Quote: Mike J Schoonbrood

My dogs look really cute sitting at the table staring at me waiting for scraps.

LMAO

I bet they do Mike! A photo would be nice... hinthint

I'd be willing to bet he was a monster before, and you just unleashed part of him...just wait another couple months HEH!

Seriously though, I agree with what has been said already. He needs to wait back away from you when you are eating. I wanted to chime in though, because I am just now training my pup to wait until we are finished eating, and then be the "vacuum" cleaner for all the crumbs (AND CHUNKS) my 3 year old son manages to "drop" on the floor for the dog. Cato is doing amazingly well at waiting, because he KNOWs when I release him, its YUM!

PS. Mike, I'd like to see your 4 all lined up cute too! (I mean, I do believe you that they are cute )

 Quote: Yuko Blum

 Quote: Mike J Schoonbrood

My dogs look really cute sitting at the table staring at me waiting for scraps.

LMAO

I bet they do Mike! A photo would be nice... hinthint

Actually all photos trying to line them up at the table would be great......

We don't allow Starbuck to wait around the table while we eat. If I am eating on the couch and I want to give her some, it goes into her bowl or onto her bed. I try to never fead her from my plate.

what if they sit there an whine and cry all through out your meal?

My dog would be sent to the backyard, doors closed, and left out there until we were finished eating, and would not receive anything from us when she came back in. She knows that she won't be let in if she continues the whining and crying while she's out there, with me, anyways. She trained my parents otherwise..

 Quote: webboard user

what if they sit there an whine and cry all through out your meal?

That's just another pack structure issue.

If the correction you give is strong enough for the dog to respect, he is NOT going to be hanging around and begging.

My dogs won't even look at me when I'm eating if I say "off", no matter how yummy the food I'm eating.

I never had to train it into my oldest shepherd. She's pretty submissive so a serious tone (even in a whisper) was enough to tell her that the pack leaders are eating - back off!

My youngest is far more pushy and confident so it actually took a correction on a prong for her to back off. She learned though, and I have no trouble with her staring at me or whining or getting in my face when I'm eating.

This is a pretty wild pup we're talking about too (high-drive, very IN YOUR FACE working-line shepherd that I'm raising as a sport dog). Any dog understands pack structure. Even at her wildest moments she knows better than to bug me while I'm eating. And I haven't corrected her a single time in months.

Btw, I'm not encouraging people to feed their dogs as they eat. It's probably a bad idea anyway, haha. I just said that it works for me and that it's easy to teach a dog to leave you alone while you eat if you have good pack structure.

Nothing wrong with crating the dog during your mealtime to avoid the fuss if you don't want to deal with it

 Quote: yuko blum

(PS: rank stuff like that is really easy for dogs to understand. You should get it through their heads after 1 or 2 sufficient corrections, assuming that you already have a proper pack structure in place )

Do you use the correction that Ed recommends? Firmly grabbing the cheeks and saying "No"? Is there something else that works better for your dogs?

Some great advice on here.. ;;shakes the piggy bank;; my turn!


Personally I do not allow a dog to be given scraps from the table, couch, computer, etc. Nowhere a human eats. I don't like a dog to have the association with human-food-yummy. There are enough people that visit that are not dominant in my dog's eyes, that eat here, to cause a problem. When I eat, my dog is either not allowed in the kitchen, or must lay quietly at my side. If I do give a scrap (after scraping off/rinsing off any seasonings or unhealthy things) I put the scraps in the dogs bowl. I have also on occassion rewarded certain dogs for being far away while eating.

That I do for pushy/nosey dogs that are used to getting scraps directly from someone while they eat. Only use dog treats for this, not real scraps. I first teach the dog the "back" or "go" command. This depends on the dog and its purpose/previous training. Then I encorporate that into the eating routine. The dog only gets a "yummy" when it moves away from me. The further it moves, the more praise. The faster it moves, the faster it gets the yummy.

A lot of dogs will just be right back in your face knowing you have a treat. Correct pushy behavior, put the dog into a down/stay for only about 5 seconds (longer, depending on the dog and its training) then I ask "back" again. The dog only gets a treat when it is away, and is not still moving. When it has stopped, either standing, sitting, or down, reward. After a few times of asking once, immediately ask for another back to get the dog further. Praise/reward. Eventually you start to verbally correct "No!" when the dog comes towards you. Immediately ask for another back, and praise/reward.

Most dogs catch on very quickly - and they learn they only get a treat when they are at a distance from you. You will start to notice your dog sitting 5-10 feet away while you eat, watching you intently. This is a good start for keeping a dog out of your face while eating, and eventually you can work into the dog staying at a distance, without treat rewards.

I just do not like a dog that eats whatever it finds on the floor, or that is in my face while eating. Personal preference my dogs are taught not to touch anything on the floor without being released to get it. I could dog a steak on the floor on Cajun's feet and he would back up and sit and look at me. I could leave liver on the floor and he wouldn't touch it unless I told him to or picked it up and gave it to him/put it in his bowl.

Hey David,

I did use the correction Ed describes but for a different reason. I think he mentions that the cheek grab and immobilizing the pup works well when a young puppy gets really wound up and starts getting too wild with you.
It's more of a way to calm an out-of-control puppy down while re-asserting your dominance in a calm manner.

I try to mimic how a bitch would correct her pups if they tried to steal her food (or how any dog would correct a lower-ranking dog who approached while he was eating).

I feel that it should be a much more instantaneous and meaningful correction than grabbing and holding onto the pup's cheeks. You want the pup to back right off.

A growled "NO!" coupled with a quick grab & jerk on the scruff might work on a young pup (not shaking the pup, just a quick grab and release).

A pup's mother would growl, grab her pup's muzzle with her mouth and pin the pup to the ground (which usually results in the pup yelping).

If your pup blows off the quick scruff-grab, maybe a light pop with a puppy prong is in order.

When my pup was around 12 weeks old, I had trouble correcting her hard enough to prevent her from trying to attack my pet rabbits. She can be quite the knuckle-head at times and was pretty hard for a pup. I PMed Ed (Frawley) for advice and he recommended a puppy-prong.

Worked like magic and it hasn't affected her drive, enthusiasm or bond with me at all! Ever since the first 1-2 prong corrections, all I need to do now is say "No" in a firm voice when she's bugging the rabbits and she immediately leaves them alone. (Lots of praise for that!)

While it's a BAD idea to correct a puppy for obedience issues (as in ignoring your obedience commands), I do think it's fine to correct them for inappropriate pack behaviour. That would definitely include getting in your face while you're eating

How much of a correction would your pup need to back off and leave you alone when you're eating?

Only you can answer that. Use the lowest level of correction possible (don't go and traumatize your pup), but make sure it's effective. Some dogs back off with a verbal warning alone, some need a prong.
If your dog doesn't back off after 1, maybe 2 corrections, you're being too soft on him.

A short yelp out of the dog/pup is an acceptable response in this case, but a scream means you've overdone it.

I hope that helps! Just do what you feel is right for your dog, they're all different. My two oldest guys never required a physical correction to back off during my mealtime - they respected my rank enough that a verbal warning sufficed.

My crazy knuckle-head pup on the other hand required an occasional pop on the prong

Just be sure not to hold a grudge against the dog. The second he backs off, you should be pleasant and relaxed with him again.

Hopefully others will give you different options to choose from. This is just what worked for me. Good luck.