Begging is normal behaviour for a dog and every time you give in to those big pleading eyes you’re teaching your dog that it’s a successful technique – and they’ll keep doing it again, and again, and again…
Why Himself was getting cross at the dinner table
“Gus!” exclaimed Himself.
“Problem?” I enquired.
“Yes,” said Himself, “Gus is indulging in some aggressive begging. Cheeky …(boy).”
We were eating dinner and Himself had just been nudged firmly on the thigh by Gus – twice. Hence Himself’s expletive ridden, though admittedly accurate, description.
So why do dogs beg?
Begging is a normal behaviour for dogs. Dogs are scavengers by nature, equipped to search for any food source that might be available and then to eat it, because who knows when another meal might be found?
That’s also one reason, by the way, that dogs have the unpleasant tendency to eat poo. Poo contains undigested food and does have some nutritional value, albeit not in the most tasteful form, to us at least.
So whenever there is any food around, dogs will beg to try and get an unregarded trifle or two. Most of us are pretty soft touches for these big, round eyes, pleading for a taste, just a taste, although if you were to surrender more that would, of course, be totally acceptable…
And if that behaviour works, guess what? They will do it again…and again…and again.
Because dogs do the stuff that works for them.
So, how do you get your dog to break the begging habit?
If your dog already has a begging habit, and you want to stop them pestering you when you are eating, then you have two choices. Either ignore any pestering (difficult, but ultimately successful if continued for several months or longer) or teach them another behaviour.
We usually ask Gus to lie down away from the table, either on the floor or to go to his bed. But I freely admit I often forget to tell him this before we start eating. So Gus will often remind us he is waiting patiently to be noticed by indulging in the aforementioned aggressive begging, until I tell him to go and lie down.
I enjoy sharing titbits with Gus. He’s part of my family and our food is shared between all of us. (Except chocolate of course. I don’t share chocolate. With anyone.) When he was a puppy, we were strict about not giving him food at the table. But gradually that slipped and we started feeding Gus table scraps and titbits, so the begging is our fault.
My sister in law’s two Vizslas, Norman and Cyril, may not be very well trained in many ways, but they never beg at the table, because they have never, ever been given table scraps or titbits. They eat only from their bowls.
Which is the key to preventing begging – don’t let them start.
Does your dog beg or are you strict about food rules? I’d love to know!
Keep training and stay safe,
Carol
PS If your dog has any annoying habits and you want help, just ask!
