How do I stop dog from begging?

by Linny

Help, I've created a monster. My Coton is such a good dog; he's very well behaved in every way EXCEPT that he's a beggar. It's totally my fault; I gave in to him from the time he was a puppy. All he had to do was look at me with those big sad eyes and I'd feed him off my plate.


Is it possible to stop my dog from begging when it's been a habit for 3 years? It never was much of a problem for me when I lived alone, but I just recently got married and my husband and his kids do not appreciate my dog begging for food.

Any advice would be appreciated.

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Oct 27, 2010
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by: Iris Miller

Congratulations on your marriage and new family.
I find what really helps me is that basic training my dog Tuffy had in his beginning and intermediate puppy training classes at Petsmart. I use all of those commands we learned. First off I have trained him at a very early age,'quiet' "no barking"
The best way to stop the begging is avoid eye contact and ignore him.
When Tuffy sits near me waiting for a handout at the table I give the commands "sit, wait" and he sits quietly and waits (he has already learned not to bark or (whine). If he forgets and begins to annoy me, like hopping up and down to get attention, I tell him "on your bed". When I finish eating I chop up some bits of chicken and put them on a little dish and bring it to his feeding area and put the dish next to his food dish and tell him "okay, eat". If your dog is crate trained, that;s a simple solution, put him in his crate while you are eating.or put him in another room until you finish eating.
persistence pays, our Cotons know that, and we should learn from them, be persistent and get the desired behavior(hopefully). Best regards and hugs from Tuffy's mom
Oct 27, 2010
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by: Gale

I had a similar problem with my dog Luc. When he was a puppy I thought it was cute that he went into the refrigerator and got his own carrots. When I started taking him with me to other peoples homes they weren't too keen on having him forage thru their Frig. I had to teach him that the refrigerator was off limits and that he had to wait until I offered him the carrot. It actually wasn't too difficult.

The trick is to be consistent and it's more a matter of changing YOUR behavior than his. Once you make the decision to stop feeding scraps you have to stick to it 100%. If your dog thinks there's any chance he'll get food by begging he'll keep at it.

At first, you may have to crate him during family meals or put him in another room while you're eating. This keeps temptation away from your dog and no one in the family will be tempted to drop him a treat.

Feed him at the same time your family eats. It's a plus if you can feed him in a different room so he doesn't get distracted by your food.

Any time he begs just ignore him. Be patient - he will eventually understand that begging doesn't get him the desired food (or attention).

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