How to get dog to stay away from dinner table while we eat

[Hyperfish101]

Not had her long (I keep posting questions-sorry!)

She jumps up at the table and is a nuisance while we eat. She can sit to command so now trying to get her to stay in bed while we eat. Not happening. What do you do?

Teach a solid 'stay', including outside with distractions. We used this with our dogs and coupled it with 'on your bed'.

And be persistent, and offer a lot of praise, including while you eat and the dog is where it is meant to be. Cold meat and salad is a good call for dinner when you start with this...

Thanks all.

Just on training in general, she’s very treat orientated and I can get her to sit and also go in bed for a treat now. This has had the effect though Of her totally bothering me for treats all the time! She’s sees me as the treat woman and won’t leave me alone. It’s had the opposite effect of what I want.

Exhausting.

We made sure our plates and cutlery etc were pushed further into the table so the dog couldn’t see them. Initially he would jump and sniff but we kept saying ‘down’ and now he just sits at our feet while we eat. He eats before us so he doesn’t get anything to eat while we’re eating. We had been giving him a treat game but then he would finish it quickly and come to investigate what we were up to so now we find it best to just let him lie down beside us. So I suppose on summary we just kept saying ‘down’ and ignoring him and eventually he got it.

@LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow

any malarkey from ours when we were eating meant they got sent out, which they hated!

They soon learn if you are consistent! Some do take longer though, as Lifeispassingby said.

The funny thing was if we had visitors...particularly my mother or MIL who are both notorious soft touches, they would sidle up to them like the spoiled favourite grandchild and gaze adoringly at them for a little bit of something from the table.

Yes DDog is a horrendous beggar when we visit the house of one notorious soft touch relative. He'll try it on with anyone and everyone, largely because he's richly rewarded by the aforementioned, elderly and utterly incorrigible relative

He doesn't bother when he's at home, he knows there's no point!

Disclaimer I don't have a dog but I do have 2 kittens who are 16 weeks old. Yes I am aware that this is the doghouse.

@ladybee28 I totally agree on the nothing comes directly from your plate school of thought, I have had several cats over the years. When I am eating, they want to look and see what I have and will go to their bed and pretty much ignore me while I am eating, when I'm done I give a few bits of kibble as a treat with loads of attention.

There is nothing on my plate that might be of interest and anything they might be getting, is put to one side and served at main mealtimes so no actual association of that's the stuff I eat.

@AvocadosBeforeMortgages ...ours seemed to know Granny treats were alright so long as they didn't push it, and they didn't plague us after.
Unless it was dippy eggs for breakfast and the elder dog would mooch shamelessly until someone (everybody!!) had scooped out their egg top and fed it to him...from a spoon, he would only eat it very grudgingly if you gave it to him by hand, or in his bowl.

The memory of a small child feeding an extremely large GSD with a teaspoon is very amusing!

I’m hoping she will eventually get the message that there is no food from us whine we’re eating.

I find using treats to get her to do anything isn’t working. She just works to try and get the treat, gets it then does the unwanted behaviour again

@Hyperfish101

I’m hoping she will eventually get the message that there is no food from us whine we’re eating.

I find using treats to get her to do anything isn’t working. She just works to try and get the treat, gets it then does the unwanted behaviour again

That's perfectly normal, though – unless you train a 'stay', she won't stay.

And to be fair, why would she?

Treat's shouldn't be bribes – they're reinforcements for good behaviour. If you're not training the behaviour you want, she has no reason to perform it.

But it really needs to be trained at times when there isn't a delicious smelling distracting temptation coming from the table – that's not going to set her up for any kind of success.

Treats won't stop an unwanted behaviour, only reinforce a wanted one.
So if she gets rewarded (verbally & occasional treat) for 'on your bed' & 'stay' then eventually you can nip the unwanted behaviour in the bud by getting her to do something you DO want instead.
And after a while (sometimes a LONG while) she will not bother to approach the table, or will at least return to her bed and stay after just being told once.

Ok so bed, gets treat. Stay. Gets treat. Work on making the stay longer each time?

Or just get a stair gate and put her outside the room?

I'm doing it in parallel - caging DPup during meals so he doesn't associate table with treats - the kids are messy/feed him even though I say no.
So I would use stair gate if I were you.
I'm also training an in your bed/stay command, and when that is rock solid will do that instead of crating. It's a right pain to train during mealtimes 😁

Thanks! It’s hard work!

It is, and I have a short temper when I'm hungry.
So it's not a good time!
I think practical measures like stair gates are really helpful to avoid bad habits forming, and save the training for a more conducive environment, until they're really good/reliable.

I am assuming some on the table is giving the dog food from there plate? Most dogs continue begging as someone usually giving them something. Not always ofcourse......

My dog was an awful beggar and my other half thought it was amusing to feed him from the table. I cant abide a begging dog pawing at us at the table so the dog was removed and my OH told to cut it out. Simple as that. My dog gets two meals a day and no treats. Doesnt need them and in truth most make him sick as he has allergies.

We never ever fed the dog from our plates or shared our food. As a result she quickly learned not to ask.

I find using treats to get her to do anything isn’t working. She just works to try and get the treat, gets it then does the unwanted behaviour again

This is why you need a dog trainer. Honestly, they are invaluable. They can see where you’re going wrong and show you how to correct it.

If she’s going back to the bad behaviour then you haven’t taught her it yet. Ignore the bad and reward the good and she should start to present you with the correct response to get the reward.

It can take a bloody long time. You have to be consistent, you have to practice and you have to have a shedload of patience. We’ve all been there, we do sympathise.

No one is feeding her from the table. She’s a rescue though so I can guess where the behaviour is coming from. This problem plus her continued nibbling at our clothes is causing a lot of stress.

I’m ringing a behaviourist on Monday as we can’t go on like this.

Ours sits by the table and looks but she doesn't jump up so we just ignore her then feed her afterwards (plus anything suitable from the meal - chicken, vegetables etc).

Exhausting teatime tonight...last few days got dog to stay in the bed with a filled Kong. Not tonight, was not interested. I must have returned her over 50 times. Still didn’t ‘get it’. Exhausted ☹️

You cant get up 50 times during dinner. Thats not good for you. Shut her out of the room.
.

I did eventually. She scratched at the door.

Stair gate next?

Can she be put into another room

She can but would scrstch the door. Thought gate would be a compromise.

Would love her to just go to bed and stay but I just feel it will not work.

Unless she chews thru the gate like ours did