We just got our baby 2 - 3 weeks ago and I am determined not to let her have human food... I had a pug many years ago that was a food hound and used to give in to him and it made it worse... he was constantly begging and/or searching for food ... and don't want the same thing .. unfortunately my wife has a black lab that was on the scene before me and she gives it food every meal and lets her lick her plates at the end of just about every meal ... so any time anyone has food you have this dog staring at you ... I refuse to give her any and she's cottoned on that she wont get anything from me so pretty much leaves me alone.... I protest every time she gets human food and food from the table etc to no avail ... now we have a little one I've tried to make a rule that she's (my wife) not to do this in front of the little one (13 weeks old) but I know she's doing it when I'm not watching .... but anyway what I do when she is begging or trying to get up to get food from me is to "create space" and let her know she's in my personal space and to respect that .. if I'm eating on the couch with a TV tray I'll kind of make my arms bigger like a cage around myself to create a barrier ... she's try and duck under my arm at the elbow or jump over my forearm .. I'll block her at every move all the while not looking at her or giving her much attention verbally apart from a gentle "my space" every now and then .. with in 2 to 3 minutes she gets sick of trying and goes and plays with a toy and I continue eating my dinner in peace with no more interruptions ... In my mind I'm trying to teach her manners and to respect my space as I'm supposed to be the leader and not just give into everything she wants ... she gets fed well and healthy treats during the day so really has no need to be needing my food (I don't eat her food :-P )
Anyway I'm blabbing way to much ... I'm hoping to nip the begging/food hound thing in the bud early on but time will only tell, especially with the lab influence in the house..... but we all try hard to do the best for our little ones :-) .... |