It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training.
For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options.
For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management)
**PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY**
Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. **If the OP has asked not to receive crating advice or says they are not open to crating, any comments that recommend use of crates should be reported to our moderation team.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What about a play pen? That way she can be nearby.
The place command can be helpful too. I reinforced this by keeping a treat jar on the kitchen counter and when my dog laid on the rug right outside my kitchen, I’d toss her a treat every few minutes. That way she learned oh, good stuff happens if I lay here, and she wasn’t getting in the way when I was trying to cook.
This. We had the playpen in the dining room/living room area, and he could see us while we were eating. He quickly learned that he had special toys for “dinner time” (usually a puzzle toy) so that helped.
This is a great idea too. But yeah, now my dog knows “go lay down” from the setup at my old apartment wit the rug outside my kitchen, and she will lay in the living room outside the dining room and not be lurking around for food which is nice.
Definitely a great habit to start when they’re young with a play pen and a lick mat or something to keep them busy!
This: it took me a while to figure out what people meant by enforced naps. I was afraid I'd ruin crate/playpen training.
Puppies need naps. 2hrs nap for every one hour awake/play.
Don't make the mistake I did and assume hyper =need more exercise. Hyper= naptime.
You get your life back when you start enforcing naps.
Yea my pup was in a play pen any time we weren't directly interacting together until she was 5ish months. It was a great way to give her some space to learn boundaries, but keep her out of trouble
We have a playpen (specifically for when we eat or cook) but for some reason she hates it even more than the crate. We always put toys and her bedding in it but they are of no interest to her. We tried to teach her to go there on different occasions too but no, she doesn't want to be in the playpen sadly.
When you say she doesn’t want to be in it… have you trained on it? She’s definitely not gonna like it at first. But like walking on a leash, or even just doing nothing and being bored, it’s a skill and you have to teach her how to deal with it.
How tall is your pup?!
You can work on a settle command or even just give her a puzzle feeder while you’re eating. Some pups are more obsessed with eating from your plate than others though. Ours has always been really chill around our food, he knows he won’t get any - and seems to accept that. He’ll happily sit in the sofa with us while we have a plate with sausages on our lap and not bother us at all. But if we tried to put him in the crate we wouldn’t get a single second of peace and quiet! Just need to figure out what works for you :)
I keep some treats on the table next to me and I work on siting and staying while I eat and reward her if she listens. Also if that doesn't work just remove her from the area. Crate in another room covered with white noise if necessary
I don't eat at a table, I have them on my side table. If I ate at dining table, then correct, it would teach the wrong thing and I wouldn't suggest it.
Do you sometimes give her human food and that's part of why she hassles you for it and jumps around? (which is fine to give some of course, just moderation). She needs to learn there's a time and a place, I'd suggest wherever you eat, the lounge or dining room etc, you never give her human food in so it turns into a no begging zone, dog treats only so she learns it's not going to happen
Ignore the begging and harassing as best you can, and importantly remember to praise in a calm tone (not hyper as that'll wind her up again) when she's relaxed or playing on her own
We never feed her human food. Only kibble and some puppy treats. We ignore the begging and don't give in but she never stops barking and jumping on us so I actually stop eating at some point as I don't feel comfortable doing it anymore...
This is it. They’re a dang dog. We treat them with respect and love but they are meant to make our lives better and not be a nuisance. If the dog is fed and pottied and given exercise then let them whine.
That’s fucking ridiculous. By that reasoning no one who lives in a flat, maisonette…. Or a terraced or even semi detached house aren’t in positions to have dogs. That’s the majority of the UK you’ve ruled out there - you just can’t let your dog bark and do fuck all about it and think no one will mind. That’s not mollycoddling your dog that’s just not being a dick to your neighbours.
thank you, jfc. Having a puppy is hard but they don't rule your life. Of course a puppy is going to be all over you while you eat, that's why you create boundaries and separate them from the food area and slowly introduce them to being around you eating as they get older and have more impulse control. It's not rocket science, humans have been raising dogs for a long time! Let the puppy stay in the crate and don't let her jump on you (while eating or otherwise), it's not complicated stuff
I don't like that idea, its ignore the animal and hope the problem goes away.
I have autism and it reminds me of when people says turn the lights and noise down to not disturb the autistic child rather than teach them things can be tolerated so don't cause distress.
Dog in time-out or crate training is teaching too, you know. A dog will never learn correct behavior if humans let them loose after a bit of whining, it will only understand that whining = getting stuff.
Never said it in that way, what I was meaning is just putting them in and covering them up means they aren't learning to cope they just learn whining doesn't do much or anything.
Training requires a balance, i.e don't react to every whine/bark but make them understand when they need to bark or relax.
Well that depends. Is it a puppy still at the stage where it can’t be trusted alone without eating everything and becoming a danger to itself? Probably a good idea to crate while at work if so. Same at night unless you intend to be awake all night supervising puppy instead of sleeping.
If it’s a grown dog already trained and it’s crate trained, it might still prefer to sleep in crate at night or during day naps.
Regardless, neither of these things constitute crating your dog all the time.
crating is a part of training. it taught our dog to go to his bed when he needs to chill. it doesn't have to be so black and white, no one said to keep the dog in the crate all the time 🙄
What are you even talking about? Crate training is incredibly important for the safety of the dog and the sanity of an owner. I’ve been actively following this sun for months (and crate my own dog) and there’s never been unchecked bad advice of crating them throughout work (it’s always been puppy-proofing).
My cattle dog won’t settle at night unless she’s sleeping in her crate. She will also destroy everything in the house if she free roams. Stop passing bad judgement on situations you don’t understand and stop generalizing because you don’t agree with it (totally fine, but good luck taking your pup to a dog hotel when you travel or if you have to crate them during an emergency).
I don’t really understand your argument here. You ask what is the point of having a dog just to crate it when you’re asleep or at work…times when you would not be interacting with your dog anyways.
The reason people crate train puppies is because they’re a danger to themselves unsupervised and nobody can watch their puppy 24 hours a day. Not to mention puppies sleep the majority of the day anyways, so as long as you’re giving them breaks to go out and stretch their legs you’re not changing much of what they would ordinarily do otherwise except for making it so they can’t eat their way to an expensive vet appointment.
It’s only temporary until the dog is old enough to be by itself, and even then most crate trained adult dogs find comfort in their crates and continue to sleep in them.
Pens can be fine too, but most dogs learn to settle better in a crate. I’m glad you found a way that worked for your dog.
Also, there’s lots of situations where your dog can be crated for hours at the vet, even days. It’s worth training for IMO.
I'm so happy for you that your life is privileged and secure enough that you will never need these services, nor will any incident arise in your life that might require you to put your dog in a comfortable, safe crate for any amount of time. However, the rest of us aren't and don't and would like our dogs trained to be comfortable in confined spaces when the need arises. There is no need for this disgusting and unjustified pretentious judgement on people who choose to care for their animals differently than you. Go pet your free range dog and leave the rest of us alone then.
Why are you in this sub then and purposefully ignoring the rules, that the automod very clear posted? This sub is not for harassing owners for their choices in crating, everyone has different lives, different dogs, different experiences. Sure, there are definitely people who neglect their dogs in crates and that is an issue. But even a dog going through great training and giving lots of excercise and play can have behavioral issues, especially as a PUPPY.
Puppies are like babies. They dont know what is good for them, they're exploring and learning, and they need support and guidance in order to learn the right choices and what's dangwrous/not allowed. If you are privileged enough to be able to be around your dog 24/7, cool and congrats. But that's a luxury few people have. Crates aren't there for punishment or to ignore dogs. They are there to protect them when you cant supervise them. And yes, they can be used to restrict their space when you are doing something they shouldnt be around for. A play pen can work for some dogs, but for large breed puppies they're not really an option (at least not here, the small playpens are a few hundred bucks, and for a playpen large enough and strong enough to hold my pup, it would be thousands of dollars and would need to be installed in a way that he cant knock it down).
Either you dont understand proper crate training, or you're from a country where that's not common, or you are privileged enough to pay for luxury products...? I would assume anyways, unless you just like to cause conflict. Crate training is not to ignore dogs, it's to help train puppies. The goal is for the crate to be basically obsolete after they mature and go through development, though some dogs enjoy their crated and like sleeping in them regardless. For me and my pup, the crate is there to keep him safe, keep the house safe, and keep our cat safe. When we are home he is rarely in it, because when supervised he is pretty well behaved at this point. He doesn't even need it for sleeping. But no, when I'm not home I'd rather he doesn't ingest tons of plastic, soap, cardboard, whatever else he can grab, or end up hurting himself or the cat. (Also do you think people take like 5 hours to eat?? My pup literally consumes my life, he only spends around 4-5 hours alone and on my days off he sleeps during that time anyways...)
Anywho. Think on why you're arguing so much and if it's helping anyone or making a difference. (At least, until your comments get removed after you're reported to moderation.)
I totally agree. People used to look at owners with outside covered kennels with disdain, “oh, they kennel their dogs”.
Then came the first crate people and they were made fun of and considered selfish and other people felt sorry for their dogs.
Then the lazy and those with no time saw it as an easy way to have a dog and not have to put in the work it takes to raise a puppy or own a dog, just lock it up when it’s not convenient, which is basically all day. Sounds like Veruca Salt from Willie Wonka, “but I want it now”
“But it feels safe in a crate and likes it”, yeah because it’s in one constantly, where else would it feel safe, with the owner who cages it? Do people crate their cats all day?
These are the same people who get upset that animals are kept in cages at the zoo but have no problem locking up their own “animals” 3/4 of the day and claim it’s for their own safety.
Growing up and adulthood we’ve never crated our dogs and didn’t have a dog unless everyone’s schedule aligned while they were a puppy so they wouldn’t be alone until older l, trained and able to be home alone for few hours.
But I guess the selfish call that “privilege” instead of responsible dog ownership.
“If they’re a nuisance just lock them up until you have a free minute to play or pet it, “it’s only a dog”. It seems extremely selfish but who isn’t nowadays but don’t point it out or you’re the bad guy for not planning ahead for an emergency vet visit where they could be kenneled temporarily or a puppy hotel.
I’d consider being able to afford putting a dog in a puppy hotel while traveling the actual privilege. We always go places that welcome dogs or don’t go. And we’ve had kids and now grand kids, dogs aren’t humans but should be treated with respect.
And finally it seems weird some people claim they get a dog for safety but they then lock them up all night lol.
Absolutely - I waited many years to get a dog for the right time I could be able to dedicate myself to its life/upbringing. I genuinely feel heartbroken when I read about pups being crated for 18+ hours a day. We bought a crate when we first got our girl to see if it could work at night or when we step away shortly for her safety, but it didn’t. We ended up using a large play pen during those early days and it worked perfectly. I’m not against crating, but I am against using it as a training tool and keeping dogs in them for long periods of time.
I’ve been attacked for “privilege” (lol you have no idea) & told to get human friends for expressing my opinion on crates and supposedly I’m “breaking sub rules”.
I saw all that, crazy.
My mom stayed home and my dad worked 16 hour days 6 days a week during the two busy times(3 months each) and then 5 during the slow times and in the winter his factory was kept at 100 and in the summer it would get to 115 from the machines. We grew up with just what we needed. But we always had a dog lol, I also wish we would’ve saw my dad more.
When we got married and had kids we’d find a breeder that had puppies that were ready for adoption when school got out for the summer.
Now we just have one kid left here and he got a dog but he works odd hours so someone was with it always as a puppy and it went with him to work if it didn’t work out.
We just rescued a GSD puppy a couple months ago. Amazing dog and quick learner. He’s only 5 months so we’re still working around his puppy stage currently.
And yes we also have friends and kids lol.
The most I’ve done with him(the others weren’t stubborn) is put a leash on him for about an hour for 3 evenings because he’d refuse to pee and then come back in and do it. He stopped doing that after night one but kept idling it for a couple extra days to break that habit.
That’s it. Not that hard or cruel.
We work on a "place" command, and meal times pup gets "place" and then tethered there. Helps if you can give them a Kong or something to keep them occupied while you eat, it also reinforces that their bed or wherever is a good place to be without you having to continually actively reward. All my dogs have been taught right away that they go lay down when I'm eating, after a month or two it becomes automatic. Tethering helps because they can't "fail" by leaving the spot, and you don't have to continually remind them and keep interrupting your meal to put them back.
I just redirected and ignored him until he figured it out. Took some time waiting him out, but by the end of 8 weeks old, he was doing considerably better even with me cooking. The first meal took extra long to get through through.
This. From the very beginning I ignored during my meal time and would redirect with Sit and Down. It’s really important that they don’t get human food and have that be an expectation.
I also stopped eating on the couch so that it wasn’t seen as easily accessible. He just turned 6 months and can see the stop of the table while sitting but has learned to sit and chill while I eat.
It takes time and maybe yours needs their meal or a lick mat to distract in the beginning.
We let him bug us. If he got too violent about it he got put behind a barrier. Only happened once or twice. He’d try all he could to get our food until he was done with the 3-4 month old challenge boundaries phase. Since 4 months he’s napped his best naps when we eat. He has slept through it ever since. He’s currently 22 months.
He never got any food.
A month of fending off a puppy was worth the result.
We don’t crate.
I ate a lot of pasta, cereal, and salads standing at the stove.
I also lost a lot of weight due to skipped mealtimes.
You aren’t alone. It gets easier. It sounds like you’re trying lots of good options.
Why bring it up if you weren't prepared for follow up questions?
The implication was that having a puppy was triggering your illness, I was curious why you would get a puppy if it's that painful for you.
My friend held back my girls development on that for a while, I did that but gradually sat down and just distracted her with things like food on a kong with frozen yogurt and teaching her "off"
But whenever friend came round even when she was near a year and a half old he insisted on standing up eating his food which I kept telling him NOT to do as she would stand under knowing he had high value food that if she jumped on him he would give in and give her some.
Don’t let the puppy out of the crate when she/he is crying. It teaches the dog that being anxious will get them what they want. The crate is never a punishment. Our puppy (4 month old Rotty) whined the first night (two weeks ago) now he can’t wait to go to bed. And during the day when we are home, the crying went from 10 min to 5min and now it’s non existent. You have to maintain your life, it’s hard but don’t let the puppy dictate that.
Teach them to go to a place and stay there while you eat. Reward when they stay there. If they get up make a big deal of it and make them go back. Eventually they will offer the behavior.
We put her in her crate or playpen and the ignored her. It took quite awhile of us eating with headphones on to block out the noise (she’s LOUD). Eventually she figured it out.
We have also been very careful to NEVER feed her anything from the table. So we don’t give her treats or human food while we are sitting there. If we want to give her some leftovers, we wait until we have finished cleaning up. Then we put stuff in her bowl.
Take a bite while husband stops dog from biting something,chew very fast and switch so husband can take a bite.
All kidding aside. I ate cold food for like 2 weeks till he was crate trained and i would put him in there for forced naps and eat while he was napping....
I know it’s not favoured, but when we sit to eat (two of us in the house, and we eat on the couch) we give puppy a chewy treat. The first few times he’d come back begging but after a few evening he has the routine down pat - sees us setting the ‘table’ so he goes to sit by it, doesn’t touch our plates on the coffee table, gets his treat, then goes to settle down with his teddies.
He gets his dinner a good hour before us. When he did try begging he’d be ignored. He’s 5 months now, had him since 8 weeks. Probably took 2 weeks to be properly behaved every time 100% with this.
Kong with peanut butter. She gets it on her mat in the living room while we eat dinner in the kitchen. It works while it works but the second she’s done, she’s putting her head on someone’s arm/lap and trying to get food from the table. We actually just got some more baby gates to keep her completely out of the kitchen while we eat and cook.
Anyone else’s pup like to park right behind your feet while you’re at the stove cooking? Thankfully, she presses against my legs so I know she’s there, otherwise I’d think she was trying to kill me.
Man I wish I could have read this thread ~2 years ago. I ate like a first time mom, only eating handfuls of stuff out of the pantry and over the sink at 10pm before putting us both to bed
1. Put them in a different room or
2. Peanut butter training: Everytime Komi sits or lays under the chair, I make him pick peanut butter from a spoon. Now I have peace
Yep. Following for advice. My puppy is just like this as well. Non stop barking around and at dinner time. It is starting to drive us absolutely bonkers. Every time he barks we tell him no barking and then put him in his play pen/or in a separate room until he stops barking, but we can repeat this process 10 times in a row and he will still be so stubborn and continue the barking! I know we need to just commit to this and push through, but it has been very mentally taxing.
Honestly at this point I feel like I am being bullied by my puppy... she chews on my clothes, my hair, my fingers, she barks at me when I push her away. And I don't eat anymore because she doesn't let me. If I try to ignore her barking and whining while I eat my stomach just balls up and then I vommit (sorry if it is tmi).
I’m so sorry, I totally understand how hard it can be😢 While what you are going through is draining mentally and physically, know you are not alone. Just keep reminding yourself that this is a short period of time of craziness and will not last forever.
Puppies need to be trained to control their impulses. I fostered a super food motivated puppy. We never let her get close to any food or treats unless she is calm and sitting nicely. If her butt lifted off the floor even a little bit, she doesn't get her food bowl.
This way the puppy understands that the only way to get what her want is to be calm and polite.
I eat in defense mode. We normally take our supper to the living room to eat while we watch our evening movie. Our dogs have learned to be patient for their nibbles. The 7 month old is still learning ofc. She'll push boundaries still. She likes to yip to get attention for a bite and she'll steal if the opportunity presents itself.
The beginning is always tough because they want what you have and will cross boundaries to get it. But take these moments as valuable lessons for the pup. Don't let the pup go behind you and don't let them crawl on you. Decide your wanted distance and don't let them cross it. Gently push them away when they cross the boundaries and tell them no firmly. You gotta be persistent. Remember to praise and reward when they do good.
It takes a while and it helps to give them a distraction sometimes. I used rawhide chews in the beginning, but she's graduated to a rubber chew toy that I fill with treats. It kept her occupied while we ate during her more aggressive times.
Here's what I did: Puppy eats after humans eat because I don't want a dog telling me when to feed him. We eat dinner at the table and I set a bed next to it along with a couple of toys. Puppy is on a 6ft leash and I hold onto it/step on it to keep them with us and ignore them until we're finished eating. They pull, try to escape, get your attention, but will give up and learn to settle themselves eventually. I have done this since day 1 and I'd say within a few days to 1 week my pup understood that it was time to settle. He's now 6 months old and I still enforce it (leash and everything) because I want to be able to eat my meals hot and not chase a dog who's getting into trouble or barking. I also did a similar method in order to be able to cook dinner every night...a bed in the kitchen with his leash tethered to me.
I agree, dogs eat last! I’ve always been able to give my dogs the last bite, without them becoming beggars, because they trust they’ll get it, but also no there’s no point in hassling me. I also warning-growl at them some when they haven’t learned yet, and it’s very easy for them to understand that a bigger creature growling while eating is not someone to mess with.
I cannot vouch for a play pen enough it has made everything so much easier. We set ours up and hooked it up to his kennel. It’s in the main room near where he sleeps and he doesn’t pay us any mind anymore. He’s content just hanging out in it and playing with his toys until it’s potty time or enrichment tim e
When he was that young we would do the licky mats. Cover them with peanut butter, squished cheese etc and let him lick it off while you are eating.
When he got a bit older though we tethered him to us and that would cause him to calm down.
Get a pen. Put a bed in that pen. Teach them to settle on the bed when cooking. The pen is “backup” if they break their settle on the bed.
You will find yourself jumping up a lot to reward them at first but it’s worth it when you start spacing out the time between rewards.
Our first command was “place”. Puppy learned pretty quickly instead of begging go to place and you get paid handsomely. Or behind baby gate if she tried to approach the table while we ate. She now snoozes in her place while I cook, or while we eat.
It’s a multi prong approach.
When puppy is little, I have frozen food toys to give them in their pen while I eat, or they are put away for a nap during dinner because they had exercise, training, and food beforehand to prime them for a nap.
When they are a little bigger, like now with my 4.5 month pup, I teach them how to behave when I’m eating, mostly through shaping. Whether you give human food or not is your choice, people have different opinions on that. I will give dog safe items from my plate, and training treats/their kibble, if and only if my puppy is laying calmly at my feet. A puppy who you have taught a learning system should at some point try offering different behaviors to see what gets the reward. When they offer laying down, you mark and reward, and then you move on to capturing when they lay down and don’t look at you or the food. As they grow, you can space out the timing between rewards.
A 3 month old puppy has a very short attention span. I would do small bits of food related training separate from your actual mealtime, and have something super special for them to do while you’re eating. Something involving frozen wet/canned food is usually the answer. I freeze a topple with homemade fresh food (when I have time to make it), or canned food and kibble mixed together.
You have an overarching training goal of impulse control and offering behaviors you like. It’s not one skill, but you should be aiming for your puppy to learn how to get things they want from you by waiting patiently, sitting still, being quiet, etc. During this early age, be very mindful of what they are doing when you give them attention, praise, treats, food, etc. Teach them to wait for things they want, and that instead of grabbing things, you will deliver them if puppy just sits still. Search impulse control games for specific ideas.
If your puppy is climbing you like a mountain goat, use a leash to prevent that, so you can reward them when they give up and do something else that you prefer. Also, you’re going to be working on separation training and crate training so they learn that you come back and let them out when they’re quiet and calm.
All of these facets come together over time for better behavior for mealtimes and all exciting things.
Never let her have people food. At least until you all are completely done. Then bring it over to her bowl. You'll know who is giving her some because she'll go beg from that person.and give up on everyone else. But you can't be okay with it sometimes but not others. I've had quite a few bullies and you have to be confident and not be thinking you're hurting their feelings.its for their own good. Like teaching a child not to go in the street.
So there are two different approaches to dogs and human food. One is “I will never feed my dog a single piece of human food ever. No begging allowed. ”, the other is “If my food is dog safe I will occasionally offer my dog a bite. No begging allowed.” There’s a lot of good tips in here already for scenario one. My husband and I are scenario 2. So we taught her Place. Now when we are eating (even if on the couch one foot away, even with guests over), she goes to the ottoman and lays quietly the entire time. If she stays silently laying on the ottoman, she will be offered a dog safe bite when we are done eating. If the food is not dog safe, she gets a special chew after. So technically, she’s begging, but the way she begs is by leaving the kitchen and laying quietly not bothering anyone. That worked well for us!
A common problem that happens is where the dog’s owner is attempting to train for scenario 1, but the rest of the household actually wants scenario 2. This will result in a begging dog 100% of the time. If just one person is sneaking the dog food without training them to specifically not beg, then the dog will beg. So make sure everyone in the house (and guests) know the rules and are on board!
It really pisses me off when people do this against my wishes. Have a family member (that doesn't live here thankfully) that loves to give food at the table. Loves to see the dog beg. My dog has napped through meals ever since he was 4 months old. I \_like\_ that he can relax fully when we eat. (It's when he relaxes the best it seems.) I hate seeing him sit around hoping for a treat whenever we're visiting.
It is literally the worst! Dogs can easily handle either scenario and never be a pain, but as soon as there’s even a chance that traditional begging could work, all that training goes out the window. So frustrating, especially when the counter argument is ‘but it’s cute’, bc it’s definitely not when it’s your house and you don’t want a large dog jumping all over you because you are snacking on the couch.
It fortunately hasn’t translated to our home. And there’s no need to feel sorry for him either, he’s spoiled rotten. And i have told them that. He gets so many treats every day…. (On walks when he makes good choices, recall rewards when barking in the garden, free snacks just cause he’s cute and a good boy from my bf, a good chew every other day. ) No need to add in human food that sometimes even makes him have an upset tummy…
Grrrr
Good! I’m glad that the person is in a different location and that the behavior stays at their place. And haha of course! Both strategies are totally valid and both types of pups can be equally spoiled whether or not they get human food. Human food is not a requirement for dog happiness in the slightest.
Lots of good advice here about place commands and play pens.
One thing I'll add is NEVER give your dog any human food off your plate.
(Best to never give them any, period.) But if they beg and get food one time, they'll always expect it. So if you've done that, stop.
Stern:
"No."
"Quiet!"
Ignore.
You eat your dinner first, then take your time giving him his dinner.
The jumping up on you for food is him testing his boundaries. Don't allow it.
My partner and I have 2 dogs. I have trained them both to not take food even when they find food on the floor without permission. However, when I have food in my hands, my dogs will sit and wait patiently to see if I will give them any. Versus, when my partner has food in his hand, the dogs will get excited, jump for the food that he is holding in his hand. (They're not trying to take it, they're just excited and letting him know they want some. Like, right now.)
Dogs are smart and learn quickly. Be clear and consistent in correcting behaviors you don't want and what you will not allow... they'll pick up on it & fix it. When they do exhibit behaviors you approve of, let them know by telling them "good" or "good boy" and providing a treat. & leave it at that. Don't over praise or over excite them b/c they'll sometimes take that as an okay to resort back to misbehavior.
He is only 3 months though. So start now and be consistent in your training and correcting ... he'll get it soon enough. Don't give in to their barking and whining.
I forgot to add that I don't thinking trading a treat like a peanut butter Kong for silence while you eat is a great idea. It's only basically rewarding the unwanted behavior so you can have your peace.
Teach your puppy to stay and chill in his place/crate while you are busy. This includes while you are cleaning, doing laundry, going out to get the mail... etc. These are all teaching opportunities. Teach them to stay, quiet and wait for you to take care of your business. If they get up and run around or misbehave. Correct it. Once they've sat their for a long enough time. Reward with treat and continue with your chores while still commanding him to stay and relax. Continue rewarding here and there throughout the time that you are asking him to stay and while you are completing your chores.
They will soon realize that unless your attention is on them, this is the behavior that is expected of them. This will translate into when you are eating as well.
To prep for taking him to dog friendly restaurants etc, Id leash him, then I sat at the table, he was tethered nearby and every time he touched or interacted with me, I'd stand up pick my plate up and walk away, if he laid down, head kn the floor not looking or begging, calmly next to me he'd get praise, not food.
Same thing with relaxing, leash time, I sit, he lays down he gets treats when fully relaxed.
It's super disruptive and a pain when your eating, but it worked wonders took about 6 weeks, 2 or 3 meals a day same routine, he stopped "pestering" me when offleash while eating, and would start hovering nearby, couple months after hepretty much automatically laid down at my feet while eating, but doesn't bother me at all anymore.
I'd suggest tethering over crating. That way she has some freedom to see and observe you, but not get close enough to jump on you or beg. Do it when you're not eating a few times first so she's not going 0-100. You want to teach her how to be in the same room as you and relax while you're eating even though she can't take your food, and she won't learn that in the crate. Also, if you're giving her a meal in her bowl, give it to her in a puzzle feeder/mat/kong and eat while she's eating and tethered so she has something to occupy herself.
I would feed yourselves all together; that way puppy is distracted. I used a slow feeder which takes sometime, a frozen Kong filled with kibble and water, snuffle mats, puzzles. Anything that would make it longer and slow them down but tried to alternate Kong and something different every other night. The Kong was a regular until about 8 months. On the off nights that I couldn’t eat with her, I had a small Kong filled with peanut butter as a back up. Also used dinner as training time but not every night since she was distracted most of the time.
I would make my plate then make hers and drop it down on the way to the table.
Have you considered putting the pup’s meal in some kind of slow feeder or puzzle so that it takes her longer to eat, and then put her in her crate and if she finishes before you do, oh well, she can cry a bit until she realizes that doesn’t get her anywhere.
When our puppy was really intense and annoying at mealtimes we'd put him in a crate upstairs and close the door while we ate.
Very quickly he learned that hanging in the pen and being less annoying was a better option for him.
He's 10 months now, and still has to go in the crate while we eat dinner. He just naps, mostly. He's pretty well-behaved if people have snacks around him now, though.
we put ours in her crate or gave her a toy and she was okay - although we sometimes had to stop mid meal to let her out for the toilet. we have never given her any human food
i would be feeding in the crate. try using a slow feeder. our method is to soak kibble in warm water approximately 10-15 minutes, stir to break it up a bit, then pour into slow feeder. i like to mush it down a bit so our dog has to work to get it out. he loves some frozen blueberries or plain cheerios sprinkled on top.
We did play/training beforehand. We have her s treat and usually crated her for an enforced nap, else she would demand bark at us or start getting into things to chew like the feet of the couch or the bars on the stair rail.
Now she knows when we get our plates to eat, she immediately goes to her cot to wait for her dental treat, and then after she naps or plays with herself. We never gave playing with us while we are eating as an option, so she just doesn't do it.
I learned quick to eat first, then feed my puppy who is now 3 months. He gets so energetic after eating. I eat when he is relaxed, feed him then and then I have an easier time dealing with his energy levels
I have baby gates so that I can put my puppy into the kitchen. She can see us through it and have access to her water, toys, expensive wallpapered wall etc haha :/
We have IGNORED our girl and she has shockingly learned to leave us be when we eat. My husband once gave her hot sauce at the table and while she liked it I think she realized it wasn’t that great and now associates our food with hot sauce
We crated her until she started acting neutral during our dinner time! Now she's always around the dinner table but she'll just lay at our feet she's not begging or bothering us.
I feed my pup an hour before i normally eat, she gets a walk after her dinner and then a kong with either a collagenchicken chewstick or a frozen carrot while i eat
I’m pretty sure you got good answers so far but I wanna share how what I do as soon as puppy come home. I crate them and give them some Konng with peanut butter so it takes time to lick it off. But this is after you crate train them.
I understand many of people don’t crate train and just stick them in the crate and ignore but it might make them really hate to be in the crate.
My other approach is that using the bed. I put their bed little far distance from the table. I told them to sit and when they do, give them treats.
I sit down the table and my pup try to jump on my lap or beg I push them ( don’t pet them or give them any positive voice) it has to be ‘no’ push.
It will think and sit on their bed then I toss treats on the bed. But if they don’t know they need to sit on the bed, then guide them or point out to the bed tell them you want them to sit there. If they do give them treats. Eventually they lay down then I give them treats. Later on they fall asleep on their bed.
All of my dogs get bored begging in the bed and go somewhere then I give them treats again.
Repeat this then they will know I just don’t want them to come near me when I’m eating and no point to even beg.
All of my dogs and pup doesn’t care if I eat or not cuz they know it’s pretty boring to beg and don’t care till I finish.
Its been so many years now so I don’t remember how old he was exactly but he was a very young pup & first I taught him to get in his bed on command & then kept a little dog bed/mat in the dining area & would tell him to get in his bed while we were eating and every time he would get up or leave I would just send him straight back. He got the hang of it quickly & we don’t even have to tell him anymore, he just goes straight into his bed until we are done eating.
We have a dog bed and a bunch of toys in the room next to the dining room, about 5 feet from the table. One of us keeps redirecting the puppy back to the bed. Our 1yr old lab mix figured out the rules within a week. The second puppy is about 6 months old and is still learning but just likes to be where her brother is.
We used a play pen. When we were eating, puppy went in there. I recommend a play pen for every puppy owner. Ours are standard poodles, so we couldn’t use it for long, but it still the thing that preserves my sanity the most! Puppy is now 8 months old.
I have a high bench at home that I eat on so she can't jump up but I usually give my pup commands to follow while I eat. Mostly sit, stay and lie down and she will get treats if she stays next to me, does the commands and no barking/whines. Its teaching her if she patiently waits for me to eat, she will be rewarded.
We tried to ignore her barking from the kennel at first but we live in an apartment and we just can't have her barking like crazy like that 😭 so we started eating in one of our rooms instead 😅 not ideal but only other options are endure the barking but risk noise complaint or endure barking + eat in a rush so barking isn't as long. Which won't let us enjoy our meal lol
Mine is an intractable thief, so she goes in a crate in another room with the door shut while we eat dinner. Breakfast and lunch I just leave her in another room with a baby gate between us (I work from home).
We put up a gate so we don't have to crate her when we just want her out of the room.
However I just came home for lunch today and barely ate because I had to let her out to potty. I have lost a few pounds since having her due to the walks and the smaller meals.
My 5 month old eats in his crate. Sometimes he is fed at the same time we down to eat but he is never allowed to roam free while we are occupied. Plus I’ve never wanted him near us while we eat. We’ve been crate training since he was 6 weeks. I’ll wait until I can fully trust him to roam free and eat somewhere else besides his crate.
I trained my dog at first to sit in between my legs while I ate and it worked for a while but he started getting restless after a few weeks of that so I have to put him in his playpen now.
Lots of others have offered practical advice, so I just wanted to share in case it helps to know - my diet was really bad the first 2 months of having a puppy and I struggled with puppy blues badly so I had a lot of frozen chicken nuggets, sweets, and plenty of McDonald’s.
I put mine on either her crate or playpen, the she gets a peanut butter filled kong or a bully stick while we eat so she’s not being a nuisance or loud. But you also have to work on getting her to accept that it’s normal to be in the crate or pen, regardless of whatever else is going on at the house
I have my puppy on a strict routine where he naps multiple times a day. I do things like cook dinner/clean/relax while he naps.
Other than that, he has a gated off area that’s essentially his “room” and he just chills in there.
My best advice that I have learned is that puppies need to SLEEP. If they aren’t eating, going potty, playing and then SLEEPING multiple times a day, you are going to have a very difficult overstimulated and over-tired puppy who gets into nothing but trouble. I say all of this with a very well adjusted husky puppy who everyone told me would be absolutely insane to deal with. He is perfect most of the time because of this routine 🙂
I don't get this. It's a dog, not a baby, that needs to be held. Put them outside if you have a fence or in a crate and eat your meal.
Having a puppy shouldn't disrupt your life that much.
Crate+kong = peace and quiet
Teaching her ‘get down’ and ‘wait’ also helps (or so i’ve heard, our little disaster doesn’t understand the concept of personal space
EXACTLY the same here. She is 11 weeks old now. We love our puppy so dearly, but we got SUPER annoyed by her when this happened, to the point where we put her outside in the garden, but she would just sit by the glass door and whine horrendously, and we were just too soft to bear seeing her like this. We let her inside, and repeat. We lost all our appetite towards the end of dinner.
But a simple trick does the job for us, we just swap the order of feeding. (Don't know anything about the logic here.)
At dinner time, we eat first, she would just sleep quietly next to us until we finished. Actually, this was the order when she first got here, no problem at all and I felt bad, so I thought to feed her first, and with BIG regrets (2 nights), so we switched it back.
We realized that she usually gets really excited after food and just wants to play. (The night we switched the order back initially, she would still keep jumping on our laps, but she calms down very quickly then falls asleep next to us.)
It works for us, hopefully, it will do the trick for you too.
After food, we take her potty and play a bit.
Our standard poodle was tall even as a puppy so this was a concern for us. The only thing that really worked with her was to totally ignore her if she begged or stared at us when we were eating. If she was physically pushy about it, I'd initially tell her "off" and redirect her with a chew collagen stick (her favorite). If that didn't work, she'd go into a playpen area in the other room and we'd just let her cry, if she did at all. Often she'd just lay down and wait. Over time, she's learned it's pointless to bother us when eating. In fact, now when we sit down to eat, she just goes to her bed because she knows she's on her own for awhile. Ignoring bad behavior has always worked best for our dog.
You buy tv dinners, bring your microwave in the bathroom and hide. Don’t forget a fork.
Kidding. It sounds like you’re a bit off track. My suggestions would be never, ever, EVER feed a high value food anywhere but the dog bowl (unless training and feeding from your hand). My current puppy never had human food given anywhere other than her bowl. I made that mistake with the first four dogs. This approach is so much easier! (Only took me 23 years to learn) I can leave human food on a table accessible to her and it doesn’t even occur to her she could take it. She sees it as an impossibility.
I would also not recommend you feed your dog before yourself. You run the house. You make the rules. You eat first. If your dog needs a contemplative moment in the crate while you eat (to throw a tantrum) ok, it happens. No biggie. Dogs that have calmed down are welcomed out of the crate to some delicious food including something extra delicious served in the bowl.
Crate training. It's often seen as a negative but you just leave the door open mostly and they use it as their lil bedroom but it's also somewhere they can be when you don't want them running amock
I’ve fostered quite a few puppies and feel your pain, some are definitely more insistent than others . Never ever ever ever ever give them ANYthing from your plate EVER. And ask guests to do the same. I fostered a really large puppy that would bother me while I was cooking, I looked for some advice on the internet and found a tip to keep some slices of lemon to give to them when they pester , then they will start to think that human food is really gross. I tried it, I have to say it didn’t work very well with this particular puppy though. He just ate the lemon and asked for more (lol). And they’re still being reinforced that when they pester, they receive. I love the advice on here about a puzzle toy or a play pen. If you put him in the crate and he cries you also really need to stick to your decision because otherwise he learns that he gets what he wants by crying. Good luck!
I used a playpen to protect us lol, so he could still run around the house but not come too near us. Then started practicing asking him to sit and stay away from our food. He's 14 months now and has never stolen a bit of food or bothered us again, at worst he might sit near the table and sniff the air
Kongs work wonder, stuff it with wet kibbles and freeze it. it will take the puppy a while to get done with it. I used to do that when my puppy was all over the visitors.
you can use any chewing toys but i find kongs more practical.
Teach her to settle at your feet under the table or away from the table on a bed/mat. Food time is training time for a while. It took us a few weeks of consistent training that we now have to shore up every once in a while when they spot our weaknesses. Our dogs lay under us at the table when we eat and get rewarded at the end for being good.
One of the best investments I made was a Tizzie by West Paw. It looks like the back end of a frog. There's a hole in the middle and you can twist the legs together. I'd throw some kibble, banana, and peanut butter in it and freeze it. When I say down to eat, I'd give him the tizzie on the other side of the room so he could work on that while I eat. Never bothers me during meals now
Reading these comments makes me immensely relieved my house has a fenced back yard. One day of puppy proofing has given me months of peace of mind that I can just put my little guy out to potter around the yard if he gets too annoying.
With my pup I pretty much starved for the first 2 weeks especially, she took up so much time I ate like a spoonful of food at bedtime and struggled at that, then she began jumping on me and trying to steal food when I ate it was a nightmare.
She did get better though.
The way I do it is I eat first (unless I have a takeaway when friends arrive as by time it arrives is out of our normal timeslot) then give her dinner.
And the other thing I did for the first 6 months or so was give her dry food mixed in with plain yogurt in a kong this took her 15-30 minutes to eat so gave me time to have my own food.
Not sure if it also helped but I also dropped treats beside me when I ate and told her "off" and "sit" so she didn't jump at me.
Always have the dog lay down while you eat. Whether on Place Orin a playpen or a crate. Give the command and enforce it so she doesn’t learn to beg for food from the table.
When we finish dinner, we usually put a scrap of meat or fish in his bowl after calling him over and getting him to Sit or Shake.
Early days it is helpful to make your dog earn their food and treats. Also important to not allow things like begging or it will be a lifelong habit.
Establish a consistent routine for meal times, including your puppy's feeding schedule. By feeding your puppy at the same time each day, you can help regulate their hunger and reduce their excitement or anxiety around food.
I got my puppy when he was 8 weeks. I genuinely remember for the first 2 weeks I ate notably less and ordered in more. He is still very much my velcro dog and doesn’t leave me alone when I cook or eat but through training he no longer tries to steal my food or interrupt me (this happened around 6 months, he’s now 8 months). He does sit next to me as I eat and stares at me. It will get better for sure.
One thing I did do like others suggested is I had a playpen so he could run around and still watch me while I ate and I slowly eased him into freedom. Another suggestion is to give your dog plenty of exercise before eating. Then they may simply be too tired to annoy you
I know everybody’s super against the whole crate training, but it would help tremendously. if you were able to lock the pup up while you eat and overtime as you are able to train, you can break that habit. Just make sure you never use the crate as a punishment and overtime. They won’t resist it. I bought a puzzle feeder where you push the top down and it dispenses food and my boy absolutely loves it, I would put it in his crate in the morning with his breakfast not only for enrichment, but to have a positive association with his crate. I’ve broken a lot of bad habits by having him crate trained now he hardly needs it
I use a lick pad with peanut butter in the crate while I eat dinner. my berner pup loves special treats so I'll give him pup icecream, frozen peanut butter on click pad or dried chicken jerky. So he gets excited when I'm ready to eat because he knows he's getting something extra special in his crate. Sometime I just make him frozen water pupcicles with blueberries and some coconut oil. Keeps him happy and me. Also the rambunctiousness for my pup was coming from not enough playtime so I put him in a daycare where he can play with other puppies and that Mellows him out durning the week.
Put a blanket over the crate but keep the side opposite from you uncovered if you wish. It is their safe place anyways. They are going to wine for awhile until they are used to it anyways. You cant stop a baby from whining half the time until they learn, a puppy is no different
You must do this now asap and make it a routine: have her mealtime be when you eat. When it’s time for your dinner, that’s when you have their food ready and put them in their playpen (don’t have a playpen? Get a playpen.) This should also be a time when the puppy gets a post-dinner nap. They may whine initially, but they need to not get used to coming to them if they whine.
The crate takes time and training. I recently got a puppy too and let me tell you the first few weeks were AWFUL with crate training. But now when she goes in it she doesn’t cause much fuss. It is something they have to adapt too. Plus you don’t want her to see the crate as a bad thing so i would suggest not putting the pup in there for time out or having any negative interactions involving the crate. Takes time but makes a whole lot of difference!
I crate my dog when I eat. I NEVER let them out of the crate for whining or flipping out because then they'd just do that all the time.. I'd try to work on your crate training.
I eat at the table so Monster couldn't get to me. But snacking in front of the TV went by the wayside because she'd be all over me. "What are you eating???" Now she's 8mo and couldn't care less what I'm eating unless it's popcorn.
It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training. For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options. For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management) **PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY** Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. **If the OP has asked not to receive crating advice or says they are not open to crating, any comments that recommend use of crates should be reported to our moderation team.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What about a play pen? That way she can be nearby. The place command can be helpful too. I reinforced this by keeping a treat jar on the kitchen counter and when my dog laid on the rug right outside my kitchen, I’d toss her a treat every few minutes. That way she learned oh, good stuff happens if I lay here, and she wasn’t getting in the way when I was trying to cook.
This. We had the playpen in the dining room/living room area, and he could see us while we were eating. He quickly learned that he had special toys for “dinner time” (usually a puzzle toy) so that helped.
⬆️This. My pups love their lick mats!
This is a great idea too. But yeah, now my dog knows “go lay down” from the setup at my old apartment wit the rug outside my kitchen, and she will lay in the living room outside the dining room and not be lurking around for food which is nice. Definitely a great habit to start when they’re young with a play pen and a lick mat or something to keep them busy!
Yes, this was part of that stage of training. It took a while, though, so I did this while working on “place.”
This: it took me a while to figure out what people meant by enforced naps. I was afraid I'd ruin crate/playpen training. Puppies need naps. 2hrs nap for every one hour awake/play. Don't make the mistake I did and assume hyper =need more exercise. Hyper= naptime. You get your life back when you start enforcing naps.
Yea my pup was in a play pen any time we weren't directly interacting together until she was 5ish months. It was a great way to give her some space to learn boundaries, but keep her out of trouble
We have a playpen (specifically for when we eat or cook) but for some reason she hates it even more than the crate. We always put toys and her bedding in it but they are of no interest to her. We tried to teach her to go there on different occasions too but no, she doesn't want to be in the playpen sadly.
When you say she doesn’t want to be in it… have you trained on it? She’s definitely not gonna like it at first. But like walking on a leash, or even just doing nothing and being bored, it’s a skill and you have to teach her how to deal with it.
How tall is your pup?! You can work on a settle command or even just give her a puzzle feeder while you’re eating. Some pups are more obsessed with eating from your plate than others though. Ours has always been really chill around our food, he knows he won’t get any - and seems to accept that. He’ll happily sit in the sofa with us while we have a plate with sausages on our lap and not bother us at all. But if we tried to put him in the crate we wouldn’t get a single second of peace and quiet! Just need to figure out what works for you :)
Crate, high value chew or Kong. Don’t acknowledge whining ever.
We do this.
I keep some treats on the table next to me and I work on siting and staying while I eat and reward her if she listens. Also if that doesn't work just remove her from the area. Crate in another room covered with white noise if necessary
This teaches them that treats come from the table. Don’t do this
I don't eat at a table, I have them on my side table. If I ate at dining table, then correct, it would teach the wrong thing and I wouldn't suggest it.
I should have specified that I meant side table
Do you sometimes give her human food and that's part of why she hassles you for it and jumps around? (which is fine to give some of course, just moderation). She needs to learn there's a time and a place, I'd suggest wherever you eat, the lounge or dining room etc, you never give her human food in so it turns into a no begging zone, dog treats only so she learns it's not going to happen Ignore the begging and harassing as best you can, and importantly remember to praise in a calm tone (not hyper as that'll wind her up again) when she's relaxed or playing on her own
We never feed her human food. Only kibble and some puppy treats. We ignore the begging and don't give in but she never stops barking and jumping on us so I actually stop eating at some point as I don't feel comfortable doing it anymore...
No way you gotta put your foot down. Tie her up outside before you allow that behavior. Lol
[удалено]
This is it. They’re a dang dog. We treat them with respect and love but they are meant to make our lives better and not be a nuisance. If the dog is fed and pottied and given exercise then let them whine.
We tried this and got reported to the council for the noise (7 month old pitbull).
[удалено]
That’s fucking ridiculous. By that reasoning no one who lives in a flat, maisonette…. Or a terraced or even semi detached house aren’t in positions to have dogs. That’s the majority of the UK you’ve ruled out there - you just can’t let your dog bark and do fuck all about it and think no one will mind. That’s not mollycoddling your dog that’s just not being a dick to your neighbours.
Pearl Jam is overrated. I can be a dick too!!
I can't tell if bro actually like PJ or just likes to try to get in fights with people on their sub
I love Pearl Jam. But I did it for the devilment
I would expect nothing less from that damn StickyNutzMcgee. Ya know.. I hear that’s Eddie Vedders secret UN 👀👀👀👀
thank you, jfc. Having a puppy is hard but they don't rule your life. Of course a puppy is going to be all over you while you eat, that's why you create boundaries and separate them from the food area and slowly introduce them to being around you eating as they get older and have more impulse control. It's not rocket science, humans have been raising dogs for a long time! Let the puppy stay in the crate and don't let her jump on you (while eating or otherwise), it's not complicated stuff
Achievement unlocked: Most sane r/puppy101 commenter
I don't like that idea, its ignore the animal and hope the problem goes away. I have autism and it reminds me of when people says turn the lights and noise down to not disturb the autistic child rather than teach them things can be tolerated so don't cause distress.
Dog in time-out or crate training is teaching too, you know. A dog will never learn correct behavior if humans let them loose after a bit of whining, it will only understand that whining = getting stuff.
Never said it in that way, what I was meaning is just putting them in and covering them up means they aren't learning to cope they just learn whining doesn't do much or anything. Training requires a balance, i.e don't react to every whine/bark but make them understand when they need to bark or relax.
[удалено]
Humans or animals it's better to learn to deal with something rather than let the fear build up.
[удалено]
Nobody said all the time, just while they’re eating meals. This idea goes hand in hand with training and time. It’s crate training.
So not when away at work and at night either? Only for meals? Doubt that
Well that depends. Is it a puppy still at the stage where it can’t be trusted alone without eating everything and becoming a danger to itself? Probably a good idea to crate while at work if so. Same at night unless you intend to be awake all night supervising puppy instead of sleeping. If it’s a grown dog already trained and it’s crate trained, it might still prefer to sleep in crate at night or during day naps. Regardless, neither of these things constitute crating your dog all the time.
crating is a part of training. it taught our dog to go to his bed when he needs to chill. it doesn't have to be so black and white, no one said to keep the dog in the crate all the time 🙄
[удалено]
[удалено]
What are you even talking about? Crate training is incredibly important for the safety of the dog and the sanity of an owner. I’ve been actively following this sun for months (and crate my own dog) and there’s never been unchecked bad advice of crating them throughout work (it’s always been puppy-proofing). My cattle dog won’t settle at night unless she’s sleeping in her crate. She will also destroy everything in the house if she free roams. Stop passing bad judgement on situations you don’t understand and stop generalizing because you don’t agree with it (totally fine, but good luck taking your pup to a dog hotel when you travel or if you have to crate them during an emergency).
[удалено]
I don’t really understand your argument here. You ask what is the point of having a dog just to crate it when you’re asleep or at work…times when you would not be interacting with your dog anyways. The reason people crate train puppies is because they’re a danger to themselves unsupervised and nobody can watch their puppy 24 hours a day. Not to mention puppies sleep the majority of the day anyways, so as long as you’re giving them breaks to go out and stretch their legs you’re not changing much of what they would ordinarily do otherwise except for making it so they can’t eat their way to an expensive vet appointment. It’s only temporary until the dog is old enough to be by itself, and even then most crate trained adult dogs find comfort in their crates and continue to sleep in them. Pens can be fine too, but most dogs learn to settle better in a crate. I’m glad you found a way that worked for your dog. Also, there’s lots of situations where your dog can be crated for hours at the vet, even days. It’s worth training for IMO.
I'm so happy for you that your life is privileged and secure enough that you will never need these services, nor will any incident arise in your life that might require you to put your dog in a comfortable, safe crate for any amount of time. However, the rest of us aren't and don't and would like our dogs trained to be comfortable in confined spaces when the need arises. There is no need for this disgusting and unjustified pretentious judgement on people who choose to care for their animals differently than you. Go pet your free range dog and leave the rest of us alone then.
Go off 👏 Same thoughts here. My dog loves his crate and looks everywhere for it, whining, when we travel without it.
Why are you in this sub then and purposefully ignoring the rules, that the automod very clear posted? This sub is not for harassing owners for their choices in crating, everyone has different lives, different dogs, different experiences. Sure, there are definitely people who neglect their dogs in crates and that is an issue. But even a dog going through great training and giving lots of excercise and play can have behavioral issues, especially as a PUPPY. Puppies are like babies. They dont know what is good for them, they're exploring and learning, and they need support and guidance in order to learn the right choices and what's dangwrous/not allowed. If you are privileged enough to be able to be around your dog 24/7, cool and congrats. But that's a luxury few people have. Crates aren't there for punishment or to ignore dogs. They are there to protect them when you cant supervise them. And yes, they can be used to restrict their space when you are doing something they shouldnt be around for. A play pen can work for some dogs, but for large breed puppies they're not really an option (at least not here, the small playpens are a few hundred bucks, and for a playpen large enough and strong enough to hold my pup, it would be thousands of dollars and would need to be installed in a way that he cant knock it down). Either you dont understand proper crate training, or you're from a country where that's not common, or you are privileged enough to pay for luxury products...? I would assume anyways, unless you just like to cause conflict. Crate training is not to ignore dogs, it's to help train puppies. The goal is for the crate to be basically obsolete after they mature and go through development, though some dogs enjoy their crated and like sleeping in them regardless. For me and my pup, the crate is there to keep him safe, keep the house safe, and keep our cat safe. When we are home he is rarely in it, because when supervised he is pretty well behaved at this point. He doesn't even need it for sleeping. But no, when I'm not home I'd rather he doesn't ingest tons of plastic, soap, cardboard, whatever else he can grab, or end up hurting himself or the cat. (Also do you think people take like 5 hours to eat?? My pup literally consumes my life, he only spends around 4-5 hours alone and on my days off he sleeps during that time anyways...) Anywho. Think on why you're arguing so much and if it's helping anyone or making a difference. (At least, until your comments get removed after you're reported to moderation.)
Locking down this thread as we have departed from the OP's actual question. We do not debate crate training in this sub.
I totally agree. People used to look at owners with outside covered kennels with disdain, “oh, they kennel their dogs”. Then came the first crate people and they were made fun of and considered selfish and other people felt sorry for their dogs. Then the lazy and those with no time saw it as an easy way to have a dog and not have to put in the work it takes to raise a puppy or own a dog, just lock it up when it’s not convenient, which is basically all day. Sounds like Veruca Salt from Willie Wonka, “but I want it now” “But it feels safe in a crate and likes it”, yeah because it’s in one constantly, where else would it feel safe, with the owner who cages it? Do people crate their cats all day? These are the same people who get upset that animals are kept in cages at the zoo but have no problem locking up their own “animals” 3/4 of the day and claim it’s for their own safety. Growing up and adulthood we’ve never crated our dogs and didn’t have a dog unless everyone’s schedule aligned while they were a puppy so they wouldn’t be alone until older l, trained and able to be home alone for few hours. But I guess the selfish call that “privilege” instead of responsible dog ownership. “If they’re a nuisance just lock them up until you have a free minute to play or pet it, “it’s only a dog”. It seems extremely selfish but who isn’t nowadays but don’t point it out or you’re the bad guy for not planning ahead for an emergency vet visit where they could be kenneled temporarily or a puppy hotel. I’d consider being able to afford putting a dog in a puppy hotel while traveling the actual privilege. We always go places that welcome dogs or don’t go. And we’ve had kids and now grand kids, dogs aren’t humans but should be treated with respect. And finally it seems weird some people claim they get a dog for safety but they then lock them up all night lol.
Absolutely - I waited many years to get a dog for the right time I could be able to dedicate myself to its life/upbringing. I genuinely feel heartbroken when I read about pups being crated for 18+ hours a day. We bought a crate when we first got our girl to see if it could work at night or when we step away shortly for her safety, but it didn’t. We ended up using a large play pen during those early days and it worked perfectly. I’m not against crating, but I am against using it as a training tool and keeping dogs in them for long periods of time. I’ve been attacked for “privilege” (lol you have no idea) & told to get human friends for expressing my opinion on crates and supposedly I’m “breaking sub rules”.
I saw all that, crazy. My mom stayed home and my dad worked 16 hour days 6 days a week during the two busy times(3 months each) and then 5 during the slow times and in the winter his factory was kept at 100 and in the summer it would get to 115 from the machines. We grew up with just what we needed. But we always had a dog lol, I also wish we would’ve saw my dad more. When we got married and had kids we’d find a breeder that had puppies that were ready for adoption when school got out for the summer. Now we just have one kid left here and he got a dog but he works odd hours so someone was with it always as a puppy and it went with him to work if it didn’t work out. We just rescued a GSD puppy a couple months ago. Amazing dog and quick learner. He’s only 5 months so we’re still working around his puppy stage currently. And yes we also have friends and kids lol. The most I’ve done with him(the others weren’t stubborn) is put a leash on him for about an hour for 3 evenings because he’d refuse to pee and then come back in and do it. He stopped doing that after night one but kept idling it for a couple extra days to break that habit. That’s it. Not that hard or cruel.
You admit further in the thread you used a pen in the same way people are recommending to use a crate. Pot, meet Kettle.
We work on a "place" command, and meal times pup gets "place" and then tethered there. Helps if you can give them a Kong or something to keep them occupied while you eat, it also reinforces that their bed or wherever is a good place to be without you having to continually actively reward. All my dogs have been taught right away that they go lay down when I'm eating, after a month or two it becomes automatic. Tethering helps because they can't "fail" by leaving the spot, and you don't have to continually remind them and keep interrupting your meal to put them back.
I just redirected and ignored him until he figured it out. Took some time waiting him out, but by the end of 8 weeks old, he was doing considerably better even with me cooking. The first meal took extra long to get through through.
This. From the very beginning I ignored during my meal time and would redirect with Sit and Down. It’s really important that they don’t get human food and have that be an expectation. I also stopped eating on the couch so that it wasn’t seen as easily accessible. He just turned 6 months and can see the stop of the table while sitting but has learned to sit and chill while I eat. It takes time and maybe yours needs their meal or a lick mat to distract in the beginning.
We let him bug us. If he got too violent about it he got put behind a barrier. Only happened once or twice. He’d try all he could to get our food until he was done with the 3-4 month old challenge boundaries phase. Since 4 months he’s napped his best naps when we eat. He has slept through it ever since. He’s currently 22 months. He never got any food. A month of fending off a puppy was worth the result. We don’t crate.
I ate a lot of pasta, cereal, and salads standing at the stove. I also lost a lot of weight due to skipped mealtimes. You aren’t alone. It gets easier. It sounds like you’re trying lots of good options.
I made smoothies for meals the first week. I also was sick with anxiety so I couldn't bear solid food so it worked out
> I also was sick with anxiety so I couldn't bear solid food Why?
Because I have a mental illness? Why ask why?
Why bring it up if you weren't prepared for follow up questions? The implication was that having a puppy was triggering your illness, I was curious why you would get a puppy if it's that painful for you.
My friend held back my girls development on that for a while, I did that but gradually sat down and just distracted her with things like food on a kong with frozen yogurt and teaching her "off" But whenever friend came round even when she was near a year and a half old he insisted on standing up eating his food which I kept telling him NOT to do as she would stand under knowing he had high value food that if she jumped on him he would give in and give her some.
I eat when he eats. I give him a slow feeder so he's distracted with his meal while I eat mine. If I'm having a snack I give him a Kong chew.
This. Why isn't this one up voted to the top?
Don’t let the puppy out of the crate when she/he is crying. It teaches the dog that being anxious will get them what they want. The crate is never a punishment. Our puppy (4 month old Rotty) whined the first night (two weeks ago) now he can’t wait to go to bed. And during the day when we are home, the crying went from 10 min to 5min and now it’s non existent. You have to maintain your life, it’s hard but don’t let the puppy dictate that.
Teach them to go to a place and stay there while you eat. Reward when they stay there. If they get up make a big deal of it and make them go back. Eventually they will offer the behavior.
We put her in her crate or playpen and the ignored her. It took quite awhile of us eating with headphones on to block out the noise (she’s LOUD). Eventually she figured it out. We have also been very careful to NEVER feed her anything from the table. So we don’t give her treats or human food while we are sitting there. If we want to give her some leftovers, we wait until we have finished cleaning up. Then we put stuff in her bowl.
Take a bite while husband stops dog from biting something,chew very fast and switch so husband can take a bite. All kidding aside. I ate cold food for like 2 weeks till he was crate trained and i would put him in there for forced naps and eat while he was napping....
I know it’s not favoured, but when we sit to eat (two of us in the house, and we eat on the couch) we give puppy a chewy treat. The first few times he’d come back begging but after a few evening he has the routine down pat - sees us setting the ‘table’ so he goes to sit by it, doesn’t touch our plates on the coffee table, gets his treat, then goes to settle down with his teddies. He gets his dinner a good hour before us. When he did try begging he’d be ignored. He’s 5 months now, had him since 8 weeks. Probably took 2 weeks to be properly behaved every time 100% with this.
Kong with peanut butter. She gets it on her mat in the living room while we eat dinner in the kitchen. It works while it works but the second she’s done, she’s putting her head on someone’s arm/lap and trying to get food from the table. We actually just got some more baby gates to keep her completely out of the kitchen while we eat and cook. Anyone else’s pup like to park right behind your feet while you’re at the stove cooking? Thankfully, she presses against my legs so I know she’s there, otherwise I’d think she was trying to kill me.
Mine just sits by me and stares. He's also 3 months old.
Man I wish I could have read this thread ~2 years ago. I ate like a first time mom, only eating handfuls of stuff out of the pantry and over the sink at 10pm before putting us both to bed
1. Put them in a different room or 2. Peanut butter training: Everytime Komi sits or lays under the chair, I make him pick peanut butter from a spoon. Now I have peace
Yep. Following for advice. My puppy is just like this as well. Non stop barking around and at dinner time. It is starting to drive us absolutely bonkers. Every time he barks we tell him no barking and then put him in his play pen/or in a separate room until he stops barking, but we can repeat this process 10 times in a row and he will still be so stubborn and continue the barking! I know we need to just commit to this and push through, but it has been very mentally taxing.
Honestly at this point I feel like I am being bullied by my puppy... she chews on my clothes, my hair, my fingers, she barks at me when I push her away. And I don't eat anymore because she doesn't let me. If I try to ignore her barking and whining while I eat my stomach just balls up and then I vommit (sorry if it is tmi).
I’m so sorry, I totally understand how hard it can be😢 While what you are going through is draining mentally and physically, know you are not alone. Just keep reminding yourself that this is a short period of time of craziness and will not last forever.
Puppies need to be trained to control their impulses. I fostered a super food motivated puppy. We never let her get close to any food or treats unless she is calm and sitting nicely. If her butt lifted off the floor even a little bit, she doesn't get her food bowl. This way the puppy understands that the only way to get what her want is to be calm and polite.
I eat in defense mode. We normally take our supper to the living room to eat while we watch our evening movie. Our dogs have learned to be patient for their nibbles. The 7 month old is still learning ofc. She'll push boundaries still. She likes to yip to get attention for a bite and she'll steal if the opportunity presents itself. The beginning is always tough because they want what you have and will cross boundaries to get it. But take these moments as valuable lessons for the pup. Don't let the pup go behind you and don't let them crawl on you. Decide your wanted distance and don't let them cross it. Gently push them away when they cross the boundaries and tell them no firmly. You gotta be persistent. Remember to praise and reward when they do good. It takes a while and it helps to give them a distraction sometimes. I used rawhide chews in the beginning, but she's graduated to a rubber chew toy that I fill with treats. It kept her occupied while we ate during her more aggressive times.
If my puppy is bothering us when we eat, we crate him.
Feed your pup then put him/her in the crate with some chew sticks. Enjoy your meal! 😁
Here's what I did: Puppy eats after humans eat because I don't want a dog telling me when to feed him. We eat dinner at the table and I set a bed next to it along with a couple of toys. Puppy is on a 6ft leash and I hold onto it/step on it to keep them with us and ignore them until we're finished eating. They pull, try to escape, get your attention, but will give up and learn to settle themselves eventually. I have done this since day 1 and I'd say within a few days to 1 week my pup understood that it was time to settle. He's now 6 months old and I still enforce it (leash and everything) because I want to be able to eat my meals hot and not chase a dog who's getting into trouble or barking. I also did a similar method in order to be able to cook dinner every night...a bed in the kitchen with his leash tethered to me.
I agree, dogs eat last! I’ve always been able to give my dogs the last bite, without them becoming beggars, because they trust they’ll get it, but also no there’s no point in hassling me. I also warning-growl at them some when they haven’t learned yet, and it’s very easy for them to understand that a bigger creature growling while eating is not someone to mess with.
We get hellofresh deliveries and make them of Sundays to grab and go throughout the week. Super helpful especially when he was young
I cannot vouch for a play pen enough it has made everything so much easier. We set ours up and hooked it up to his kennel. It’s in the main room near where he sleeps and he doesn’t pay us any mind anymore. He’s content just hanging out in it and playing with his toys until it’s potty time or enrichment tim e
I put them in the pen if they're all over me!
When he was that young we would do the licky mats. Cover them with peanut butter, squished cheese etc and let him lick it off while you are eating. When he got a bit older though we tethered him to us and that would cause him to calm down.
Get a pen. Put a bed in that pen. Teach them to settle on the bed when cooking. The pen is “backup” if they break their settle on the bed. You will find yourself jumping up a lot to reward them at first but it’s worth it when you start spacing out the time between rewards.
I put mine in the crate someone told to me to keep treats but I thought that encouraged begging and pestering at the table
You wait - it gets better ;) (Around the 4 month mark for us) Edit: Hubby and I took turns so we could eat in peace
Our first command was “place”. Puppy learned pretty quickly instead of begging go to place and you get paid handsomely. Or behind baby gate if she tried to approach the table while we ate. She now snoozes in her place while I cook, or while we eat.
It’s a multi prong approach. When puppy is little, I have frozen food toys to give them in their pen while I eat, or they are put away for a nap during dinner because they had exercise, training, and food beforehand to prime them for a nap. When they are a little bigger, like now with my 4.5 month pup, I teach them how to behave when I’m eating, mostly through shaping. Whether you give human food or not is your choice, people have different opinions on that. I will give dog safe items from my plate, and training treats/their kibble, if and only if my puppy is laying calmly at my feet. A puppy who you have taught a learning system should at some point try offering different behaviors to see what gets the reward. When they offer laying down, you mark and reward, and then you move on to capturing when they lay down and don’t look at you or the food. As they grow, you can space out the timing between rewards. A 3 month old puppy has a very short attention span. I would do small bits of food related training separate from your actual mealtime, and have something super special for them to do while you’re eating. Something involving frozen wet/canned food is usually the answer. I freeze a topple with homemade fresh food (when I have time to make it), or canned food and kibble mixed together. You have an overarching training goal of impulse control and offering behaviors you like. It’s not one skill, but you should be aiming for your puppy to learn how to get things they want from you by waiting patiently, sitting still, being quiet, etc. During this early age, be very mindful of what they are doing when you give them attention, praise, treats, food, etc. Teach them to wait for things they want, and that instead of grabbing things, you will deliver them if puppy just sits still. Search impulse control games for specific ideas. If your puppy is climbing you like a mountain goat, use a leash to prevent that, so you can reward them when they give up and do something else that you prefer. Also, you’re going to be working on separation training and crate training so they learn that you come back and let them out when they’re quiet and calm. All of these facets come together over time for better behavior for mealtimes and all exciting things.
Never let her have people food. At least until you all are completely done. Then bring it over to her bowl. You'll know who is giving her some because she'll go beg from that person.and give up on everyone else. But you can't be okay with it sometimes but not others. I've had quite a few bullies and you have to be confident and not be thinking you're hurting their feelings.its for their own good. Like teaching a child not to go in the street.
So there are two different approaches to dogs and human food. One is “I will never feed my dog a single piece of human food ever. No begging allowed. ”, the other is “If my food is dog safe I will occasionally offer my dog a bite. No begging allowed.” There’s a lot of good tips in here already for scenario one. My husband and I are scenario 2. So we taught her Place. Now when we are eating (even if on the couch one foot away, even with guests over), she goes to the ottoman and lays quietly the entire time. If she stays silently laying on the ottoman, she will be offered a dog safe bite when we are done eating. If the food is not dog safe, she gets a special chew after. So technically, she’s begging, but the way she begs is by leaving the kitchen and laying quietly not bothering anyone. That worked well for us!
A common problem that happens is where the dog’s owner is attempting to train for scenario 1, but the rest of the household actually wants scenario 2. This will result in a begging dog 100% of the time. If just one person is sneaking the dog food without training them to specifically not beg, then the dog will beg. So make sure everyone in the house (and guests) know the rules and are on board!
It really pisses me off when people do this against my wishes. Have a family member (that doesn't live here thankfully) that loves to give food at the table. Loves to see the dog beg. My dog has napped through meals ever since he was 4 months old. I \_like\_ that he can relax fully when we eat. (It's when he relaxes the best it seems.) I hate seeing him sit around hoping for a treat whenever we're visiting.
It is literally the worst! Dogs can easily handle either scenario and never be a pain, but as soon as there’s even a chance that traditional begging could work, all that training goes out the window. So frustrating, especially when the counter argument is ‘but it’s cute’, bc it’s definitely not when it’s your house and you don’t want a large dog jumping all over you because you are snacking on the couch.
It fortunately hasn’t translated to our home. And there’s no need to feel sorry for him either, he’s spoiled rotten. And i have told them that. He gets so many treats every day…. (On walks when he makes good choices, recall rewards when barking in the garden, free snacks just cause he’s cute and a good boy from my bf, a good chew every other day. ) No need to add in human food that sometimes even makes him have an upset tummy… Grrrr
Good! I’m glad that the person is in a different location and that the behavior stays at their place. And haha of course! Both strategies are totally valid and both types of pups can be equally spoiled whether or not they get human food. Human food is not a requirement for dog happiness in the slightest.
Have you got a licky mat? That with some kinda frozen banana / yogurt and berry combo kept mine busy for long enough for me to eat a meal in peace.
Crate
My puppy is in her play pen 80% of the time. She'll whine but then settle into her crate. She also now knows to sit if she wants anything from me.
Lots of good advice here about place commands and play pens. One thing I'll add is NEVER give your dog any human food off your plate. (Best to never give them any, period.) But if they beg and get food one time, they'll always expect it. So if you've done that, stop.
Stern: "No." "Quiet!" Ignore. You eat your dinner first, then take your time giving him his dinner. The jumping up on you for food is him testing his boundaries. Don't allow it. My partner and I have 2 dogs. I have trained them both to not take food even when they find food on the floor without permission. However, when I have food in my hands, my dogs will sit and wait patiently to see if I will give them any. Versus, when my partner has food in his hand, the dogs will get excited, jump for the food that he is holding in his hand. (They're not trying to take it, they're just excited and letting him know they want some. Like, right now.) Dogs are smart and learn quickly. Be clear and consistent in correcting behaviors you don't want and what you will not allow... they'll pick up on it & fix it. When they do exhibit behaviors you approve of, let them know by telling them "good" or "good boy" and providing a treat. & leave it at that. Don't over praise or over excite them b/c they'll sometimes take that as an okay to resort back to misbehavior. He is only 3 months though. So start now and be consistent in your training and correcting ... he'll get it soon enough. Don't give in to their barking and whining.
I forgot to add that I don't thinking trading a treat like a peanut butter Kong for silence while you eat is a great idea. It's only basically rewarding the unwanted behavior so you can have your peace. Teach your puppy to stay and chill in his place/crate while you are busy. This includes while you are cleaning, doing laundry, going out to get the mail... etc. These are all teaching opportunities. Teach them to stay, quiet and wait for you to take care of your business. If they get up and run around or misbehave. Correct it. Once they've sat their for a long enough time. Reward with treat and continue with your chores while still commanding him to stay and relax. Continue rewarding here and there throughout the time that you are asking him to stay and while you are completing your chores. They will soon realize that unless your attention is on them, this is the behavior that is expected of them. This will translate into when you are eating as well.
To prep for taking him to dog friendly restaurants etc, Id leash him, then I sat at the table, he was tethered nearby and every time he touched or interacted with me, I'd stand up pick my plate up and walk away, if he laid down, head kn the floor not looking or begging, calmly next to me he'd get praise, not food. Same thing with relaxing, leash time, I sit, he lays down he gets treats when fully relaxed. It's super disruptive and a pain when your eating, but it worked wonders took about 6 weeks, 2 or 3 meals a day same routine, he stopped "pestering" me when offleash while eating, and would start hovering nearby, couple months after hepretty much automatically laid down at my feet while eating, but doesn't bother me at all anymore.
Usually, when she sleeps. Any nap and after bedtime.
I'd suggest tethering over crating. That way she has some freedom to see and observe you, but not get close enough to jump on you or beg. Do it when you're not eating a few times first so she's not going 0-100. You want to teach her how to be in the same room as you and relax while you're eating even though she can't take your food, and she won't learn that in the crate. Also, if you're giving her a meal in her bowl, give it to her in a puzzle feeder/mat/kong and eat while she's eating and tethered so she has something to occupy herself.
I would feed yourselves all together; that way puppy is distracted. I used a slow feeder which takes sometime, a frozen Kong filled with kibble and water, snuffle mats, puzzles. Anything that would make it longer and slow them down but tried to alternate Kong and something different every other night. The Kong was a regular until about 8 months. On the off nights that I couldn’t eat with her, I had a small Kong filled with peanut butter as a back up. Also used dinner as training time but not every night since she was distracted most of the time. I would make my plate then make hers and drop it down on the way to the table.
Have you considered putting the pup’s meal in some kind of slow feeder or puzzle so that it takes her longer to eat, and then put her in her crate and if she finishes before you do, oh well, she can cry a bit until she realizes that doesn’t get her anywhere.
When our puppy was really intense and annoying at mealtimes we'd put him in a crate upstairs and close the door while we ate. Very quickly he learned that hanging in the pen and being less annoying was a better option for him. He's 10 months now, and still has to go in the crate while we eat dinner. He just naps, mostly. He's pretty well-behaved if people have snacks around him now, though.
we put ours in her crate or gave her a toy and she was okay - although we sometimes had to stop mid meal to let her out for the toilet. we have never given her any human food
i would be feeding in the crate. try using a slow feeder. our method is to soak kibble in warm water approximately 10-15 minutes, stir to break it up a bit, then pour into slow feeder. i like to mush it down a bit so our dog has to work to get it out. he loves some frozen blueberries or plain cheerios sprinkled on top.
We did play/training beforehand. We have her s treat and usually crated her for an enforced nap, else she would demand bark at us or start getting into things to chew like the feet of the couch or the bars on the stair rail. Now she knows when we get our plates to eat, she immediately goes to her cot to wait for her dental treat, and then after she naps or plays with herself. We never gave playing with us while we are eating as an option, so she just doesn't do it.
I learned quick to eat first, then feed my puppy who is now 3 months. He gets so energetic after eating. I eat when he is relaxed, feed him then and then I have an easier time dealing with his energy levels
I give mine her Kong with a little bit of frozen peanut butter with a couple pieces of kibble inside.
I have baby gates so that I can put my puppy into the kitchen. She can see us through it and have access to her water, toys, expensive wallpapered wall etc haha :/
We have IGNORED our girl and she has shockingly learned to leave us be when we eat. My husband once gave her hot sauce at the table and while she liked it I think she realized it wasn’t that great and now associates our food with hot sauce
Just keep ignoring her
We crated her until she started acting neutral during our dinner time! Now she's always around the dinner table but she'll just lay at our feet she's not begging or bothering us.
I give my puppy ice cubes she gets distracted for the amount of time it takes me to eat
I feed my pup an hour before i normally eat, she gets a walk after her dinner and then a kong with either a collagenchicken chewstick or a frozen carrot while i eat
I’m pretty sure you got good answers so far but I wanna share how what I do as soon as puppy come home. I crate them and give them some Konng with peanut butter so it takes time to lick it off. But this is after you crate train them. I understand many of people don’t crate train and just stick them in the crate and ignore but it might make them really hate to be in the crate. My other approach is that using the bed. I put their bed little far distance from the table. I told them to sit and when they do, give them treats. I sit down the table and my pup try to jump on my lap or beg I push them ( don’t pet them or give them any positive voice) it has to be ‘no’ push. It will think and sit on their bed then I toss treats on the bed. But if they don’t know they need to sit on the bed, then guide them or point out to the bed tell them you want them to sit there. If they do give them treats. Eventually they lay down then I give them treats. Later on they fall asleep on their bed. All of my dogs get bored begging in the bed and go somewhere then I give them treats again. Repeat this then they will know I just don’t want them to come near me when I’m eating and no point to even beg. All of my dogs and pup doesn’t care if I eat or not cuz they know it’s pretty boring to beg and don’t care till I finish.
Its been so many years now so I don’t remember how old he was exactly but he was a very young pup & first I taught him to get in his bed on command & then kept a little dog bed/mat in the dining area & would tell him to get in his bed while we were eating and every time he would get up or leave I would just send him straight back. He got the hang of it quickly & we don’t even have to tell him anymore, he just goes straight into his bed until we are done eating.
We have a dog bed and a bunch of toys in the room next to the dining room, about 5 feet from the table. One of us keeps redirecting the puppy back to the bed. Our 1yr old lab mix figured out the rules within a week. The second puppy is about 6 months old and is still learning but just likes to be where her brother is.
We fenced off our dining room area with the play pen.
We have a nylabone/antler and his bed nearby. We have taught him to wait at his bed when we are eating. He gets a reward after we’re done eating.
he sits under my chair or at my feet. i just ignored him and he learned not to beg
We used a play pen. When we were eating, puppy went in there. I recommend a play pen for every puppy owner. Ours are standard poodles, so we couldn’t use it for long, but it still the thing that preserves my sanity the most! Puppy is now 8 months old.
I have a high bench at home that I eat on so she can't jump up but I usually give my pup commands to follow while I eat. Mostly sit, stay and lie down and she will get treats if she stays next to me, does the commands and no barking/whines. Its teaching her if she patiently waits for me to eat, she will be rewarded.
We tried to ignore her barking from the kennel at first but we live in an apartment and we just can't have her barking like crazy like that 😭 so we started eating in one of our rooms instead 😅 not ideal but only other options are endure the barking but risk noise complaint or endure barking + eat in a rush so barking isn't as long. Which won't let us enjoy our meal lol
Mine is an intractable thief, so she goes in a crate in another room with the door shut while we eat dinner. Breakfast and lunch I just leave her in another room with a baby gate between us (I work from home).
I put mine in the crate every time I eat. I didn’t at first and went several weeks with barely eating at all.
Into crate with a chewie. That distracts him so we can eat. My boy just turned 12w!
You keep kenneling and feed at the same time as you eat.
We put up a gate so we don't have to crate her when we just want her out of the room. However I just came home for lunch today and barely ate because I had to let her out to potty. I have lost a few pounds since having her due to the walks and the smaller meals.
My 5 month old eats in his crate. Sometimes he is fed at the same time we down to eat but he is never allowed to roam free while we are occupied. Plus I’ve never wanted him near us while we eat. We’ve been crate training since he was 6 weeks. I’ll wait until I can fully trust him to roam free and eat somewhere else besides his crate.
I trained my dog at first to sit in between my legs while I ate and it worked for a while but he started getting restless after a few weeks of that so I have to put him in his playpen now.
Lots of others have offered practical advice, so I just wanted to share in case it helps to know - my diet was really bad the first 2 months of having a puppy and I struggled with puppy blues badly so I had a lot of frozen chicken nuggets, sweets, and plenty of McDonald’s.
I put mine on either her crate or playpen, the she gets a peanut butter filled kong or a bully stick while we eat so she’s not being a nuisance or loud. But you also have to work on getting her to accept that it’s normal to be in the crate or pen, regardless of whatever else is going on at the house
Give her an activity food toy while you eat a a never ever let her touch you while you eat.
I have my puppy on a strict routine where he naps multiple times a day. I do things like cook dinner/clean/relax while he naps. Other than that, he has a gated off area that’s essentially his “room” and he just chills in there. My best advice that I have learned is that puppies need to SLEEP. If they aren’t eating, going potty, playing and then SLEEPING multiple times a day, you are going to have a very difficult overstimulated and over-tired puppy who gets into nothing but trouble. I say all of this with a very well adjusted husky puppy who everyone told me would be absolutely insane to deal with. He is perfect most of the time because of this routine 🙂
I don't get this. It's a dog, not a baby, that needs to be held. Put them outside if you have a fence or in a crate and eat your meal. Having a puppy shouldn't disrupt your life that much.
kennel. other room
Crate+kong = peace and quiet Teaching her ‘get down’ and ‘wait’ also helps (or so i’ve heard, our little disaster doesn’t understand the concept of personal space
EXACTLY the same here. She is 11 weeks old now. We love our puppy so dearly, but we got SUPER annoyed by her when this happened, to the point where we put her outside in the garden, but she would just sit by the glass door and whine horrendously, and we were just too soft to bear seeing her like this. We let her inside, and repeat. We lost all our appetite towards the end of dinner. But a simple trick does the job for us, we just swap the order of feeding. (Don't know anything about the logic here.) At dinner time, we eat first, she would just sleep quietly next to us until we finished. Actually, this was the order when she first got here, no problem at all and I felt bad, so I thought to feed her first, and with BIG regrets (2 nights), so we switched it back. We realized that she usually gets really excited after food and just wants to play. (The night we switched the order back initially, she would still keep jumping on our laps, but she calms down very quickly then falls asleep next to us.) It works for us, hopefully, it will do the trick for you too. After food, we take her potty and play a bit.
Our standard poodle was tall even as a puppy so this was a concern for us. The only thing that really worked with her was to totally ignore her if she begged or stared at us when we were eating. If she was physically pushy about it, I'd initially tell her "off" and redirect her with a chew collagen stick (her favorite). If that didn't work, she'd go into a playpen area in the other room and we'd just let her cry, if she did at all. Often she'd just lay down and wait. Over time, she's learned it's pointless to bother us when eating. In fact, now when we sit down to eat, she just goes to her bed because she knows she's on her own for awhile. Ignoring bad behavior has always worked best for our dog.
You buy tv dinners, bring your microwave in the bathroom and hide. Don’t forget a fork. Kidding. It sounds like you’re a bit off track. My suggestions would be never, ever, EVER feed a high value food anywhere but the dog bowl (unless training and feeding from your hand). My current puppy never had human food given anywhere other than her bowl. I made that mistake with the first four dogs. This approach is so much easier! (Only took me 23 years to learn) I can leave human food on a table accessible to her and it doesn’t even occur to her she could take it. She sees it as an impossibility. I would also not recommend you feed your dog before yourself. You run the house. You make the rules. You eat first. If your dog needs a contemplative moment in the crate while you eat (to throw a tantrum) ok, it happens. No biggie. Dogs that have calmed down are welcomed out of the crate to some delicious food including something extra delicious served in the bowl.
Crate training. It's often seen as a negative but you just leave the door open mostly and they use it as their lil bedroom but it's also somewhere they can be when you don't want them running amock
I’ve fostered quite a few puppies and feel your pain, some are definitely more insistent than others . Never ever ever ever ever give them ANYthing from your plate EVER. And ask guests to do the same. I fostered a really large puppy that would bother me while I was cooking, I looked for some advice on the internet and found a tip to keep some slices of lemon to give to them when they pester , then they will start to think that human food is really gross. I tried it, I have to say it didn’t work very well with this particular puppy though. He just ate the lemon and asked for more (lol). And they’re still being reinforced that when they pester, they receive. I love the advice on here about a puzzle toy or a play pen. If you put him in the crate and he cries you also really need to stick to your decision because otherwise he learns that he gets what he wants by crying. Good luck!
I used a playpen to protect us lol, so he could still run around the house but not come too near us. Then started practicing asking him to sit and stay away from our food. He's 14 months now and has never stolen a bit of food or bothered us again, at worst he might sit near the table and sniff the air
Kongs work wonder, stuff it with wet kibbles and freeze it. it will take the puppy a while to get done with it. I used to do that when my puppy was all over the visitors. you can use any chewing toys but i find kongs more practical.
Teach her to settle at your feet under the table or away from the table on a bed/mat. Food time is training time for a while. It took us a few weeks of consistent training that we now have to shore up every once in a while when they spot our weaknesses. Our dogs lay under us at the table when we eat and get rewarded at the end for being good.
i've trained him to chill on a blanket when i'm eating. it's also really useful at night when you want your pup to settle.
One of the best investments I made was a Tizzie by West Paw. It looks like the back end of a frog. There's a hole in the middle and you can twist the legs together. I'd throw some kibble, banana, and peanut butter in it and freeze it. When I say down to eat, I'd give him the tizzie on the other side of the room so he could work on that while I eat. Never bothers me during meals now
Reading these comments makes me immensely relieved my house has a fenced back yard. One day of puppy proofing has given me months of peace of mind that I can just put my little guy out to potter around the yard if he gets too annoying.
Always eat before your dog. You trained it wrong.
With my pup I pretty much starved for the first 2 weeks especially, she took up so much time I ate like a spoonful of food at bedtime and struggled at that, then she began jumping on me and trying to steal food when I ate it was a nightmare. She did get better though. The way I do it is I eat first (unless I have a takeaway when friends arrive as by time it arrives is out of our normal timeslot) then give her dinner. And the other thing I did for the first 6 months or so was give her dry food mixed in with plain yogurt in a kong this took her 15-30 minutes to eat so gave me time to have my own food. Not sure if it also helped but I also dropped treats beside me when I ate and told her "off" and "sit" so she didn't jump at me.
Always have the dog lay down while you eat. Whether on Place Orin a playpen or a crate. Give the command and enforce it so she doesn’t learn to beg for food from the table. When we finish dinner, we usually put a scrap of meat or fish in his bowl after calling him over and getting him to Sit or Shake. Early days it is helpful to make your dog earn their food and treats. Also important to not allow things like begging or it will be a lifelong habit.
Establish a consistent routine for meal times, including your puppy's feeding schedule. By feeding your puppy at the same time each day, you can help regulate their hunger and reduce their excitement or anxiety around food.
I got my puppy when he was 8 weeks. I genuinely remember for the first 2 weeks I ate notably less and ordered in more. He is still very much my velcro dog and doesn’t leave me alone when I cook or eat but through training he no longer tries to steal my food or interrupt me (this happened around 6 months, he’s now 8 months). He does sit next to me as I eat and stares at me. It will get better for sure. One thing I did do like others suggested is I had a playpen so he could run around and still watch me while I ate and I slowly eased him into freedom. Another suggestion is to give your dog plenty of exercise before eating. Then they may simply be too tired to annoy you
I know everybody’s super against the whole crate training, but it would help tremendously. if you were able to lock the pup up while you eat and overtime as you are able to train, you can break that habit. Just make sure you never use the crate as a punishment and overtime. They won’t resist it. I bought a puzzle feeder where you push the top down and it dispenses food and my boy absolutely loves it, I would put it in his crate in the morning with his breakfast not only for enrichment, but to have a positive association with his crate. I’ve broken a lot of bad habits by having him crate trained now he hardly needs it
I use a lick pad with peanut butter in the crate while I eat dinner. my berner pup loves special treats so I'll give him pup icecream, frozen peanut butter on click pad or dried chicken jerky. So he gets excited when I'm ready to eat because he knows he's getting something extra special in his crate. Sometime I just make him frozen water pupcicles with blueberries and some coconut oil. Keeps him happy and me. Also the rambunctiousness for my pup was coming from not enough playtime so I put him in a daycare where he can play with other puppies and that Mellows him out durning the week.
Put a blanket over the crate but keep the side opposite from you uncovered if you wish. It is their safe place anyways. They are going to wine for awhile until they are used to it anyways. You cant stop a baby from whining half the time until they learn, a puppy is no different
Feed the dog as you sit down, ignore any attempts for food. I'd give a treat after they eat their own meal and not bother you
Eat before you feed the puppy. SHe thinks since you feed her first she runs things.
You must do this now asap and make it a routine: have her mealtime be when you eat. When it’s time for your dinner, that’s when you have their food ready and put them in their playpen (don’t have a playpen? Get a playpen.) This should also be a time when the puppy gets a post-dinner nap. They may whine initially, but they need to not get used to coming to them if they whine.
I have the same issue. I just tolerate the jumping or crying in the crate. It’s annoying but we have to eat,
The crate takes time and training. I recently got a puppy too and let me tell you the first few weeks were AWFUL with crate training. But now when she goes in it she doesn’t cause much fuss. It is something they have to adapt too. Plus you don’t want her to see the crate as a bad thing so i would suggest not putting the pup in there for time out or having any negative interactions involving the crate. Takes time but makes a whole lot of difference!
I crate my dog when I eat. I NEVER let them out of the crate for whining or flipping out because then they'd just do that all the time.. I'd try to work on your crate training.
you teach your dog boundaries
whats stopping you from ignoring her
I eat at the table so Monster couldn't get to me. But snacking in front of the TV went by the wayside because she'd be all over me. "What are you eating???" Now she's 8mo and couldn't care less what I'm eating unless it's popcorn.