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.
Cats are no longer the outside countryside homeless animals that come closer to a house just for a while when they are in the mood for it. Rather the opposite, they have started living in city flats and have adjusted to our lifestyle. However, it’s...
Rabbits are popular pets especially for city flats. It’s because they don’t require a lot of space and don’t need to go outside very often (no garden needed). However, it doesn’t mean taking care of them is easy and no time or efforts are needed. We...
It sounds lovely: a dog gets a command, it does it and gets a treat or a reward for that. It won’t end with one moment in the perfect case and it will become the basic idea of a whole training for a dog that will become an obedient pet using positive...
Every dog owner knows that feeling when (s)he has to leave house to work or (s)he can’t take his/her pet with him/her for any reason and (s)he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Can a dog handle the situation or will it bark and go on the rampage?...
Fear is natural for people and everyone has their own fears. While someone is scared of spiders, heights or confined spaces, others are scared of dogs. This fear is common in children who haven’t explored the world so well yet and who don’t know the...
Guinea pigs are popular pets especially in families with kids. They are small animals that can bring a lot of joy. If you consider buying a guinea pig, there are some aspects you shouldn’t neglect before making the decision. We talked about what to...
Have you heard about sport called Disc Dog? It basically consists of throwing a disc to your dog that fetches it. Disc Dog can be done as a recreational or a professional sport. For professional competitors, there are several disciplines for which...
Siberian Cat is quite a new breed that was only recognized by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) in 1992. It emerged from crossbreeding domestic cats and breeds brought from the Near East and it found its home in Russia and Ukraine where it...
Most of us have this long thought-to-be-true idea that one dog year equals to seven human years. So, if you have a two-year-old puppy at home, it is already 14 years old when compared to humans. Therefore, if you have a ten-year-old dog at home, it is...
Breast milk is, in the beginning of life, the best thing a pup can get from its mother. It is full of the nutrients it needs to grow and develop properly. However, as the offsprings grow, milk needs to be supplemented with other food, so they are...
Cat lovers and breeders know very well that one cat is often not enough, and that there is sometimes a need to get another cat companion. However, this decision will affect the whole household and, above all, it is necessary to prepare the cat you...
Many of us are under the influence of the need to fulfill a dream of getting an unconventional pet, which the minipig certainly is. This trend has been present in the Czech Republic for about ten years. But don’t be fooled by those cute snouts, taking...
