How to Stop Our Dog Begging for Food

Although some people might find it normal to see their dog sitting by the table at mealtimes, watching everyone eat and waiting for a piece to fall, the truth is it's a habit we should prevent.

Dogs can't control their survival instinct, so they'll always want to eat, even after eating plenty, they'll still want more. It's quite sad watching them beg for a piece of food, even more so when guests come round, for example.

The same thing happens when we're preparing food in the kitchen; if our dog is used to the occasional bit falling their way… every time we go to cook, they'll come and beg for a bit of food. They'll even pressure us with their eyes, putting on a sad face as if saying "just give me a little bit".

Let's not kid ourselves, though — it's a bad habit for the dog, since we're simply putting them through a hard time waiting for something to fall or for us to give them a bit. It's not healthy for them, and it often ends up becoming a problem. Let's look at how to fix this behaviour in a simple, effective way.

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How to Teach the Dog Not to Beg for Food

There's only one reason dogs come to us when we're preparing food or sitting at the table already eating. And that reason is that at some point they've received food in one of those situations.

It's genuinely incredible how good dogs' memories are — maybe they don't make full use of that memory when we teach them not to pull on the lead during walks, but they make full use of it when it comes to remembering when they're going to get food.

If you give your dog something to eat just once while preparing your food… every time you go to the kitchen, they'll go with you to see whether they can get some food again. It's not a good habit, and it can sometimes be annoying.

The only way to correct this situation is never giving them food again while we're preparing food, having dinner or clearing the table. We need to teach our dog they have their own schedule — breakfast, lunch and dinner (breakfast and dinner in some cases for very old dogs).

They'll Always Ask for More Food

Dogs are creatures of routine; if we feed them breakfast every day at nine in the morning, and one day we decide not to… even though they don't have a clock, at nine in the morning they'll come looking for us to get their breakfast. We should always stick to their mealtimes, but we should never give them food outside those times (except for treats when we're training them, and always away from home).

Being persistent and disciplined is the only solution for preventing this kind of behaviour. If we don't give them food outside their mealtimes, over time they'll give up trying to scrounge something, and these situations will stop happening. And watch out — it doesn't work to stop giving them food for a week or two, only to give them something one day because they deserve it or it's a special day… that will undo absolutely all the work done.

If it's a special day, we can give them something special to eat, but at their regular mealtime and in their bowl, not any other way. Our persistence is the only way to stop our dog begging for food.

And If They Give Us Puppy Eyes?

If they sit next to us, insistently waiting for us to give them something, we can send them to their bed, but we should never scold them, since they're not actually doing anything wrong. They're just waiting for food, because we've probably given them some before.

Within two to four weeks, this bad habit usually disappears, and our dog will give it up entirely, going off to play or sleep instead of waiting for food.

If you feel bad because you're eating and they're not, because they give you puppy eyes, or for whatever reason… you can always arrange for your dinner and theirs to happen at the same time. This way they'll go to their bowl to eat, and you'll have a few minutes to eat in peace. If they like your food more than their own… something that often happens with dogs who only eat kibble, you can surprise them with a BARF recipe, or add a little tinned tuna to their kibble to give it a new, spectacular flavour, for example.

Remember persistence is the only way to properly train our dog. And this time, we need to be persistent, always.