{"id":3140,"date":"2024-07-02T09:16:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T09:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/m-maxcasino.com\/?p=3140"},"modified":"2025-05-02T23:43:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T23:43:54","slug":"teach-your-dog-or-puppy-table-manners-end-begging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/m-maxcasino.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/02\/teach-your-dog-or-puppy-table-manners-end-begging\/","title":{"rendered":"Teach Your Dog Or Puppy Table Manners & End Begging"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is there much worse than sitting down for a family meal and getting a dog or puppy jumping all over you, or whining for table scraps?<\/p>\n

Personally, it\u2019s something I hate, but that boundary is a challenge and really frustrating to train.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a hole I noticed in my own dog\u2019s training \u2013 and as a professional dog trainer, I immediately got really embarrassed when my dog\u2019s couldn\u2019t just chill whilst we ate at the table.<\/p>\n

Now, admittedly, like most families the Rebarkable household doesn\u2019t spend a lot of time at the table \u2013 certainly less than I\u2019d like. But hey, we\u2019re a home where we\u2019re eating on the sofa, or gaining sustenance so that we can go work and that doesn\u2019t always mean we use a table \u2013 so I set about doing some training.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, I do live in a multi-dog home, and I have two coonhounds and a german shepherd, I\u2019m also a trainer who does this for a living, and has won a lot of awards for my training \u2013 so I want to share what worked for us, and how you can adapt it to your own home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong>\u00a0If your dog struggles with resource guarding \u2013 this training is not for you! Table manners do not solve severe behavior problems like resource guarding, the same way a crate doesn\u2019t solve separation anxiety. Please engage a qualified trainer or behavior consultant for this!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"table
teaching table manners isn\u2019t that hard, it just needs practice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We Always Start With Understanding<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s almost a trope these days, of a dog begging, those big ol\u2019 puppy dog eyes over the dining table, and then\u00a0bam\u00a0<\/em>kid feeds them the broccoli under the table, Right? But why is that? Other than the kinderschema that happens, dog owners\u00a0like\u00a0<\/em>to make their dog happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

First, we have to remember our dogs, being opportunistic eaters, will take advantage of any and all opportunities to eat. It\u2019s why they scavenge, and raid your bin, it\u2019s also the reason (we suspect) that our dog\u2019s ancient ancestorsended up getting domesticated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This tendency can translate into begging behavior, given the right conditions. A significant factor that shapes this tendency is the response they receive from humans when they demonstrate interest in our food. If a puppy learns that making eye contact, whining, or pawing at the table amounts to a share of delicious tidbits, the connection is made: begging equals rewards.<\/p>\n

\"Pudates<\/a>
Looking for a more structured approach to training your puppy? Want to get rid of that unknown? Pupdates is your answer! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Role of Positive Reinforcement in Begging<\/h3>\n

This is one of the prime examples of positive reinforcement<\/a> in really life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Positive Reinforcement was defined in operant conditioning, and essentially means if the subject is given a positive result from a test, it will be more likely to use that approach again.<\/p>\n

Which in this situation translates to \u201cIf I beg, and get food, I\u2019ll beg again\u201d and so bad table manners begin. And when you get a new puppy, it\u2019s so easy to give in, and let them have a little people food from the table. This is very much like counter surfing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Positive reinforcement sits at the heart of successful dog training, focusing on rewarding good behaviors to promote their repetition. So how, do we shape table manners, when the act of begging is reinforcing?<\/p>\n

\"table
dogs are opportunists! They will usually eat when the opportunity presents<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Approach \u2013 In Short<\/h2>\n

Essentially, we\u00a0manage\u00a0<\/strong>access to jumping\/begging and we\u00a0reinforce an alternative behavior<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is, at it\u2019s core, an advanced bed\/place cue with heavy distraction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This works for your living room meals too, just manage a space away from your sofa and be aware that your dog will naturally have more access to you and your plate on the sofa, than at a table<\/p>\n

Set a goal<\/h2>\n

The very first thing we\u2019re going to do is look at how an ideal mealtime looks for you. You\u2019re sat at the table (or your sofa, no judgement), and your dog is where and doing what?<\/p>\n

For me, this looked like:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m sat at the table, and my dog goes to bed, lays there for the duration, and then gets rewarded when we\u2019re done. We also have a tether to the stove (stove is around 500lbs) which allows some error, but we can shorten it down if we need to.<\/p>\n

For you, you might be okay with them getting a treat, or a kong every night at dinner time, you may be okay with them sitting beside you \u2013 so long as they\u2019re not drooling over your spaghetti (Spaghetti a la slobber, anyone? No? Huh\u2026). For everyone, that looks different. Write yours down and\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Socialization<\/a><\/figure>\n

Prepare For Training<\/h2>\n

Look at your home, and look at your goal. I find it really easy to set up like this:\u00a0<\/p>\n

We keep an adult either side of the table, closer to the dog, children are placed further down the table, and the dog bed is in the corner (this also helps us minimise access to kitchen counters!).<\/p>\n

We also tend to keep a jar of treats<\/a> in the center of the table for ease of access by the adults on the table (We want to make sure that kids don\u2019t become treat haven\u2019t, because kids tend to flex the rules quickest).\u00a0<\/p>\n

We keep the bed close to the dining table \u2013 this is actually one of our dog\u2019s normal sleeping area, but it works well for this training too. I keep it close enough to our dinine area, but not too close. This way you can balance your dogs FOMO (Fear of missing out) with your desire to create distance from the distraction on the table.<\/p>\n

Multi-dog home note:\u00a0<\/strong>If you live in a multi-dog home, please start this training\u00a0separately. That\u2019s really important for all training that involves multiple dogs \u2013 you train individually, then in pairs, then in trios etc.<\/p>\n

\"table
This really bothers me, it shouldn\u2019t! But it does. So we worked on it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pre-requisite knowledge & cues<\/h3>\n

I find (when training this for myself, and with others) that the following basic commands (or cues) are useful things to know prior to this training;<\/p>\n