needs to rest more after it. But this can sometimes seem almost impossible. To “force” your beloved pet to rest is not easy, indeed. A few tips how to handle this situation follow.
The last time, I shared with you my opinions on castrations in general and I’ve named the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure in bitches. Now, let’s take a look, how it is with dogs.
Castration is still quite a tricky and discussed topic. Today, I will introduce you to the facts about this procedure and about its consequences and I will also share my opinion.
If you have one of the furry furring balls at home, maybe you know, in what kind of devil some of them are capable of turning into, if you need to give them a pill. If your cat belongs precisely among those, in which it’s almost a superhuman task, I...
