As you sit for your mealtime, if your furry friend is begging at your feet with its puppy-dog eyes, you will be tempted to give them table scraps. And unluckily, not only does this suggest any unwanted behavior, but it will also result in tummy troubles for your dog. It can also lead to several health issues, like canine obesity. Certain foods that are apt for humans might be unsafe or entirely harmful to dogs.
Instead, it becomes essential to stop this behavior by opting for adequate measures. This article will delve into some crucial tips to halt dogs from begging. The objective here is to teach your furry friend correct manners. And once you get this done, they can act appropriately and be rewarded for their excellent behavior. The relevant measures are:
- You should feed the dog first
Even before you sit down for your meal, you must feed your furry friend in another room where you don’t dine. That way, it will not get attracted to bother you as you decide to eat. And by providing your dog with a delicious meal, you can keep them busy with the morsels of beef.
Eating in a dining room away from the dining space is acceptable for managing the dog’s begging behavior. You can prevent it in the first place. And for that, you should get in touch with a professional dog trainer. They can have training models that will gradually reinforce specific behavioral tactics in the dog’s mind, making it feel that it shouldn’t beg. Don’t expect to see accurate results in a week or month. Some dogs learn fast, and others take time. So be patient with your furry friend and consistent with the training module, as that will help show you real-time outcomes that will benefit you and your pup.
You need to be aware of the dog’s food regime and schedule it accordingly so that it doesn’t promote much begging, which can have adverse side effects.
- Send the dog to a comfortable spot
When your dog comes over begging for food after they have completed the meal, you can send her to a comfortable space beside the dining space. It is one of the effective ways to stop your dog from begging.
Most dog trainers would suggest that they don’t want the dog to beg for food or attention. And here, it is necessary to understand what the dog might want to do instead. It is essential to train the dog with an alternative behavior and manage the same as and when needed. You can consider sending the furry friend to any designated spot for such behavior. The spot can be anything, such as a mat, a crate, or a bed. You can be slightly stern and use the command, “Sit in your spot” or “Go to your spot.” It will make them feel that as they socialize with their family, they also have a cozy spot to hang out. It will make them feel that they aren’t missing out on anything.
- You need to ignore and redirect the begging dog
Pet owners often give in to their dog’s demands, which is a huge mistake. It would help if you didn’t get weak when seeing those adorable vast-puppy dog eyes. If you start to scold them, it will give them ample negative attention. It will send the pup the message that every time they ask for food, they will get it from you.
Dog trainers suggest that when pet owners want to stop begging, they must not indulge in this behavior. And one of the best ways to accomplish this is by providing the dog with a frozen stuffed toy or chewable toy that the pup can chew on during dinnertime in another room. Feeding your puppy with a toy or any other tasty edible, such as bacon or any other dog treat, can set them up with success as they will have something to stay occupied with. That will stop them from begging and will gradually correct the behavior.
- Your dog needs to learn basic obedience
It is necessary to teach your dog some of the fundamental commands, such as “Leave it,” “stay,” and “sit.” Using all these commands to discourage impulse-based behavior such as begging is possible. For instance, when the dog jumps on the lap and starts begging for food as you eat, you can command your dog to “sit” and “stay.” It will instantly put an end to the unreasonable behavior.
And when a person drops food accidentally on the ground, and the dog tries to get it, you command your dog with a “Leave it” to avert that. It is natural for you to want your furry friend not to engage in this act and to avoid this stimulus. As you decide to train your pup, you can get this done after an exercise session or walking. It will make the puppy significantly less energy and be well behaved. There are times when you can’t get this done by yourself. In such a situation, you should get a trainer to help you with this, and you will witness positive results.
- It will help if you reward your furry friend for their excellent behavior
As dogs get well-behaved and stop begging for food, you must treat them well. One good choice is the natural dog treats, biscuits made of oats and salmon, that can tempt the pup’s taste buds with yummy and healthy ingredients.
Some expert dog trainers suggest that pet owners shouldn’t offer their dogs a treat from the table. Once they start doing so, it will urge them to beg more. Rather than that, you need to get up and offer the pup a treat when they have placed themselves away from a table and are not begging in any way. The other option is to use the remote-controlled device that can save you from getting up at various times to reward good behavior.
- It would help if you changed the diet of the dog
Have you noticed that the pup hasn’t finished its means before it reaches you for dinner and begs for food? In that case, it may be time to change the dog’s diet. The older dogs might require canned dog food, a combination of rice and beef entrée morsels in a gravy format to appeal to the dog’s taste buds. Also, the food makes sure that your dog is in good health.
You might want to select the dog food depending on the size of your dogs, such as the turkey entrée wet food for the small breed dogs or the petite dogs. On the other hand, the big rice entrée chunks and the large breed chicken gravy wet food are meant for dogs who have giant size. You can always follow the feeding suggestions mentioned on the label to ensure that the pup has ample food daily, so they don’t get into the habit of begging. Once you change the diet, just in case the dog ignores the food dish, you must get in touch with the vet, as there might be some underlying illness you need to treat.
- You need to block your access to the table
It could appear to be a no-brainer, but when you block all access to the table-using pet and baby gates, it is one of the ideal ways for you to prevent the persistent furry friends from begging. It would help if you also considered keeping your dog in the crate at mealtime.
You should always provide the dogs with an alternative activity so their time gets occupied in the dining space. You can use options like a puzzle toy that gets filled using tasty treats. And this solution is beneficial when it is hectic, such as during holiday dinners when the guests tend to sneak the pup table scraps and do away with the training you have provided. Here you can opt for the baked delights and other dog treats that have a crunchy and soft inside.
These are a few of how you can stop dog from begging. As reiterated earlier, not all dogs have the same frequency of praying. While some do it occasionally, others do it more frequently, affecting their overall behavior. The objective is to identify when things are becoming excessive and use the correct tactics to curb this habit. It will promote healthy eating and ensure the dog doesn’t incur any scopes of obesity and other health issues. A little bit of slack and your dog will put on weight.
A healthy dog is an active dog. No pet owner wants his or her dog to be unfit. Hence, training them in the right way matters a lot. Try out the tricks discussed above and see the difference for yourself. You can always discuss it with the vet if you notice anything out of place. Go ahead and train your dog. At the same time, you should stop your habit of giving your dog table scraps.
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