My Dog asks At The Table, What Do I Do?
It is very strange not to see a dog begging at our table when we are eating. It seems to be something innate in them, an uncontrollable gluttony that leads them to annoy us over and over again as they put their two front legs on our knees. Now, can that innate habit be uprooted?
Why does my dog ask at the table
It’s not a pretty attitude to have your dog purging around the table while you’re eating, especially if you have guests. With this attitude it seems that you do not feed it or that the animal is starving, when nothing is further from reality. In our articles we have told you on several occasions that the ancestors of dogs, wolves, have strongly marked many of their attitudes, and this is one of them: gluttony.
Dogs will never say no to something to eat even if they are bursting and can’t take it anymore. Why? Well, their ancestors, the wolves, who lived abroad and had to hunt for themselves to feed, had difficulty finding what to eat on many occasions. This made them create the need to eat everything they can now that there is, because I don’t know if there will be something tomorrow.
Due to this fact, the survival instinct, the law of the fittest, also developed enormously: I eat it and if you’re hungry I don’t care. Therefore, when your dog asks at the table, he does not care if you are hungry or not, or if that is your last bite, he wants it, period. Now, if this is a hereditary attitude, can it be improved? Yes, and as always, at Misanimales.com we care to give you advice for this.
What to do if my dog asks at the table?
- Do not give. It is possible that your dog asks at the table because you or a family member on more than one occasion have given him a piece of bread, meat or ham. So the first thing you should do if your dog asks at the table is: give him nothing.
- Try to make him sit in his place. Don’t pamper him even if you’ve determined not to give him some of your food. Do not allow the dog to be around the table while you eat or it will only be a matter of time before he asks again. Make him go to his site if it is already an order that he is used to obeying. If he still doesn’t know what “go to your site” means, take it yourself and let him see that he should stay there until you tell him.
- Do not put food on your dog before you eat. If you do, the dog will put it aside and ask again at the table.
How to prevent my dog from asking at the table
If your dog asks at the table and it is already an ingrained custom, it can take a lot more to get the animal used to not doing it. But by following the steps above, you can achieve it. If your dog is a puppy, it is the best time to teach him that he should not ask at the table while you eat.
Get used to your puppy from a young age that it should not be asked at the table. When a dog asks at the table, we feel uncomfortable and make our guests uncomfortable. All dogs need to have a pack leader, so you should make your dog see who is the leader in your house. That is why your dog should never eat before you, always after.
Make your animal stay in his bed while you eat and wait for his food when you have finished. The first few times it will perhaps be your turn to take it to its place yourself, but little by little the dog will learn it. Never lock it in a room or on the terrace, this will distress the animal and is cruel. I can make him feel unappreciated.
When he obeys your command, say kind words to him, letting him see that you are proud of him and that he is a good and obedient dog. From time to time reward him (as long as you have finished eating) with something special. That way it will be easier for him to obey you next time.