Mealtime Etiquette for Your Dog
We love to eat–and so do our dogs! So, whether you have guests, are feasting on holiday meals or you’re sitting down to your usual dinner, it’s good for your dog to have mealtime manners. Dinner parties and guests often mean many of your dogs will be licking their chops with all of the easily accessible treats within the home; not only because the snicker-doodles and cheese tray are sitting on the coffee table but also because Grandpa is giving handouts under the table.
If you’re like me, your dog is a big part of the family and that means he’s with you every step of the way. We know what the dog should and shouldn’t be eating but our family and friends don’t always know (or they turn a blind-eye to it!).
It’s up to you to make sure your dog is ready for holidays and also respects mealtime (and snack time). You can do this by teaching your dog to go to his “place” while snacks are out or during mealtime. By doing this, your guests are also less likely to feed your dog. Nobody likes seeing the cheese and sausage plate barfed up on the floor later!
It’s not hard to teach your dog to like going and staying in his place if you work with him and he knows he’ll be rewarded for doing so. If your dog has a favorite spot to rest, give him a treat when he goes there. It’s important that this spot has a boundary. I’m not talking about a fence, locked crate or a forcefield. This spot should be a defined area like a rug, a bed or a platform (like your Sit Means Sit placeboard or the Klimb Platform). A placeboard is good in this application because it gets your dog off the floor and he’ll be less likely to step off it to get near you. Many times with a bed or rug, a dog will inch his way toward you and not realize he’s off his place.
Continue to reward your dog when he goes to his place and add a command such as “Place.” Keep working on this until your dog associates the spot with the command. It’s important that your dog hears and respects this command from multiple people besides yourself. Grandpa might actually get more satisfaction from your dog obeying a command than sharing his smoked gouda and crackers!
Once your dog goes to his “Place” easily, train for and then expect the unspoken “Stay” command to be respected. Begin by telling your dog to “place” then back off to just a couple of feet away, then slowly increase the distance replacing your dog on the placeboard (“back, place!”) each time. Do this until you can leave the room without him getting off his platform or place.
Add a “release” command of “Go Play”, “Free”, etc. to let your dog know that it is OK for him to go. Make sure to continue to reward your dog when he complies. He wants to please you!
Now when you have snacks or meals, send your dog to his place and tell him to stay there. He won’t be under your feet begging or whining for food and your guests will be less likely to feed him. Once the food is not out and you and your guests are ready to give your dog attention, give him a “release” command and lots of love.
We’ll be glad to help you train your dog for “Place!” and much more at Sit Means Sit Longmont-Firestone!