You may have experienced this at home. You’re starving, ready to dig into your scrumptious meal in peace, only to have a pair of pitiful eyes staring at you the entire time. Yes, dealing with constant begging from your fur baby every meal time is something that tons of fur parents have to deal with.
It can be so tempting to spoil your dog and give them what they want all the time, but you wouldn’t want them to keep begging every time you sit down to enjoy your dinner, right?
The solution? Train them to stop begging. Keep reading for some tips on how to stop your dog from begging:
Tip 1: Don’t feed your dog from the dining table
Resisting your dog’s begging eyes is no joke! But it must be done if you want them to know that begging is NOT okay. Remember that even if you feed them just once, they’ll think it’s okay. They’ll think that they can always get whatever they want. And if you’re thinking, “Oh no, I already fed Bailey some of my delicious dinner last night” then fret not. You can still start conditioning your dog to know that they shouldn’t beg. Which leads us to the second tip.
Tip 2: Don’t give in to your dog’s begging
Has the begging ever gotten to you that it tempted you to scold your pooch or raise your voice? Just like mothers who take care of their own children, fur parents have a limit to their patience too. But instead of reprimanding your dog for begging, you can simply ignore them during meal time. It can be heart-breaking to do so, especially when they give you puppy eyes, but you need to have the discipline to show them that you will not acknowledge their begging. Eventually, they will get the message and stop doing so.
Tip 3: Your meal time equals your dog’s meal time
The last tip is to make sure your dog’s distracted…with their own meal time. So whenever it’s time for you to eat, try giving your pooch some of his own favorites as well. That way, he’s busy chowing down his own food and will be too full to even think about begging you for food. Now that’s hitting two birds with one stone.
Want to make meal time more exciting for your fur baby? Read our blog Ditch the Dog Bowl: 7 Better Ways to Feed Your Dog!
Summary
All dogs love to beg, and that’s not a secret. But with tons of patience and discipline on your part (and your dog’s too), your dog will soon enough learn to stop begging on the dinner table. Just stay consistent with the tips we just mentioned and you’re well on your way to enjoying your meal time without a begging pooch.
