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Aside from being irritating, begging can lead to other
problems. For many dogs, snacking on table scraps causes
upset stomachs and a lack of appetite for their own
food. Many of the foods we eat are addictive, containing
things that taste great but are toxic to dogs and people
alike (like sugar, salt and fat). Some dogs can’t digest
“people food”, and many will find having something
different to eat every night so exciting that they will
refuse their regular food in the hopes of eating your
instead.
Animals who love “people food” and have a chance of
getting it will beg more than ever. They will get
underfoot at the dinner table; they may have hot food
spilled on them when they trip you in the kitchen. They
may start digging through the trash for scraps when they
never did before (although some dogs are born scavengers
and will dig through any available trash no matter what
you do). They may even get aggressive, demanding food or
menacing people who are trying to eat. This is another
place where the rules of the pack may be upset by people
who really just want to be nice to their dogs. In the
pack, the alphas eat first, getting the best part of the
kill, and the most of it too. Your dog should not be
placed in a position in your pack where he feels he has
as much right to your food as you do. You are the alpha:
you say when he eats, what he eats and where he eats.
The way to stop begging is to never, ever, ever give
your dog unplanned, unearned treats. If you do it now,
stop cold turkey. Your dog will be angry, upset even
hurt. But if you stick with your plan, the begging will
stop. If you deviate even once, you’ll have to start all
over again because you have committed that grave sin:
you have intermittently reinforced your dog for unwanted
behavior. Everyone in the family and anyone who comes to
dinner must agree that, no matter how cute or how sad
the doggy face, they will not share their food.
Some people find it easier to feed their pets before
their own meal, and others find there’s less conflict if
pet are fed at the same time as people are eating.
Feeding your dog after you’ve eaten is probably
unnecessary, as the smell of your food will make him
hungry and sad. He may gulp his food if he’s been
waiting for it awhile and smelling your dinner. There’s
nothing like finishing your own meal in time to hear
your dog throwing up his.
If you’re just starting out with your dog, you may find
it easier to put him in another room or in the yard
while you eat. Again, if you do it consistently, your
dog will have less chance of starting begging behavior,
and you’ll have less chance of caving in to his cute,
puppy face. If you like to have your dog in the dining
room (or wherever you eat), teach him to lie down by
your feet during the meal.
If you want to treat your dog with a daily snack, make
sure it’s a dog snack (not people-food), and give it to
him at the same time every day. That way he has
something to look forward to, and you won’t feel guilty
about all the times you don’t give in to begging. Our
cat has a saucer with a tablespoon of milk and vitamin
mix every night before bed. This was the eventual
solution to an ongoing begging problem started by a
too-lenient man (who shall remain nameless) in the
house, as well as the fact that the Siamese tended to
get hungry right before we went to sleep for the night.
A once-nightly saucer of milk prevents door-slamming,
howling and hours stomping around, while giving him his
daily vitamins. He still begs in the kitchen (because
that man still sometimes commits the sin of intermittent
reinforcement, and I can’t train him not to!), but he
knows he’ll have something before bed, and that
knowledge tempers his behavior.
The only down side to a daily snack-treat is that you’d
better be ready to keep up your end of the bargain!
You’d better always have it on hand, and be ready to
dish it out at the usual time. (It doesn’t have to be on
the dot of seven: dogs, as far as we know, can’t tell
time. But if you always give him something after your
afternoon walk, or before bedtime, stick to the schedule
or your dog will be expecting it all the time, thus
ruining your plan for having a well-behaved pet. The
difference between a random treat and a planned daily
snack is huge: if your dog knows he only gets a liver
treat after you brush your teeth, he will only expect it
then. If he doesn’t know when the treat’s coming, he’ll
beg constantly.
Some people want to share snacks with their animals, and
there is a technique that works for those strong enough
to use it with utter consistency. Some dogs understand
the words, “Not dog food” because they never, ever get a
snack after hearing those words. Some dogs can learn
that they get a couple of bites and then hear “No more”,
at which time there won’t be any more for them, not a
single bite. If you set firm limits , are clear about
what you will and will not share, and are absolutely
consistent from now until end, amen, your dog might not
beg constantly. If you have even a tiny shred of doubt
in your ability (and the ability of every person who
lives with you) to stick with that plan, your dog might
not beg constantly, but don’t count on it!
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