What can I do to stop my dog ​​from asking for food at the table?

A situation that is common in families with pets is that at mealtime, the dog is hanging around the table, with a sad face, waiting to be given a bite of food. This fact, in some cases, can be funny due to the endearing and constant look that your dog shows to achieve his goal of getting a little bit of your plate. However, repetitively it becomes a bad habit. And let's remember that feeding a dog human food is very harmful to its health. When it becomes frequent, this bad habit notably reflects inappropriate behavior on the part of your dog, and the lack of appropriate training to reduce this type of behavior. But, it is never too late to correct this type of situation. There are effective and very favorable solutions that can help eliminate this habit from your pet's behavior. Do you want to know what to do so that your dog does not ask for food at the table ? Read this complete article and you will find the easiest solution to this situation.

Understand this behavior

Before taking any action to eliminate your dog's habit of asking for food at the table, it is important that you understand that it is an innate habit for him. Although it is true that when it becomes frequent it is due to lack of training , dogs by nature are animals with frequent need for food, a behavior inherited from their descendants, the wolves. The latter, accustomed to hunting smaller prey in order to feed themselves, took advantage of every opportunity to eat, because it was sometimes difficult to provide food. From there, dogs inherited a kind of instinct that always makes them want to eat. For this reason, although it is an unpleasant habit, especially in the presence of guests, it is natural for dogs to approach the table with a languid look, waiting for a bite. However, despite being a behavior of canine nature, there are different techniques that can be applied to remedy this situation and stop your dog from asking for food at the table.

What should I do?

It is very important to understand canine behavior before carrying out this action, since understanding the reason for this behavior will allow you to take the appropriate measures to prevent it from becoming an unpleasant habit that your pet adopts. In the following paragraphs you will find different techniques that will help you prevent your dog from asking for food at the table in a progressive but also very effective way, without having to resort to mistreatment or wrong actions. Where to start to eliminate this habit? Let's see:

Ignore the canine while eating

One of the main reasons why dogs have the recurring habit of asking for food at the table is that, by doing it insistently, someone succumbs to their request and ends up giving them some food. Therefore, the first method to eradicate the problem would be to ignore their request. The moment we are at the table, it will be necessary to pretend that the dog is not there. In this way, when he realizes that they are not paying attention to him, he will withdraw and will not insist on it anymore.

Establish a meal order

One way to prevent your dog from staying near the table when you are eating is to feed him before sitting down to eat, or preferably at the same time. In this way, the canine will stay busy and satisfied and will not go near the table at least for a while. If he is fed twice a day, scheduling a time that coincides with family mealtimes will be appropriate to prevent him from hanging around the dining room.

Take it off the table

If the dog gets too close to the table, the ideal is to remove it calmly and gently, indicating that it should not be there. Decidedly, although not using screams, say No! And make it clear to him that this is not his place or his food.

Show him his food

Another way to reduce this situation is to show him his food bowl every time he insists on eating your food. This will convince him to feed from his feeder, and not be near the table.

Persevere in the lessons

A really important aspect to reduce this behavior in your dog is to remain firm and persistent in telling him that he should not stay at the table and that you will not share your food. If one day you give in to his request, you will have gone backwards in his training and the dog will feel that it is not a bad habit.

Make family consensus

If your dog tends to ask for food at the table, it is necessary that none of the diners feed him. That is why there must be a family consensus so that no member of the family provides food at mealtime. Otherwise the habit will not disappear.

Reward him when he obeys

Teaching your dog not to ask for food at the table is an educational process like any other in which you teach him commands and tricks. For this reason, it must be carried out progressively, patiently and above all constantly, remembering the use of positive reinforcement. If you say No! and the dog stops insisting, recognizes its obedience with a reward, this will work in such a way that some time later the dog will not get closer to the table and a treat will not be necessary as a reward, but it will become part of its good habits.

In conclusion

An aspect that is important to consider is the persistence, both of the family group and of the guests of the house, to not encourage this bad behavior in the canine, feeding it while at the table. Another effective way is to teach him to stay in his resting place, which can be located a few meters from the table, comfortably, without having to be among the diners to order food. In any case, the most important thing is consistency in an education process that, if done correctly, will provide favorable results and your dog will stop asking for food on the table forever . We recommend you: