Table Manners for Your Dog

I hope you are having a lovely day. As soon as there is food, some dogs become very excited. Their attempts to snatch something from the plate often prove particularly tricky. Our furry friends come up with all sorts of tricks to get hold of a reward. They give you the faithful look with big eyes, nudge you, rest their head on you or loudly draw attention to themselves. Canine begging at the table is extremely varied. I would like to help you caringly guide this behaviour into orderly channels.

Consistency for a relaxed everyday coexistence

Anyone who gives in to their begging dog, or does not stop it in the first place, will lose out at the latest when the animal simply grabs something from the plate the moment you are not looking. But there is hope that your four-legged friend can learn the necessary table manners without any worries. With consistency and a little perseverance, even experienced animals that beg at the table can learn this fairly quickly. In our holistic view, a calm environment during meals is the most important foundation.

Helpful tips for learning table manners

It is best to caringly ignore the dog completely during the meal. However, everyone else present at the table should do exactly the same. This way, your four-legged friend will sooner or later realise that begging is completely pointless, because it gets neither attention nor food anyway.

• Completely and caringly ignoring begging behaviour
• Involving all family members and all guests at the table
• Assigning a quiet resting place during human meals
• No exceptions when it comes to wrongly handing out leftovers directly at the table

Caringly determine the timing of meals

When it comes to its own food, it is advisable to first ask the dog to sit at mealtimes and let it wait briefly before you put down the filled bowl. Then you give it a clear command so that it understands it may now eat. The dog effectively asks for permission first. In this way you caringly make it clear that it is by no means the animal but its human who decides about the food and determines when it can be eaten. This principle can be trained wonderfully with rewards that you first show and only release with a command after a short wait.

Important aspects of training and safety

Some dogs growl or snap when their owner takes the food away from them. This resistance is understandable, but it still makes sense to practise exactly that in a caring way. Outdoors, dogs often want to eat something they are not allowed to, such as food scraps, carrion or faeces. Unfortunately, this can also include life-threatening poison bait. You can practise this with a swap, in which the dog exchanges what it has in its mouth for something better for it, for example a special reward. Of course, make sure that your beloved four-legged friend does not get too many extras and end up losing its ideal weight.

This article serves as general information and as caring support in training your dog for a harmonious life together.