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Tip
84 - Dog begs for food - begging at the table
Nothing
is cuter than a puppy-dog, a full grown dog or even certain
cats that look at you while you are eating. They
seem to use their ESP powers to try
and convince you to give them a morsel of food. Their eyes take
on a look of innocence that is very hard to resist. Just one
piece of meat, one piece of cheese, it makes them soooo happy.
Although
you may think you are being kind to the dog by feeding it during
human mealtime, you are making a big mistake.
By
giving in to a begging dog you are setting
yourself up for YEARS of this repetitive behaviour. The first
few times it's cute, but eventually it can get downright annoying.
The first few times they look at you tenderly and you give in.
When you stop giving in, the tender looks can quickly turn into
crying, whimpering, barking, pawing, jumping and other attention
seeking behaviours. It's hard to enjoy your food with a constant
whining dog at the table. If you NEVER give in, this behaviour
should never be a problem. Dogs are very persistent so
never means never. It does not mean 1 time in 100 since they
will remember that 1 time and the begging behaviour will continue.
Make sure all family members and guests follow the rules.
Of
course, there is also the food quality factor. MANY human foods
are simply
not
good
for
dogs.
Many human foods can cause harm to dogs, especially in the
long term and some can cause health problems even in the short
term. Many dogs will eat almost anything, but that does NOT mean
that the food you fed it was healthy for dogs. Obesity in domestic
pets is a worldwide problem and by giving them your table food
(unless you have done serious research, talked with your vet
etc.) you
are contributing to possible health issues.
Perhaps
the most important reason not to give in to a begging dog has
to do with its rank. Dogs are pack animals by nature, and dogs
that live with humans see their human family as a pack. The pack
has its hierarchy and it has only one leader (the Alpha). When
your dog eats, relative to when your human family eats, is
an important factor in the dog's mind to establishing
its rank or place within the pack. Dogs that
don't know their place (which should ALWAYS
be
last
place
in
terms of their rank in your household) may exhibit begging behaviours
in order to eat before or while certain family members are eating.
Feeding your dog table food at this time, can cause the dog to
feel like it is moving up in rank. Sometimes this behaviour,
if
left
unchecked,
can escalate to include threatening behaviours like growling.
This is why
the
dog should
ALWAYS ALWAYS
be fed last. The best idea
would
be to feed the dog after the dishes have been put away. Basic
training will go a long way to help in this situation as the
dog can be told to sit or lie down during the meal. If the
dog has not been properly trained,
keep the dog in another room until the meal is completely over.
Then according to the dog's feeding schedule, feed the dog or
reward the dog with a treat for its good quiet
behaviour.
Remember
- A dog
that begs at the table may well be trying to move up in rank,
since the
top dog eats first and the lowest member eats last.
Related
info on dominance, and the dog hierarchy can be found below
http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-70.htm
http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dog_nilf.htm
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