My Dog Begs for Food – What to Do? 5 Tips

Your dog begs at the table and it’s either getting on your nerves or embarrassing you in front of others? That ends now. With our 5 effective tips, you can quickly and easily train your dog to stop begging.

My Dog Begs for Food – The Causes

To effectively address your dog’s begging, you should first investigate the causes.

The better you understand the reason behind it, the more targeted your approach can be.

Let’s take a closer look at the most common causes of begging dogs:

Your Dog Begs Due to Hunger

One of the most logical reasons for begging at the table: your dog is hungry. This is more likely if they haven’t eaten for a while or don’t feel full after a meal.

So, your dog is trying to fulfill a basic need. You can hardly blame them for that.

Your Dog Begs Out of Habit

Has your dog looked at you pitifully and you gave in? Just this once? Because they were half-starved and you don’t have a heart of ice or steel?

If your dog had success because you gave them something from the table or your plate, they will try it again in the future. This is just logical and an example of quick learning.

But don’t worry. Contrary to what is often (and wrongly) claimed, you can easily break the begging habit.

Your Food Just Tastes Better

Imagine you had salad and crispbread today. Just like yesterday. And the day before. And the one before that.

Meanwhile, you have to watch the strange biped eat pizza, enjoy cheese sandwiches instead of crispbread, or indulge in wonderfully smelling lasagna and stews.

That’s not particularly fair or nice. Especially dogs on a monotonous diet, like those only fed dry food, miss variety and enjoyment – which is presented to them daily but withheld.

Does Your Dog Even Beg?

With some dogs, begging is obvious. They perform tricks, paw at you, whine, or drool while keeping constant eye contact.

For others, begging is much more subtle. For example, they stare at you persistently, count every bite you take, and leave a puddle of drool underneath their jaw.

However, there are also people who interpret every look from their dog as “begging” and exaggerate it completely. Others even claim that begging can lead to crazy behavioral problems.

Both sides could benefit from keeping things in perspective. Still, you should ask yourself a few questions:

Does your dog even beg, or are they just lying near you during meals?
Does the begging really bother you?
What behavior do you expect from your dog during your meals?

Does the begging bother you? This might sound like a strange question. After all, you’re reading this guide to stop your dog from begging.

But you’d be surprised how often dog owners want to change their dog’s behavior because “that’s just how it’s done.”

If the begging doesn’t truly bother you, then you’re not backing up your rules and prohibitions. You’ll appear inconsistent to your dog and waste energy on something that won’t benefit either of you.

How to Teach Your Dog Not to Beg – 5 Tips

In other guides about begging dogs, you’ll often read that you should persistently send your dog away, keep them away with lying training, or even banish them from the kitchen. But PunkRockPudel, as a different kind of dog magazine, looks more closely and offers better approaches.

Tip 1: Let Your Dog Fill Up!

Dry food and high-calorie canned food are convenient. You need small amounts, so you carry less and don’t have to prepare it.

A general problem with these convenient foods is the high amount of calories compared to their little volume and thus the missing feeling of fullness. Many dogs don’t feel full after eating them.

As a result, they are more likely to seek out food for themselves. Well-fed dogs, on the other hand, don’t turn into vacuum cleaners outside, don’t rummage through the trash, and don’t need to beg at the table.

“But if I feed my dog eats as much as they want, they’ll be fat by next week!”

Feeding your dog enough doesn’t mean feeding them too much or the wrong food. After all, you could also eat your fill of salad and vegetables every day without risking your figure. However, this wouldn’t work with pizza, pasta, and burgers. What you feed them plays a crucial role.

Tip 2: Choose a Better Time for Feeding!

Does your dog always get their food after you? No wonder they’re hungry and can’t control themselves while you’re eating.

Make it easier on yourself and your dog by feeding them first or eating at the same time.

Tip 3: Distract Your Dog!

A chew stick, carrot, cucumber, a lick mat, or a filled Kong: If your dog gets a snack while you eat, their interest in your meal will decrease.

It will also reduce your guilty feelings, when you don’t share your food.

Tip 4: Send Your Dog Away!

If your dog begs, many people recommend training them to go to their spot and stay there until you finish your meal.

At first, you’ll need to get up repeatedly to guide them to their blanket.

Since I don’t want stress during meals, my dogs don’t have a fixed spot and have no idea what blanket training is.

I don’t care if my dogs are dancing salsa under the shower or lying next to me at the table. They just shouldn’t interrupt my eating or feel stressed because I’m eating while they’re not.

So, I do send them away, but only from my plate. This is much easier and completely sufficient.

Tip 5: Create a Ritual for Your Dog!

If you give your dog something from the table, you’ve completely ruined them and taught them to beg!

Let’s clear up this nonsense:

No, you haven’t ruined your dog or their training.
All dogs can beg, they don’t need to learn it. Of course, if you reward begging, it’s likely (and just logical) that your dog will beg more often. But that doesn’t mean you need to crack down hard or can’t control the begging.
You can absolutely give your dog something from your food or from the table, even though some may claim otherwise.

A possible solution is a ritual.

I like to give my dogs a little something from my meal. Whether it’s a bite of pizza, a piece of cheese, or a bit of sausage – yes, I deliberately leave a bit so I can share. As long as the food isn’t harmful to dogs, of course.

My dogs often get food from the table, but they don’t beg. There are several reasons why:

I let them eat till they are full. They’re never so hungry that food or meals are a huge resource.
They eat before me or at the same time. This significantly reduces their expectations.
Alternatively, they get a little distraction in the form of a carrot, rice cake, or sniffing mat.
I want to eat peacefully and am clear about it. My plate and I are off-limits.
I share my food, but only at the end and only after I call them. So it’s simply not worth begging before then. At the same time, they know everyone gets a bite (or not if the food isn’t suitable). This also relaxes the situation and communicates that begging at the table is unnecessary.

How to Gently Stop Your Dog from Begging

The dog is fed only after the human! Because… well… order!

The dog must lie on its blanket while people eat! Because… well… that’s just the way it is!

Instead of following these strange “rules” with meaningless explanations, try to understand your dog.

Imagine someone next to you enjoying delicious-smelling treats. Your mouth is watering. You were already hungry. And now, this person is eating a feast right in front of you.

While you always have to wait for your food, it tastes like Styrofoam compared to what they’re eating, and it doesn’t fill you up, the person with the delicious food ignores your polite requests for a bite. Or they scold you and send you away.

If you put yourself in your dog’s shoes, it becomes clear how challenging it can be not to beg. At the same time, you’ll understand how to make all your meals more relaxed for both of you.