There is nothing more frustrating than setting a plate of food down, forgetting to cover it and coming back to find that your dog has helped herself to a late-afternoon snack. Not only are you out of your Thanksgiving turkey, but your dog is getting foods that are not good for her digestive tract.
As owners, this seems like an easy problem to fix. Dogs shouldn't attempt to steal from us, right? We're in charge. They're dogs. And this is our house. But, in truth, when it comes to food, many dogs glaze over and turn into mindless zombies.
For this reason, it is our job as owners to teach them the fundamental boundaries (and consequences) when it comes to food on counters and tables.
1) Setting the Boundaries
The absolute first thing you should do is stop feeding your dog table scraps. If you tell your dog not to take the food from the …show more content…
Next up, you should set boundaries on the actual room. Too many people give their dogs free range of the house.
In reality, your dog probably has no reason to be in the kitchen at all. It's small, it's crowded and it can be dangerous when you're cooking or cleaning. I generally recommend not allowing a dog anywhere near the kitchen.
2) Teach your dog that she doesn't get anything in the kitchen
With that done, you now need to teach your dog that she won't gain anything by getting up onto that counter. Like all behaviors, you must show her the consequences of doing it. This does not mean you should punish her - that rarely works (read my other article to understand my point of view). Rather, show her something unpleasant.
To start with, try to keep your food out of reach as much as possible. Even if the training works like a charm, there is no reason to tempt fate and torture your dog any more than necessary. Second, we need to make the act of jumping to the table or counter scary to your
As owners, this seems like an easy problem to fix. Dogs shouldn't attempt to steal from us, right? We're in charge. They're dogs. And this is our house. But, in truth, when it comes to food, many dogs glaze over and turn into mindless zombies.
For this reason, it is our job as owners to teach them the fundamental boundaries (and consequences) when it comes to food on counters and tables.
1) Setting the Boundaries
The absolute first thing you should do is stop feeding your dog table scraps. If you tell your dog not to take the food from the …show more content…
Next up, you should set boundaries on the actual room. Too many people give their dogs free range of the house.
In reality, your dog probably has no reason to be in the kitchen at all. It's small, it's crowded and it can be dangerous when you're cooking or cleaning. I generally recommend not allowing a dog anywhere near the kitchen.
2) Teach your dog that she doesn't get anything in the kitchen
With that done, you now need to teach your dog that she won't gain anything by getting up onto that counter. Like all behaviors, you must show her the consequences of doing it. This does not mean you should punish her - that rarely works (read my other article to understand my point of view). Rather, show her something unpleasant.
To start with, try to keep your food out of reach as much as possible. Even if the training works like a charm, there is no reason to tempt fate and torture your dog any more than necessary. Second, we need to make the act of jumping to the table or counter scary to your