How to stop a dog from stealing from the table? January 10, 2012 | Categories: Dog training and education

To stop a dog from stealing from the table, you don't need to punish it. After all, when you forbid something, it causes double interest, especially if your puppy is curious. Remember, in childhood, when your parents forbade you to say some “bad” word, you wanted to say it the other way around? And if they explained in a calm tone why exactly it was impossible, then interest in him immediately disappeared. So it is with animals. If, for example, you want to teach a dog to look for mushrooms, then when you find it, create a “buzz” around this event. Your pet will understand that something good and important has happened, and the mushroom is a valuable find. Having noticed the mushroom, he himself will begin to create “hype” around it.

By punishing a dog, you, on the contrary, arouse interest in what you are trying to prohibit. As a result, the dog will simply learn to steal carefully and quietly.

How to get rid of begging

The solution to the problem of begging does not come overnight; it requires effort and painstaking training. Main rules:

• The pet should not be encouraged. Understanding that the animal seeks the owner’s approval in everything will tell you how to wean the dog off the table. Any manifestation of begging should be ignored. The dog will look you in the face, whine, bark, put his paws on the edge of the table, but you need to remain firm and not pay attention to him.
• You should not give your puppy anything while you are eating. Before you wean your dog from begging, you need to wean yourself and your family members from giving your pet treats. Everyone must participate in changing the dog's habits, otherwise training will not be successful. This rule especially applies to small children who always like to hand feed animals.
• While eating, you cannot communicate with your pet or even mention it in conversation.
• You should not look at the dog, as the animal perceives eye contact as encouragement.
• When the dog starts to climb onto your lap or towards food, the “place” command is allowed. If this does not help, you need to send him to another room. Living in a private house, you can let the dog out for a walk in the yard while the family is eating. This will deprive the animal of unnecessary temptations.

It is worth preparing that when a dog begs, it uses all its capabilities for manipulation. Therefore, it is recommended to comply with the following requirements:

• involvement of the owner’s family in the education process;
• avoidance of concessions and exceptions;
• ignoring the emerging feeling of guilt;
• persistence if change does not come quickly.

Invite a dog handler for a consultation in cases where the dog reacts aggressively to retraining or begins to chew things in retaliation. A professional will study the situation in detail and help identify errors. If necessary, you can retake the general commands training course.

What to do if your dog is begging?

How to stop a dog from begging for food? The simplest thing: do not teach her to beg. But if such a habit has already appeared, you will have to fight it. Approach the problem locally:

• feed your pet at the same time. Place food in a bowl immediately before eating. As soon as the dog moves away from the bowl, remove it. The food should not sit in the bowl all day. This way the pet will understand that food is taken at the same time in a certain place;
• Feed your dog before you sit down to eat. Then delicious aromas will not excite her so much;
• The most important rule: never overfeed the animal. He doesn't need snacks. Warn your family, friends and acquaintances that your dog does not eat out of hand. Make no exceptions during a walk or on a picnic. The pet will not understand why they gave him a piece of ice cream in the park when he barked, but they don’t give him at home;
• Do not give leftover food to your tailed friend. The dog will understand that there is a connection between the table and the food in its bowl and, of course, will want to use this knowledge.

If you see that your four-legged friend is about to take a characteristic position while at the table, strictly say “ugh” and give the command “place”. Be consistent and unwavering. And your efforts will bring results.

How to stop theft

If the situation worsens and the dog climbs onto the table for food in the absence of the owner, you will have to resort to more severe methods:

• The easiest way to stop a dog from stealing food is with general commands - “fu” or “no”. They should be practiced regularly.
• Place an object on the edge of the furniture that will make a sharp, loud sound when dropped. Place it so that it falls as soon as the dog starts jumping on the table.
• Use Fisher discs to prevent your puppy from climbing into people's dining areas. He associates this sound with a dissatisfied roar and will help if the baby has not yet been trained in basic commands.
• Place pieces of food near the table, sprinkling them with pepper. This will help form a negative reaction to food outside the bowl.

How to stop a dog from begging and stealing from the table?

The smell of soup comes from the kitchen. You wash your hands and sit down at the table. You bring the spoon to your mouth, anticipating a pleasant taste, and... you hear a demanding roar. Well, of course, it was your dog who came running at the smell of soup. And she asks, no, even demands, to be treated. Why do you need to stop your dog from begging for food, much less stealing it from the table? There are several reasons for this:

• the most obvious: beggar dogs and thieves are terribly annoying. In the first case, they look into your mouth, preventing you from enjoying your food. Secondly, the fried leg on the table may not wait for you... because the dog will eat it himself;
• The food we eat can be salty, bitter, sour and sweet. Hot or very cold. All this is harmful to the dog's body. Normal food for a four-legged friend should be fresh or at room temperature;
• a dog can beg for food in unlimited quantities. And this is fraught with obesity. Many breeds are prone to it.

Now you understand why the questions “how to stop a puppy from begging” or “how to stop a dog from stealing food?” relevant. Has your dog already adopted a begging pose and is looking at you with the most soulful eyes? Don’t let this habit turn into a habit - don’t be careless: by doing this you harm not only yourself, but also the dog.

General recommendations

Instead of thinking in the future about how to wean your dog from climbing on the table, you should take care in advance about the proper upbringing of your pet. The dog will not look for an opportunity to climb onto the table in the absence of the owner if the following conditions are met:

• Determine feeding times while the dog is still small.
• Before training your dog, review its diet. Perhaps adding additional nutrients will stop her from asking for treats.
• It is advisable that the pet eats at the same time as the owners or before them, but always in its place and only from its own bowl, this will discourage begging and walking on the table.
• Strict training and the authority of the owner will wean any dog ​​from climbing onto the table.
• Place food in containers. The absence of temptations will wean the animal from jumping on the table.
• Reward good behavior, but give treats away from people's dining area and place them in the dog's bowl.
• Teach your puppy the command “okay” or “eat” so that you don’t have to wean her off taking human food.

These principles must be followed at all stages of a pet's life. You should not give your dog the opportunity to look for food while walking, climb into trash cans, or beg at a picnic. Any relaxation will lead to the return of the old habit, and it will be more and more difficult to wean the dog each time.

When weaning a dog from putting its paws on the table, begging and stealing, there is no need to follow the path of punishment. Spanking and yelling will only lead to the dog feeling stressed and resentful. It is much more important to wean your pet from asking for food from the table through re-education and training. This will not only bring a positive effect at home, but will also help to wean your dog from picking up potentially dangerous objects from the ground while walking.

Why do dogs beg for food?

What makes a dog take its favorite pose when begging for a tasty morsel? It is believed that animals do this because they are hungry. You might think that you don’t feed your pet enough, and he, in a half-starved faint, is trying to get food for himself. It’s worth making sure that your pet’s diet is composed correctly. But keep in mind that dogs do not have a satiety center. What does it mean? The dog begs not because you haven't given him enough food, but because he never feels full. This can be seen especially clearly in the example of animals that were taken from a shelter. They say about such dogs “no matter how much you give, everything seems to go to hell.”

In fact, dogs ask for food from the table due to improper training. If you do not feed the animal during meals, it will not develop a negative habit. Simply put, the dog will understand that making innocent eyes and sitting on its hind legs is pointless. She still gets nothing. And it is in this direction that you need to work, trying to wean your pet from begging.

How to stop a dog from stealing food from the table?

If your pet still has the habit of begging for tasty treats, there is a chance that very soon he will start stealing food from the table. And if this has already happened, act immediately. What can you do to stop this bad habit in the bud? Thieves often activate when no one is around. Therefore, it makes no sense to punish the animal after the incident. The dog will no longer understand what is wrong and why the owner is swearing - he will simply forget.

Do the wiser thing: place a piece of treat on the edge of the table, and when the dog reaches for it, lightly slap him on the face. This should not cause pain, but rather become a distraction. If the dog only steals when you are not around, also place the treat on the edge of the table. But place plastic bottles or a scoop on top of it. Anything that won't break and cause serious injury to the animal. As soon as the pet decides to grab the goodies, a pile of objects will fall on him. This way the dog will develop an understanding that dragging from the table is painful and unpleasant.

Source

How to stop a dog from climbing on the table with food and stealing

Raising pets is often difficult for inexperienced owners.
A small omission in behavior and you have to decide how to wean the dog from climbing on the table. Inexperienced dog breeders attribute the problem to the dog’s personality or bad character. But in fact, if a pet climbs on tables, it is its owner's fault. An animal’s bad behavior can be associated with maintenance errors, connivance and a number of other factors that form a bad habit in the animal. However, every problem has a solution, and you can wean your dog off stealing at any age.

Theft is a more serious case. Here you will have to show incredible perseverance

Stop choosing food

This applies to the habit of “vacuuming”. When the dog begins to stretch, give a prohibiting command, distract it and arrange a short training session. Generously encourage obedience, give tasty allowed treats: crackers, cheese, fillet, etc. Ideally, the pet should calmly walk past scattered pieces without control from you.

Do not offer treats from the table

This is one of the main rules. If you continue to reinforce a bad habit, the dog will not get rid of it. Would you like a treat? Do this only after eating. Leave the desired piece in the bowl. Let the pet understand that he will not receive anything until the end of lunch, and wait near his “plate”.

Leave traps

The theft is established without your intervention. The situation is difficult to control. This is the main problem in re-education. The dog understands that the punishment comes from the owner and tries to climb onto the table while no one is looking. You need to fundamentally change the situation.

Causes of begging and theft

Before you panic and think about how to stop your dog from stealing from the table, you should understand and identify the source of this behavior. A well-mannered animal, satisfied with its life, will not hang around the table, begging for treats, and will not just start stealing leftover food.

The dog is hungry

The amount of food a pet needs depends not only on the size of the animal. Active dogs that spend a lot of time outside and engage in physical exercise should not be deprived of food to replenish their energy.

The pet should receive a sufficient amount of calories, correctly distributed between morning and evening.

The problem is not necessarily a lack of food in the bowl. Perhaps the diet is poorly balanced, and the animal does not receive enough necessary substances from the food.

The correct ratio of protein products, fats, carbohydrates, micro- and macroelements should be determined based on the size of the dog, breed and lifestyle.

Errors in the behavior of the owner and family members

The owners themselves push the pet into bad behavior by offering treats from their hands. Even a single offer of food forms a behavior pattern in the puppy’s mind. It will be difficult to wean your dog off the table if children or guests secretly offer him table treats.

It will not be possible to properly wean a puppy from bad habits if he is fed from different dishes, in the wrong place and not according to the schedule. Unsystematic feeding makes the pet constantly expect food and does not allow the formation of a routine.

Food left in the kitchen provokes your pet's curiosity. Canines sense smells much stronger than humans, and left food attracts their attention.

Before you begin to wean your dog from climbing on the table or putting its paws on it, you need to change your own behavior and the habits of family members.