My dog won't stay away from the dinner table during meals. What to do?

You have a few different options to help keep this behavior from happening. You could give Pilot a special chew treat, such as a bully stick or a Kong stuffed with peanut butter, to keep him busy while you're eating. You could also use a baby gate to block him out of the dining room while you're eating, or put him in his crate if he is crate-trained. If you want a training solution for this problem, you can teach him to lay quietly on a designated mat or dog bed during dinner time - to do this, you would need to reward him very frequently at first for staying on his mat, so that this is more rewarding for him than trying to jump on the table while you're eating. Over time, you will be able to reward him less and less frequently, until eventually he can stay quietly on his mat during the entire meal for a single reward at the end.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! More than focusing on the negative of when he does that behavior, ideally, you would focus on positive reinforcement. This means that when he does something negative like that you let him know that it is wrong. However, it is more important to focus on the positive. When he gets close to the table and is not trying to get food off the table, praise him and give him a treat. This will help him associate not getting food off the table with something positive and can help with this undesirable behavior. Good luck and have a good night!

It's very normal for dogs to be interested in what you're eating, and most dogs will happily try to snatch food from tables or trays if they have never been taught what you want them to do during mealtime. In the short term, I would recommend using a baby gate or other barrier to keep Diesel out of the room while you're eating. You could also put her in her crate, if she's crate-trained. This will prevent her from being able to practice the unwanted behavior of trying to take your food, and allow you to eat in peace. Another option would be to give her something to chew on, such as a bully stick or a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter, to keep her busy during mealtimes. As a longer-term solution, you can work on teaching her to stay on a special mat or dog bed while you eat - this gives her something specific to focus on, and a more polite way of earning a treat. You can start by encouraging her to lay on her bed, and rewarding her immediately with a treat when she lays down on it. Reward her frequently at first for staying put, then gradually work up to longer and longer periods without a reward as she gets better at this. Eventually, you can ask her to lay on her bed during the entire meal, in exchange for a single treat at the end.

This is not unusual and it is VERY important to NEVER give him anything from the table or this will encourage the behavior. It will be easiest to train Papu to go to his crate when it's time for you to eat and leave him there until dinner is over. Here are some other suggestions: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-prevent-and-stop-begging/ Best of luck.

Startle him in the act. Set up cans filled with loud objects precariously positioned so when he jumps up it all crashes around and startled him. Set this up time and time again. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

The best way to prevent begging behavior is to absolutely never give any foods when begging is happening! With time your puppy will realize that begging doesn't work for her. If she is very persistent and annoying you during meal times you may need to restrict her access by tethering her to a spot in the house (a bed or other space that is just hers would be best) or putting her in her crate - during these times you could give her a chew or treat puzzle to keep her occupied.

I recommend you have a crate in another room and feed him his dinner when you both are eating yours. As long as he’s a normal weight you are not starving him. Dogs love people food and once someone starts feeding it to them they will beg and eat it regardless if they have had enough food of their own. As far as training I recommend you work with him on a leash in your yard away from your mother’s distractions. Also you and Snaccs may enjoy going to a group obedience class. That will help him listen to you and you can work together with the distraction of other people and dogs. He’s still young so training will help so keep up what you can. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Snaccs.