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DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My dog, Itchy, sits right next to my knee while I’m at the dinner table and begs for scraps of food. At first he’s quiet, but then he’ll start to whine and make little mini-barking noises. After five minutes we can’t hear ourselves talk for all his begging. What can I do to stop this? – Ben K., Madison, Wisconsin
DEAR BEN: That’s a behavior that is very common among most house pets. And who can blame them? There’s good food up on that table!
That doesn’t mean Itchy can beg loudly while you’re eating. While occasional scraps are OK, feeding directly from the table is not, both because it leads to bad behavior and because you can’t control what other family members or guests feed him. Itchy may eat far too much fat and calories than is healthy, or eat an ingredient that can be harmful to him, such as onion, raisins or avocado.
The simplest solution is to not let Itchy approach the table at all during dinner. Train him to lay down within sight of you during the meal and to stay there until you’re done. After you finish eating, feed him his dinner in his dish.
You’ll be very busy for a few days or weeks as he will complain and try to approach the table. Be prepared for this. Work extra sessions daily with Itchy on the “sit … lay down … stay” commands until he responds well.
Be consistent: He must lay down when dinner starts and stay there without complaining. And he must get his dinner when you’re done. With a routine in place, Itchy’s behavior should improve.
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(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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