Creature feature

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette begging dog illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette begging dog illustration.

How can I stop our dog from begging and being a nuisance while we're eating? We took in a friend's dog (name is Vinny) after our friend got sick and couldn't keep him. Vinny is a pretty good dog, but he whines and sometimes barks until one of us gives him a bite of our food. We love Vinny, but we don't like the begging.

Stopping a dog from begging at the dinner table can be easier in theory than fact, but it's doable. Strategies focus on preventing the behavior instead of waiting to deal with it when the dog gets into pleading mode, as well as teaching a dog to do something other than hang around the table during meals.

Celebrity dog trainer Victoria Stilwell (author of It's Me or the Dog) addresses the begging issue in the October/November issue of Dogster magazine. She suggests creating an invisible line that the dog isn't allowed to cross and teaching him to stay behind it.

The first step in ending or preventing begging, Stilwell says, is to stop feeding the dog from the table. Giving in to the dog's entreaties for food during your mealtime reinforces the behavior you're trying to prevent. Make it a rule for the entire family to resist giving Vinny even one bite of your food while dining. When teaching a dog a new routine, consistency is probably the most critical factor.

To create an invisible line, pick a spot away from the table where the dog can stay while the family dines. The line could be a physical crossing point such as a doorway or simply a spot a few feet away from the table. Start training when there's no food on the table, then work up to reinforcing the behavior during meals.

If your dog already knows the "stay" command, your job will be easier. If he doesn't, then Stilwell's technique should help you teach him. Take note that there are no food rewards for anti-begging training because giving a dog food while teaching him not to beg for food will get you nowhere.

Stilwell suggest these steps:

• Lead your dog to the invisible line and tell him "stay," then step away and sit at the table.

• If your dog follows you to the table (and he probably will, at first), get up and use your body to block him. Just step in front of him and move toward him; he should stop. Now, keep moving toward him and use your body -- without touching him -- to back him up past the invisible line.

• Tell him to stay again, then sit at the table. If he crosses his line, block and move him back again. When he stays behind the line, praise him.

• When the dog is consistently staying behind the line, bring out cold food and repeat the exercise. Always praise your dog when he stays behind the line.

• Gradually work up to keeping the dog behind the line when you're eating hot, fragrant food.

• When he's able to stay behind the line during a meal, be sure to release him from his "stay" position and allow him to cross the line.

Training a dog to stay away from the table or any place where there's something irresistible to him isn't an instant process. It can take a lot of time, patience and repetition to make it work. Once it does, you can use the technique to create other invisible lines or teach your dog to go to a particular place and lie down.

Sometimes a dog will find human food so tempting that no amount of training will keep him at bay. If that's the case, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (aspca.org) suggests resolving the problem by keeping the dog confined to another area of the house while you're dining. If he likes staying in his crate, you could crate him.

If you have to shut your dog out of your eating area or contain him in his crate, always make sure he has something to do. Give him a favorite toy or chew toy to keep him occupied and distracted from what's going on in the dining room.

You could even use the opportunity to let him have part of his dinner by filling a Kong (a hard rubber, hollow toy) or similar toy with dry kibble and letting him chew on that while you dine in peace.

Bon appetit.

Family on 10/07/2015

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