The dog steals food from the table. What to do?

Stealing food is a harmful habit that speaks not only to the dog’s eating disorders, but also to the problems of his upbringing. Before starting a fight with her, it is necessary to establish the reason for her appearance, that is, to understand why the dog steals food from the table.

So, if the animal is malnourished (for example, you put a plump pet on a diet), then the desire to pull off a piece from the table is due to banal hunger. In addition, the lack of a number of nutrients in the animal’s diet can also provoke the development of addiction.

If everything is in order with the pet’s diet, then the fault lies with the owner, because in this case the reason lies in the improper upbringing of the pet.

Theft prevention

The main rule is that the dog should never receive tidbits from the table, no matter how begging and sad she looks at you. Even a couple of times is enough for the pet to understand that the food from the table is delicious, it is a delicacy. Often, after such feeding, the dog begins to have problems with eating behavior: it can refuse its own food, become picky about food.

Stealing from the table can lead to more serious consequences, such as burning the esophagus. Most often this happens when the dog tries to quickly eat freshly prepared food while the owner left the kitchen and left the dish on the table unattended.

In addition, by giving food from the table, you encourage the habit of picking up leftovers from the floor. This will result in the uncontrolled absorption of garbage on the street during a walk, which is fraught with dangerous poisoning.

It is important to show your dog that his food is in the bowl and everything else is off limits. Starting the fight against your pet’s bad habits, do not provoke him, remove food from the table, tightly close cabinets and the bin.

How to wean a dog from stealing from the table, if he already does it?

Fight against food theft:

• Analyze the dog’s diet, make sure that the amount of food that you give is enough for her;
• Do not allow your pet to be in the kitchen during your meal. As soon as he tries to enter, give the “Place” command. Correct behavior is encouraged by a dog treat from the owner’s hands next to the pet’s bed or placed in a bowl;

• If the dog is stealing from the table and you catch him in the act of “crime”, use scare sounds. A special device can be purchased at a pet store or made independently. For this, for example, a tin can with several coins inside is suitable.

  As soon as you notice that the pet intends to steal a piece or pick up something from the floor, toss the jar next to it. The main thing is to do it in such a way that he does not understand where this frightening object came from;

• You can also make traps by tying the same tin can to a tidbit. Be sure to cover the “surprise” with a towel so the dog can’t see it.

If a dog steals food from the table, it is necessary to correct not only its behavior, but also your own. If at least one of the family members continues to quietly feed the pet, the whole struggle will be meaningless. Try to explain to loved ones what eating disorders and the habit of uncontrolled eating from the floor can lead to. The responsibility for the health of the pet lies entirely with the owner. A well-trained dog, whose diet is balanced, will not try to steal anything from the table.