Puppy begging can be anything from giving you those cute appealing eyes, to whining, scratching your leg, jumping up and even barking at you. If your dog behaves like this every time, you sit down to have a meal, you can be sure your puppy has discovered how to successfully beg for food or a delicious treat!
Dogs do what works for them – and if they find a successful way to get what they want – in this case, a sneaky delicious treat – they will repeat that behaviour. However, this can become problematic for you as an owner, especially if the begging becomes more demanding - and even more so if you have children or vulnerable adults, or guests who don’t appreciate your dog wanting to share their meal.
While you might not mind your dog begging and think it is harmless, if they learn that your mealtimes are an opportunity to get tasty treats, this could easily become more of an issue if they do this with others.
Why do dogs and puppies beg for food?
Dogs beg because it works and so they learn how to use their best acting skills in the hope of being treated to scraps from the plate. Dogs perfect this method of asking for food because it often works, and dogs have historically evolved as highly effective scavengers.
This clever and totally natural canine behaviour means that your dog can often persuade you to give them some tasty treats without exerting much effort.
It is hard to resist a cute puppy who is trying to convince you that they really need just a small mouthful of your delicious meal! This means that nearly always at some time during your puppy’s early weeks with you someone will give them something from the table - and so your puppy quickly learns that begging is worth doing because sometimes it works! And you - or whoever gave into those beseeching puppy eyes - have taught them that.
As a puppy grows up, they are learning all the time what works and what doesn’t in this strange new life. The things that are ‘rewarded’ will be repeated - and all so often people reward this begging behaviour.
Actionable Strategies to Stop Dog Begging for Food
Every time a dog does a behaviour, they will become better at it - and begging is definitely one of those behaviours that gets more skilled with every success.
By far the best way to stop begging - or better still, prevent it from happening in the first place - is to not give your puppy access to you or your family when you are eating.
Here's how to implement this and other effective strategies:
Prevent access during mealtimes:
- Use a baby/stair gate in the doorway of the room you eat in and have your dog on the other side - or else temporarily put your puppy in a crate or pen in the same room but without access to you and your food.
- If you do this from the very beginning, they will learn that they don’t have access to human mealtimes or get food from the table - and better still, you can be sure no one is sneaking them treats under the table when you are not looking!
- If you really want to give your dog something from the table, wait until you have finished, put it in their bowl, and give it to them away from the table.
Have a set feeding routine
If your dog knows when they will be fed every day, they are more likely to be relaxed around food - although a tasty treat is often still too good to ignore!
Often dogs (who are by nature scavengers) do better being fed several small meals a day rather than one or two large ones, as they don’t have so long to wait between meals and the hunger pangs don’t build so much. You can hardly blame them for begging if they actually are hungry.
Feed your puppy before you eat dinner
This may seem like a simple option, but it is effective to stop your puppy begging. Feed your puppy their meal just before you sit down to your own. This can be at the other side of a baby gate, in a play pen or just somewhere close by but where they don’t have access to your table. Your puppy will be too busy enjoying their meal, to worry too much about what is on your plate.
Give them an alternative
Give them something nice of their own to chew while you are having your meal (such as a stuffed Kong toy) so they have something enjoyable to think about rather than how they are missing out on a yummy treat from you. If it’s not your puppy’s mealtime, use something like a chew, a stuffed Kong or a food dispensing toy to give them something they can enjoy that isn’t your food!
When your puppy is begging, don’t give them attention
This is as much about training yourself and your family than it is your dog! It helps to keep in mind that your dog is well-cared for and well-fed - so doesn’t need extras. Remember, if you give in to your puppy’s begging, it will teach them that it works, and so this behaviour will continue into adulthood. Begging in a large, slobbery, insistent adult dog isn’t anywhere near as cute as in a puppy - and if you have children or vulnerable adults in the house, it can even cause injury.
If your puppy is begging for food at your feet, it is best to not acknowledge their behaviour. Carry on with your meal and only show them attention once everyone has finished eating and the plates have been cleared.
Always try to offer your puppy an alternative rewarding activity when you are eating to keep them occupied and to minimise puppy begging.Don’t punish your puppy’s begging behaviour
Even though a puppy begging for food might be difficult to ignore, punishing your dog for showing a totally natural behaviour that you (or someone in your family) has encouraged is totally unfair and will damage the bond between you. Your goal is to prevent the behaviour (using gates, crate, play pen etc), give an alternative reward (their own toy/treat), and never reward the begging.
Be consistent and patient
For any kind of dog training to work, it has to be consistent. This is no different with your dog begging. If you (and everyone in the family!) consistently adhere to the tips above and give your dog no opportunity to get a treat from the table, this behaviour will eventually stop. If you have a puppy, this is important, since the training they receive in their early life will shape their future behaviour and they will grow up with no expectation that begging will work. Often one member of the family is guilty of sneaking bits of food to your dog - and so the behaviour will continue - so training your family is as important as training your puppy!
Since dog begging is a learned behaviour, your dog won’t stop begging instantly as you have taught them that it works! Unlearning something that has previously been successful takes time. All dogs are different, and some are way more perseverative, so this will vary from dog to dog but if you really want to stop your pup begging, be prepared to commit long-term, be consistent and you will eventually start to see results.
We all love our dogs and for many people, giving their dog a tiny treat from their meals is rewarding for them and a part of the relationship they want with their dog. If this is you, make sure these are tiny morsels, that they are appropriate and healthy for your dog, and if you don’t want a dog who constantly begs, that you feed them away from the table!
Next, find out more about setting up your puppy with healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime, without a puppy feeding guide.
FAQs
If you want your dog to stop begging, it is often easier to prevent them having access to you when you are eating or distracting them with something tasty of their own. Prevention is always better and it stops behaviours escalating due to frustration.
Dogs wanting your attention is something very different from begging for food. See our article on attention seeking behaviours.
Begging is a very common occurrence and given the chance, virtually every dog will do it - and it’s very easy to encourage that behaviour. Just one slip up and your dog will continue to believe that begging is worth it - because sometimes it works! Often it is far more about training ourselves and our family rather than our dog. Luckily, if you commit to teaching your dog over the long term that it’s not going to work using a combination of prevention, alternative behaviours and management then you will see success and have peaceful mealtimes with no begging.
Purina Editorial Team
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