Stop Your Dog From Begging & Eat Your Food In Peace

Did you know that begging is a learned behavior?

That's right. Dogs don't beg until they learn that it gets them what they want. Does your dog get food when he begs? Attention? A walk? Dogs learn by trial and error, so when they try a specific behavior and it earns them a specific result, they will repeat that behavior. So how do we stop a dog from begging if they've already learned how to beg? Teach them that it no longer gets them what they want.

We can teach the dog that begging only gets them sent out of your space, and being calm and patient is what actually earns them what they want. Do yourself the favor of teaching your dog these two words: get out. By setting a boundary at the edge of the dining room or family room, you can actually teach your dog that staying outside that boundary will get them what they want. 

Your dog wants a boundary. They want to be told by you where the line is. The reason why they beg or pester you while you are eating is because you have not set a boundary for them. So how do you enforce this boundary? You have to be willing to get up and down and move the dog back to their place until they get the picture. This may take five minutes, and it may take five days. But once they know the boundary, you will only have to tell them "go to your spot" or "get out" once.

Teaching your dog the command "get out" is simple: send them out of your space, and reward them for giving you space. You can throw them a toy, toss them a treat, or simply say, "good job". You can either start with teaching them how to back up, and build on that from an obedience standpoint, or you can simply make it less convenient for them to be under foot by sending them out with your body language and rewarding them for doing so.

Why is this information a repeat from last weeks newsletter? Because teaching your dog to stay out of the kitchen, out from under foot and THEN out of your eating space is the order in which I have found to be most effective. Keep in mind, your plan is to supply for your dogs needs rather than give him what he demands from you by begging or being pushy.