Barking at me when I eat?
 

My Piyo has never had people food before, we got him when he was 12 weeks old and he's now 19 weeks and we've strictly had him on Eukenuba/Blue Buffalo but lately whenever he sees me pulling food out of the fridge or even when I feed my daughter her baby food he barks at me, he just runs around the table and yaps like he wants some while I'm having a meal. I've never had this problem with any of my other dogs I've owned because we don't give them people food either.

Do you think this is something he will grow out of as long as we continue to ignore his barking at the table or does anyone else have this problem?

I am sure he is smelling the wonderful aroma and would like a nibble. I would tend to ignore him and give a stern "No"....he will get the idea after a while. Others probably have better ideas.... good luck!

Barking
 

You are not alone!!! My boy starts crying/barking when I go to the fridge to start a meal and keeps it up until we eat. Then he takes himself off to a rug and sits quietly and glares at us until we give him a small morsel. I guess we could train him out of this behavior, but as he is good while we eat, I am not bothering at this point.

The person with the twisted sense of humor in me wants to say run around him and bark when he eats and see how he likes it(boy is that a mental picture), but guess that might not work. lol
:yelrotflm
(Sorry been a long crazy Monday.)

Don't know if it's possible for you but I restrict mine from the kitchen. I've noticed lately he might get antsy when I am preparing something, and I chalk that up to him no knowing if I'm cooking for me or getting his canned food ready, but as soon as he sees me sit at the kitchen table he knows it's not for him and he quiets right down.

I'm sure someone will give you a better solution, I know it's frustrating.

I'd put a stop to that right now. Any time we eat I put Blazer on the rug in the living room where he can see us but not be close enough to beg. I make him lay down and stay and he isn't allowed up until we are done eating. Some times when I am cooking he will come up to me like he is begging and I will go put him on the rug. He doesn't cry or make any noise, usually he'll even just fall asleep.

He's still just a baby and he knows that smells good and he wants some. Probably baby is a little jealous of your time with the other baby, too! A 19 week dog's brain is still growing and forming and learning and they forget easily.

He's so young I would for the time being just try to distract him with his own kibble-filled kong toy or a bag of toys to play with while you are feeding the baby or eating. It might be a good idea to start crating him in another room during this time and covering the crate with a blanket with your scent on it with the word "uh oh" or "enough" when he starts barking. When he's quiet, remove the blanket, drop in a treat and if he starts back up barking, put it back on with the negative word. Or you can remove him from the room the moment he starts barking, leaving him in a closed room until quiet, then allow him out after he's quiet for a minute or so. But you will have to keep doing this every time he starts barking and then allowing him out once he's reliably quiet so he gets the message that quiet equals being with you and the family, barking means a closed room alone. It will take a while to get that message across.

The best thing is to start him on basic obedience. Over a little time he will learn to obey your requests and accustom himself to doing what you say. BASIC OBEDIENCE TRAINING IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS IN THE WORLD TO PREVENT PROBLEM BEHAVIOR DOWN THE ROAD.

You can then, once he's learned a few of the basics like sit, lie down, stay, etc., also teach him to bark by giving him a treat and saying "Bark" as he is barking and making a talking sign with your hand - you know how you do when you are saying someone is talkative and you flap your fingers and thumb together and open to replicate a mouth talking? This will teach him to bark on command. Keep on working with him over and over for about 3 minute sessions a few times each day while he's so young, longer as he ages. Never go over 5 minutes per session for most dogs - they bore easily unless you are really good at keeping them engaged. Before long, he will quieten and wait for you to say "Bark" and make the bark sign with your hand and then wait for him to bark. Praise and treat him when he does. Keep it up until he is barking several times in a row on command. Work with him for a good 2 or 3 weeks or longer on this. He'll love it and you'll be practically crazy but hang on - there is a point to this.

Next step is teach "Quiet" and one time after he's been given a bark command and hand signal, has barked and quieted, now say "Quiet" the very moment he stops barking, make a slash sign across your throat with your hand and treat instantly while he's quiet. Have him bark again on command and then when he stops barking and is quiet, say "Quiet" again at the same time you make the slash hand signal and treat instantly. Keep on going back and forth and before long he will associate barking and quietening with the appropriate commands and hand gestures. Then, any time he starts barking wildly, you can say "Quiet", make the hand slash signal and he will quieten, ready for his praise and treat. Always do both each and every time for the rest of his life. It's a big lesson to learn for a dog and should always be rewarded.

Taka does the same thing! He was just sitting at our feet and barking/crying, then he got up on the couch and tried to get his face in our food (one time he jumped in my husbands plate and got food all over him, let's just say my hubby was NOT happy) so we figured it was time to put a stop to it, we yelled really loud at him and said NO sternly and he got the point after a few weeks....so now he just sits on the arm rest of the couch watching us eat without crying/barking and waits. I think he figured out if he waits patiently he might get a little bite of something :D

Oh Anne!!! I so understand you!!! :lol tears:lol tears:lol tears

I'd stop that behaviour if you can, I'm not sure how old your child is, but it's easier to have a dog that doesn't beg or steal from the children, once kids walk around with food.
Our dogs are never allowed in the kitchen if we are preparing food, and they know this, so either sit in their bed or sit by the door. Barking would result in time out.
Something I've not tried before, but heard about is teaching a dog to go to a piece of cloth (small square) then using that material or one like it, in different places. So you can direct your dog to where you want to place him. Ours have always been taught stay, so would stay where we told them, but I liked this idea for teaching a young dog.
Hope whatever you decide to do, works.

p.s. If anyone does bark at their dog, while it eats, please please post a video. ;)

Dogs want to eat when the rest of the pack eats...who wouldn't. Could you imagine everyone in a family but one child, seating down to dinner, while that one child sits in the corner looking on?

I feed ZoE her meals when I eat mine. When I get a snack, she gets a carrot or something. I guess I just assumed that's what everyone did...but maybe not, huh?

Don't tempt me. :p

I never thought about that, but it really makes sense.

Thank god you do. I have a bit of a wicked sense of humor. Some people don't always get it. And in written form, it can be even harder to get.

Lol! Now you put the idea in my head to try it!(I have a similar sense of humor, so thanks a lot! Now I can't stop thinking about it!lol) Henri would probably just ignore me though:p Like another poster said, if anyone tries this PLEASE GET IT ON VIDEO! I'm sure it would make a lot of peoples day;)

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely have to give some of these training tips a try.

How about 'dare you' lol ;)

To be totally honest with you I was contemplating doing this tonight when I give Bentley his canned food and my DD tape it. Trust me I will post it if it do.;)

That's what I do too but the little stinker gobbles down her food that comes and stares at me while I'm eating. Actually my cat does too. At least she doesn't bark, she just stares at me with those teddy bear eyes hoping I give in. I don't know which is worse, the barking or the pitiful stare they give you while you are eating.

On the rare occasions we're doing a true sit down family meal, that's when ZoE gets a special treat...either peanut butter or frozen yogurt in her kong, &/or I put her food in a puzzle toy, so it takes her a while to get it out.

I have a couple of the kyjen puzzles, and the other day a few peopled mentioned how they liked the Nina Ottoson puzzles, so I ordered a couple of those on Amazon.

Have you tried a puzzle to feed her?