Six Tips to Stop Your Dog From Table Begging

Resource – 6 Tips to stop your dog from table begging

It is so exciting to bring home your new puppy! They are so cute, sweet and eager to please! But sometimes they’re a little too eager…for your food! It’s easy to fall for their cuteness and give in to those sweet puppy eyes, but don’t! You must remember from the moment they come into your home that everything is either training your dog in a positive way or in a negative way. Well, in case you already fallen for those puppy eyes here are 6 Tips to stop your dog from table begging:

Train Basic Commands

Teaching your puppy basic commands is already a good idea, but it will definitely keep them safe and in-line in your home. Along with this, it will also stop your dog from begging! Simply starting with the basics of teaching them strong sit, stay and down-stay commands can all help keep your puppy behaving politely at the dinner table. Order an appetite stimulant for dogs to help enhance your dog’s appetite and start gaining weight.

Train the humans!

In most cases, it actually has less to do with training your puppy, but more to do with training yourself and family members. Which can sometimes be harder than training your puppy! But, early on in your puppy arriving, lay down the rules of what and when your dog is allowed to receive food and stick to it! There are actually a lot of table foods that don’t agree with your dog’s stomach and/or can straight out make them sick. Check out our “Never feed your dog these foods”. article under our resources.

Consistency Counts

Puppies are still learning. If you are consistent in your puppy’s training, he or she will learn faster and keep to the rules that are set for them more strictly. This means that you must be strong in your kitchen, or anytime you have food within your reach. Food or treats should be used as a reward. So the more times you give them food from the table or not after a command, the more they think they can get away with it when they bat their eyes. Stay strong!

Keep your puppy well fed

Having your puppy on a regular meal schedule is important. While some prefer to feed their puppy right before they sit down to eat, this isn’t the best choice; especially if you don’t want them to beg in the process. Feeding your puppy an hour or so before your family mealtime allows them to be more content and satisfied. Or for simplicity sake, feed them while preparing the meal for the night, so they still feel apart of the family while eating.

Find a line

Sometimes it is hard to ignore those googly eyes looking at you and you need to be a little more proactive. And especially if your family consists of young children, it can be hard to notice when they slip them a meatball. So draw a line somewhere in your kitchen for your dog to obey the “stay” command (which means you need to teach them this command:) The line for them to stay could be the entry doorway into the kitchen, by a window, or any place you indicate. Don’t be afraid to even put up a baby gate to really make a line a reality if they are needing extra help knowing their boundaries in the home. This is your home and you need to stay in charge.

Reward your puppy’s good behavior

All puppies love treats! Try to find something nutritious, healthy and yet delicious. Check out our shopping list for some of our favorite and most used treats. Anytime your puppy behaves positively through a meal time, give them a treat as a reward. This can help to stop your dog from begging during meals because they will quickly learn there is something in it for them in the end.

Now that you have these great tips to keep your puppy in line; you can enjoy mealtimes together without the guilt! Training takes time and consistency. Just stick with it and they will get it