register for free
View our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
ILoveCookies
New Member!
ILoveCookies is offline  
Location: Guildford, Surrey
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 6
Female 
 
14-06-2011, 10:45 PM

Teaching "Leave" and feeding scraps

Hi everyone, we have had a rescue dog for 2 weeks and I have found this forum so helpful so thank you all for sharing your advice!

We are doing our best to teach Cookie good manners and are working hard to make sure we have a well behaved dog that understands us. As this is the first dog we have had we are struggling to agree completely on some ground rules.

Cookie is very good when we are eating, she doesn't jump up but is constantly eyeballing our food and gets as close as we will allow..how should we teach her to "leave" when it's our food not hers? The problem is that we agreed not to feed her from our plates as I don't want guests getting jumped up on or harassed but we do want to occasionally treat her with little bits like a lick of ice cream etc. We have kept this to the kitchen and only after performing sit,down or stay but i'm worried this will still encourage her to beg. Is it too much to ask to be able to do this and have her differentiate between what's allowed and what's not?

Any advice appreciated, thanks!
Reply With Quote
Ben Mcfuzzylugs
Dogsey Veteran
Ben Mcfuzzylugs is offline  
Location: UK
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 7,723
Female 
 
14-06-2011, 11:30 PM
The best think I have found is to reward her when she ISNT eyballing you
Dont ever give her human food when she is begging for it instead give her nice things when she is doing what you want

You could speed things up by giving her a place you want her to be - say on a mat or a bed in the room
Teaching her to go there and rewarding her loads for being there

Then when she will go there happily when you ask tell her to go there when you are eating - make sure and reward her lots when she is there and for staying there
over time you can give less and less rewards but she will learn that the only chance of getting food is lying on the mat- no food anywhere else - so her lying calmly IS her actually begging for food
Reply With Quote
Moon's Mum
Dogsey Veteran
Moon's Mum is offline  
Location: SW London
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,509
Female 
 
15-06-2011, 07:29 AM
We trained Cain to go and lie on his bed when we are eating, then we totally ignore him and he can't get off until we say he can. He used to eye ball us but by never EVER feeding him off of our plates, he realised quickly he wasn't getting anything so now just goes to sleep everyone, guests included, are banned from offering food from plates as even the very occassional treat will encourage the dog to think maybe, just maybe, they will get some more. It's much easier if everyone, including the dog, knows it's simply not going to happen. I hate dogs begging when I eat, mainly bevause they make me feel sooooo guilty that I'm not sharing that I don't enjoy my food . We do sometimes save him table scraps but he'll only get them when we take the plates out to the kitchen, these are hand fed or put in his own bowl. You sound like your on the right path, just give it time, be consistant, stick to the rules and ensure the dog knows what is expected of it
Reply With Quote
Moon's Mum
Dogsey Veteran
Moon's Mum is offline  
Location: SW London
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,509
Female 
 
15-06-2011, 07:36 AM
Originally Posted by Ben Mcfuzzylugs View Post
The best think I have found is to reward her when she ISNT eyballing you
Dont ever give her human food when she is begging for it instead give her nice things when she is doing what you want

You could speed things up by giving her a place you want her to be - say on a mat or a bed in the room
Teaching her to go there and rewarding her loads for being there

Then when she will go there happily when you ask tell her to go there when you are eating - make sure and reward her lots when she is there and for staying there
over time you can give less and less rewards but she will learn that the only chance of getting food is lying on the mat- no food anywhere else - so her lying calmly IS her actually begging for food
This is great advice. Although we tried this with Cain and it didn't work We'd give him a chew and as soon as he'd finish, he'd get off his bed. Feeding treats meant his was always antsy, fidgeting and waiting for food and wouldn't settle. In the end we gave up, clipped a lead on him and simply gently took him back to bed each time he got off. Pure persistance worked in the end. He's perfectly happy on his bed now and sleeps as he knows nothing exciting is coming. BenMcF's method would be ideal though.
Reply With Quote
ClaireandDaisy
Dogsey Veteran
ClaireandDaisy is offline  
Location: Essex, UK
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 14,147
Female 
 
15-06-2011, 07:54 AM
My dogs get a bit of the dinner when I`ve finished. They know the routine and wait patiently for me to get up.
I think that as long as you establish the routine, the dog accepts it. (eventually).
Reply With Quote
Murv
Dogsey Junior
Murv is offline  
Location: Sittingbourne, Kent
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 178
Male 
 
15-06-2011, 09:34 AM
Originally Posted by Moon's Mum View Post
We trained Cain to go and lie on his bed when we are eating, then we totally ignore him and he can't get off until we say he can. He used to eye ball us but by never EVER feeding him off of our plates, he realised quickly he wasn't getting anything so now just goes to sleep everyone, guests included, are banned from offering food from plates as even the very occassional treat will encourage the dog to think maybe, just maybe, they will get some more. It's much easier if everyone, including the dog, knows it's simply not going to happen. I hate dogs begging when I eat, mainly bevause they make me feel sooooo guilty that I'm not sharing that I don't enjoy my food . We do sometimes save him table scraps but he'll only get them when we take the plates out to the kitchen, these are hand fed or put in his own bowl. You sound like your on the right path, just give it time, be consistant, stick to the rules and ensure the dog knows what is expected of it
Absolutely +1 to this. We always found it was all or nothing when feeding titbits and as I can't stand dogs begging, the "nothing" route is far easier.
You have to be absolutely rigid on this (in my experience, anyway.)
Our old Dog was very well trained around food and wouldn't even look. However, one day we had a large party and BBQ in the back garden and the kids kept feeding him bits of burger and sausage etc.
Bearing in mind that we'd had him trained for about 6 Years not to look at us whilst we ate, that one day was enough to trigger a bit of begging behavior for the next fortnight!!!

It is hard, you love your dog and want to treat him but if you really don't want a begging dog at mealtimes, you have to be firm until he learns the rules.
Well worth it though IMO, and it's nice when guests comment in surprise just how well behaved your dog is around food.

We have a new rescue dog, had her about Five weeks now so we're going through all this all over again
Reply With Quote
ILoveCookies
New Member!
ILoveCookies is offline  
Location: Guildford, Surrey
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 6
Female 
 
15-06-2011, 09:54 PM
Thanks everyone, great advice! I think we will try to get her to go to her bed while we are eating. I have started this today but I am sure it will take a long while as she is so food obsessed and has a short attention span so even if she does go there it will be very hard to make her stay. Worth a go though! I don't want to have to shut her in the kitchen when we have guests but I want them to be able to enjoy their food without being pestered!

Her bed is in the living room so I might try to make a place for her to go in the kitchen too as if we are cooking she is always under our feet with the hope we drop something!!
Reply With Quote
Moon's Mum
Dogsey Veteran
Moon's Mum is offline  
Location: SW London
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,509
Female 
 
16-06-2011, 06:38 AM
I would put a nice bed in the room you eat in, but put it far away from thr table as possible to reduce temptation It won't happen over night. I basically had indigestion constantly for the first two weeks because I spent every meal jumping up and down to put him back on his bed. But eventually it'll click then it'll all be worth it when you have peaceful mealtimes Good luck, let us know how you get on.
Reply With Quote
smokeybear
Dogsey Veteran
smokeybear is offline  
Location: Wiltshire UK
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 14,404
Female 
 
16-06-2011, 06:48 AM
I train this slighlty differently.

I throw treats onto the dogs bed.

No reason for the dog to get up and no reason for me to.

Start when NOT eatiing of course.

Eventually you can increase the intervals between throwing until you can cease throwing as the dog is conditioned to remain there.
Reply With Quote
Milk maid
Almost a Veteran
Milk maid is offline  
Location: Calvados France
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,306
Female 
 
16-06-2011, 07:20 AM
Originally Posted by ClaireandDaisy View Post
My dogs get a bit of the dinner when I`ve finished. They know the routine and wait patiently for me to get up.
I think that as long as you establish the routine, the dog accepts it. (eventually).
Exactly the same here
Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools


© Copyright 2016, Dogsey   Contact Us - Dogsey - Top Contact us | Archive | Privacy | Terms of use | Top