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Dogs beg for food, attention, or other things they want because someone has taught them begging works. We teach dogs to beg by giving them what they want when they do so. The best solution is never to start rewarding begging in the first place, but if it's too late for that, there are ways to correct this behavior.
Why dogs beg
Dogs beg because it works. The dog has learned that whenever he whines, barks, or begs in any way, the human hands out food or attention. You are training your dog to beg every time you:
- Slip a piece of food under the table in response to begging.
- Get up at night to check on a whining dog.
- Do what the dog wants in response to his pleading eyes or insistent whining.
Correcting begging behavior
Dogs seldom repeat behavior that doesn't pay off; so if begging stops paying off, it will stop -- eventually.
- Never feed your dog from the table. Table scraps are not a complete and balanced source of nutrition for your dog. In addition to helping avoid begging behavior, not feeding your dog from the table also supports your position as the leader – for dogs, leaders control the food. If your dog is already begging, consider crating him elsewhere when you eat. Feed your puppy away from where you eat so there is no confusion.
- When your dog whines for any reason other than to go outside, just ignore him. If you cannot ignore him, give him other commands like ‘come,’ ‘sit’ or ‘down’ and praise and reward him for those. This will give him something positive to do and reminds him you’re the leader in a non-confrontational way.
Do's and don'ts
The most important thing is consistency. If you surrender to your frustration after your dog has spent half an hour begging, you’ve simply taught him to beg for at least half an hour. Instead, train your dog to do what you want. Reward your dog when quiet and well behaved and eventually your dog will be quieter and better behaved.
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