This is perhaps one of the most annoying behaviors a dog can acquire. Particularly very large dogs. Have you ever been trying to enjoy a meal with friends and family only to have a dog either try to migliori borse tracolla donna 2023  in your lap, or simply rest his chin on the table and stare at you with every bite you take? Fortunately, it is very easy to teach your dog not to beg.

First Step to Teach Your Dog Not to Beg

This is so simple it is ridiculous; but believe it or not, this is almost always the cause of why your dog begs. If you really want to teach your dog not to beg you must quit feeding him from the dinner table (or whatever place it is you want him to quit begging from). I'm telling you it could not be any easier. By feeding him from the table, even if it is only occasionally, you are literally training your dog to beg by positively reinforcing him for the very behavior you now want to eliminate. If all you do is remove reinforcement from this scenario (I.e. feeding from the table while your dog is begging), you will see a decline in the frequency of begging.

The very best thing you can do as a dog owner to prevent begging early on is to be sure that you NEVER feed your dog from the table (or your dinner plate) from the moment you get him. If you start this practice as soon as you get your new puppy, the chance of him learning to beg is pretty slim. It is much easier to put this effort in right from the beginning and be proactive rather than having to try and eliminate unwanted behavior later.

Now Teach Your Dog Something He CAN Do

In addition to removing reinforcement while your dog is begging, you can also help him out by teaching him a different (and incompatible) behavior instead of begging. For example, as you are getting ready to sit down at the table with your family and eat dinner, walk your dog over to his favorite pillow or sleeping spot and ask him to lay down. Reinforce him well for laying down. Periodically while you are eating dinner, walk over to your dog and give him a treat for staying on his pillow (or laying down wherever his spot is). Chances are you will have to help him out a little bit in the early stages until he figures it out. It is also very important that you apply reinforcement WHERE your dog is laying down. You do NOT want to call him over to the table, reinforce him, and then ask him to lay down again. In the beginning your reinforcement will have to be fairly regular and frequent, but once your dog gets the idea you will not have to reinforce nearly as often.

I followed these exact same steps with my German Shepherd and it worked beautifully. Every time our family sat down to eat dinner, it became a cue for him to go lay down on his pillow. Once established, I only had to wander over and reinforce him on his pillow once a week or so. As long as you (and your family/friends) are consistent, this approach will work every time.