Will Beg For Food

By Wendy van Kerkhove, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: March 13, 2008 - 2:17 PM

Are you constantly pushing your dog's paws off of the edge of the table while you eat dinner? Do you feel guilty as those sad eyes watch you cut your steak? You don't have to live this way. It's time to take control of your dining experience!

Dogs do what works for them, not us. They operate under the principle of consequences. Try something, and if the outcome is good, do it again. If the outcome is bad, don't do it again. If the out come is neutral, keep trying until you've gathered more information. If you allow begging at the table to pay off by giving your dog a treat, you've taught her that if she keeps begging the outcome will be positive. A negative consequence should never be physical punishment. That only teaches a dog to be afraid of you.

Feeding human food is ok. Begging for it is not.

The entire notion of not feeding dogs "human food" is rather ridiculous. The first ingredient on a good bag of dog food is a meat product - chicken, lamb, etc. The fact that it's mixed with a bunch of other products and turned into a little brown pellet doesn't take away from the fact that it's still chicken.

Feeding your dog from the dinner table is a big no-no. Not because your dog shouldn't eat human food, but rather because you are setting a bad precedent. Many people feed their dogs table scraps but don't have a begging issue because the scraps are fed in the dog's bowl.

A good bone and a strong leash

If you want to eliminate begging at the table use your dog's leash as a tether and secure it to an immovable object, preferably within sight of the dining room table. Place your dog's bed in the "tether zone" and before you sit down for dinner give her a really good bone or bully stick to chew on while you eat. Within days of utilizing this technique, you should start to notice that as dinner is ready to be served, your dog automatically goes and lies down on her bed. The key is to provide your dog something really good to chew on that she values. That way she will lie down and eat it rather than straining on the leash and whining at you.

The general rule of thumb for solving most unwanted behaviors is to first, prevent the behavior from happening and secondly, give the dog an acceptable alternative. The next time you are faced with a behavior challenge, think prevention and redirection.

Wendy van Kerkhove owns Fresh Air Training and is an editorial advisory board member for Star Tribune Pet Central. www.freshairtraining.com

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