There are times, when you and your family are enjoying dinner with guests, and just as the food is being served, your dog climbs up on the guests or whines until someone give him what he wants. This behavior can be both embarrassing and irritating for both you and your guests. You need to do something about this bad behavior as soon as possible because if left untreated, it will in most cases only get worse.
Teaching a dog to stop begging and whining is an up hill battle. The problem is that whether you know it or not, you have taught your dog to behave in that way. By giving in at times in the past when you dog has begged, you have shown your dog that begging gets results. In order to correct this behavior you will need to apply some strategic training strategies.
The first thing you can do to stop the begging is take you dog out of the dining room while you are eating. Leave him in the kitchen, in the yard, or in some other place where he is out of sight. By removing you dog from the situation you will begin to teach him that he is not part of the dining experience.
To start with your dog will probably resent being excluded from the dining area – especially is he is well used to it. In this case he may bark or whine from the place you have left him, that's fine. Don't give into the whining, just ignore it and under no circumstances give in to the begging.
Should you give in to temptation and feed your dog, you'll need to start the training process again. Another way that you can help you dog to stop begging is by simply feeding him at the same time that you feed the family. It gives him something else to do besides begging at the table and lets him focus his attention on his own food instead of yours. By doing this you let him feel like part of the family as well because he is also eating. If you don't want him to eat at the same time, stick to removing him from the situation and giving him a rawhide bone to keep him busy.
The thing you must remember when teaching your dog not to beg is to ensure that he does not eat from your table, and that you are consistent in his training. Never stray from what you are doing with him because as soon as you do he will be back to his begging ways. Another thing make sure if you have children that you instill in them that they should not feed the dog as well.
