How To Teach Your Dog Not To Beg

Does this happen at your house??

As you dish up your dinner plate,

you feel someone very nearby

intently watching you.

You grab your napkin and glass and as you head to your seat,

you hear the clickity-clack of nails on the hardwood floor right on your heels as they stalk you.

And when you sit down —

there they are

just inches away from you

those big brown eyes boring into you with every bite you take.

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Watching…

head bobbing…

eyes riveted to your plate

then to your mouth

then back to your plate,

their nose almost in your plate

as they sniff at your taco salad like they’re trying to suck it right off the plate.

I gotta tell ya —

I LOVE my dog with all my heart

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but I don’t love her face in my food!

Years ago, I trained Bella to stay on her rug while we were eating

but lately, she’s been getting just a little ‘stalkery’ when we’re just sitting down to eat.

So I’ve had to give her a little refresher course on her manners during dinner time.

In case you’re interested, here’s how I taught my dog not to beg:

1. DON’T FEED YOUR DOG FROM YOUR PLATE

This only entices her to want what’s on there.

2. HAVE YOUR DOG LIE ON HER RUG BEFORE YOU DISH UP

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Tell your dog to go to her rug, bed or ‘place’ before you start to dish your plate for dinner. If she gets up, gently tell her ‘Oops!’ and ‘on your rug’ and lead her back. You can reward with small treats for staying if necessary.

If she’s already settled in on her rug before you come into the room with your food, it’s easier to get her to stay there than if she follows you into the room with the food.

3. MAKE SURE SHE STAYS ON HER RUG THE WHOLE TIME YOU’RE EATING

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This may take some time and patience if your dog is already used to begging at mealtime. If she gets up, repeat the ‘Oops!’ and ‘on your rug’ and make sure she goes back. Be sure to tell her ‘good girl!’ when she obeys.

4. RELEASE HER WHEN EVERYONE IS FINISHED

Wait until everyone is finished and has cleared their plates into the kitchen and then tell your dog ‘Good Girl!’ then ‘OK’ and release her from her bed.

5. PUT A REALLY GOOD TREAT IN HER BOWL

Now here’s the fun part — give your dog a really great treat in her bowl. It can be a bite of something off of your plate (like steak or turkey or even a green bean) but take it off of your plate and put it in her bowl. This way she learns that she only gets food out of her bowl, not from your plate.

This method basically teaches your dog to delay gratification which is the foundation of pretty much all dog training. She will learn that she’ll get a really good treat if she does the behavior you’re asking of her. And actually, dogs like to have ‘jobs’. They like to be given things to do and get rewarded for doing them.

If you’re teaching this to a puppy —

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work on it for just a few minutes at a time. Practice by sitting at the table with just a small bite of something on your plate and have her stay on her rug for 1 minute. Then clear your plate and let her up and give her the treat in her bowl. Keep increasing the time each time until she can stay on her rug for the whole mealtime.

I think you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to teach your dog not to beg and how quickly they’ll catch on. They learn right away that a really good treat is coming at the end!

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Read HERE to see how to get your dog to come back to you no matter what.

Happy training!