Dog Begging Behavior

Few owners can resist their dog’s pleading eyes gazing up at them during dinnertime. “Dogs lust after what we’re eating because they see us enjoying it so much,” says Dr. Spiegel. “And they just want to join in the fun.”

But if you give in just once and feed your dog even the smallest morsel from the dinner table, you’ll never be left alone during mealtime again. Your dog will soon act as if he’s starving all time and the begging will progress to drooling, whining, jumping up on your lap and frantic scrambling every time a part of the meal flies off the table by accident.

Why Begging is bad:
When you start sharing your calorie count, not only will you never have another moment’s peace, your dog will also start to gain weight. Think about it: On top of his regular portion of dog food, he’s eating the occasional buttered roll, piece of meat, leftover pasta, piece of sponge birthday cake, and anything else he can manage to mooch from you.

A canine’s digestive system isn’t the same as a human’s, so your dog can get sick from eating too much people food. You may think you are being loving to your dog by feeding him fried foods or sweets, but love is keeping your dog healthy and feeding him properly.

If you do feed him mealtime leftovers, choose either raw or cooked vegetables, rice, low-fat cottage cheese or small pieces of fruit. A small piece of chicken broiled without the skin can be given as a treat. Put the leftovers in his dist with his regular food the next day or after you’ve finished cleaning up in the kitchen.