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You’ve sat down to eat, you’re hungry, and you’ve got a knife and fork ready. But then you see it: your dog locking eyes with you, staring at your food, and doing their best impression of a starving pup.
Some dogs will get the message after a firm, but loving, “no!” and won’t beg. But others won’t, and seem to persist with asking - or demanding - food whenever you sit down to eat.
So, why do some dogs beg all the time, and is there anything you can do about it? Thankfully, stopping dog begging is possible, and we have every confidence you can do it in a positive and gradual way.
Find out why dogs beg and how to stop it the right way below.
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Why dogs beg
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Boredom
Sometimes, a dog will beg because they’re bored, not even because they want food. They may crave attention and mental stimulation, which they communicate through begging.
If you feel this is the reason why, then make sure your dog’s daily exercise and mental enrichment is working for them. Your vet or a behaviourist can help with this if you’re struggling to find a balanced plan, and there’s no shame in it: we know some dogs are difficult to read!
Confusion
Your dog may confuse your meal time with theirs, meaning they genuinely think the food you’re eating is theirs. This is reinforced through their incredible sense of smell, which can override their other senses. It’s why having a consistent meal time for your pet and avoiding feeding your dog off your plate is so important.
Instinct
Dogs have an instinctual need to scavenge, and thanks to their long history as our best friend, they’ve learned from their ancestors that begging and scavenging from humans can give them sustenance.
Nutrient deficiencies
A dog that isn’t eating a balanced diet may beg at food time because they’re lacking something essential. We recommend reviewing your dog’s eating habits and making sure they have everything they need from a good quality complete diet, fed in the right amounts.
Our nutrition guide can help with this.
Positive reinforcement
The strongest possible reason why your puppy or dog begs? It works.
We know as pet parents you love to treat your dog like the family member they are, but when they’re fed from your plate at meal time, it reinforces the begging behaviour.
Much like how we can use positive reinforcement training to encourage certain desirable behaviours, we can also accidentally reinforce unwanted ones too.
Each time someone feeds your dog after they beg, this builds a positive association in their mind between the action (begging) and the reward (food). Over time, they’ll learn how to do it best, when to do it, and will try to do it more and more.
Typically, this association starts when they’re adorable puppies, which then makes the behaviour more difficult to unlearn in later years.
Types of begging (and what each means)
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We can divide begging into two broad categories: attention-seeking and health-related.
Attention-seeking begging
This is where a dog begs just to get attention; they aren’t necessarily interested in the food, but it’s still a nice reward. This type of begging is usually solved by improving their enrichment and exercise plan, as well as making sure you get enough face-to-face time with your pup.
Sometimes, excessive attention-seeking can mean your dog’s dealing with a behavioural problem, so it’s worth a vet taking a look if you’re worried.
Health-and-hunger-related begging
This is where your dog begs to get food, either due to hunger or an underlying health reason, like a nutritional deficiency.
You can solve this by establishing set meal times and making sure they are on a high quality, complete diet suitable for their age and size. It is also important to ensure they are getting the right amount of food, so double check the packet guidelines.
How to stop a dog begging for food (and if it’s possible)
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So, let’s get the key thing out of the way first: yes, it’s possible to stop your dog begging, even if they’re completely food-obsessed.
Fundamentally, you’ll need to show your dog that this behaviour no longer works. This doesn’t mean shouting or negatively reinforcing, but instead, using methods to break the association between begging and reward.
Ignore them
For most dogs, completely ignoring them when they beg is enough to break the habit. We know it’s hard, but try not to look at or talk to them, even if it’s a request to stop begging, until you’ve finished your food.
Glances, eye contact, and speech can be enough to keep positively reinforcing the behaviour, even if you haven’t fed them anything.
This takes time and patience, but we have every confidence you can resist your pet’s charms!
Never punish them
Punishing or shouting at your pet never works, and can lead to anxiety-related issues. Positive reinforcement is more effective and much kinder to them.
Consistent meal times
Some dogs may just want to be fed at the same time as you. If you coordinate your meal times and are consistent with them, then this can prevent begging.
For example, if you feed your dog their usual meal just before serving yours, you’ll both be effectively eating at the same time, just in different spots. Some dogs won’t see the need to beg after eating their food.
If your dog does come over to beg after finishing their food, you can try using a KONG or slow-feeding bowl to keep them occupied for longer.
Distract them and use the “place” command
Assuming your dog knows the “place” command, you can try telling them to go to their bed or elsewhere during meal times. This is more so if your dog’s begging is particularly shameless.
You can try putting some food in a KONG and placing it in their bed or elsewhere ahead of your mealtime, which will build positive associations with being away from the table.
If your dog returns to the table (which they might if you’ve cooked a particularly nice-smelling meal), simply tell them “place” again in a calm manner.
Clean up crumbs and scraps
Take extra care to clean up any food remnants you or your family leave behind. Even if you follow the right steps, your dog may eat some food after you’ve finished, which will still build positive reinforcement in their mind between begging and reward.
Preventing begging for the long-term
By using the advice above, and making sure you and the whole family never feed your dog scraps from the table, it should solve things for good. Consistency is key to solving begging for the long-term.
Plus, the “no human food” rule isn’t just about begging; lots of our favourite food can be toxic to dogs (and curious cats) or cause stomach upsets, so it’s best not to feed them any scraps.
If you did want to feed your dog something new, make sure it’s safe first, and chat with your vet before making any big dietary changes.
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Stopping a dog from jumping on the table
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While a dog begging and jumping up can be a little more difficult to handle, the step-by-step process is still the same as preventing regular begging.
We recommend that you:
Calmly telling your dog to go to their place, then reward them with praise or a treat after they’ve stayed there patiently.
Don’t give them any of your food.
Make sure your dog is getting enough exercise and mental enrichment, as your dog may act this way due to boredom.
Redirect attention away from meal time, like feeding them just before or giving them a KONG or toy.
How dog insurance can help
Now, if you’ve tried all the steps above and you’re still struggling, you should consider seeing a qualified pet behaviourist. They will be able to support you and tailor a plan specifically to your dog.
Thankfully, our Complete Care dog insurance plan includes behaviour cover up to the vet fee limit. Plus, all of our plans include 24/7 video vet access and access to handpicked Perks.
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