The sight of a dog lovingly begging for scraps at the dinner table is a common enough sight that has been depicted countless times in movies and television, and you may have even seen it yourself in your own home.
As heartwarming as this sight is and as endearing and adorable it makes your pet seem to you, the fact of the matter is that begging is a habit that you really should not encourage in any of your pets.
If the habit is already well entrenched in your beloved canine companion, then you must take steps to rid them of this routine.
It may seem that it is an innocuous enough practice but the fact of the matter is, begging brings to the fore a whole host of problems that may not be apparent right off the bat.
The act of giving food off the table to a dog who is begging may seem to hold no lasting significance to you, but you have to understand that dogs behave according to a strictly defined code of conduct stemming from the days when they used to run free in the wild.
There is a fairly rigid hierarchy in place with the alpha male on top followed by the lesser males under them.
In your household, you would naturally take on the alpha role and therefore control when the food is given or withheld.
If you get into the habit of feeding your dog scraps from the table, they may mistakenly assume that they will always be allowed access to the food that is on the table and next time around they may not even wait for you to give it to them before they grab it for themselves.
It would not help matters any either if you were to give them food one day and withhold it the next.
Remember, for all their complexities and human like behavior, dogs are really quite simple creatures and they do not have the ability to discern when it is OK to get food from the table and when it is not.
If your dog has been accustomed to being able to pick up a bite or two from the dinner table, chances are he will just go ahead and grab a bite the next time you are not looking.
Keeping peace at the dinner table is not the only reason that you would want to wean your dog of this habit as early as possible.
Contrary to what you may have previously thought, human food is not really ideal for dogs.
Aside from lacking in many of the basic nutritional requirements that dogs need to stay strong and healthy, a lot of the food that is prepared for human consumption can actually cause harm to your pets.
There are many other ways by which you can show care and affection to your dog aside from feeding him from the table.
With a little thought and effort, you can find a way that is not only enjoyable to you and your pet but one that will benefit him as well.
As heartwarming as this sight is and as endearing and adorable it makes your pet seem to you, the fact of the matter is that begging is a habit that you really should not encourage in any of your pets.
If the habit is already well entrenched in your beloved canine companion, then you must take steps to rid them of this routine.
It may seem that it is an innocuous enough practice but the fact of the matter is, begging brings to the fore a whole host of problems that may not be apparent right off the bat.
The act of giving food off the table to a dog who is begging may seem to hold no lasting significance to you, but you have to understand that dogs behave according to a strictly defined code of conduct stemming from the days when they used to run free in the wild.
There is a fairly rigid hierarchy in place with the alpha male on top followed by the lesser males under them.
In your household, you would naturally take on the alpha role and therefore control when the food is given or withheld.
If you get into the habit of feeding your dog scraps from the table, they may mistakenly assume that they will always be allowed access to the food that is on the table and next time around they may not even wait for you to give it to them before they grab it for themselves.
It would not help matters any either if you were to give them food one day and withhold it the next.
Remember, for all their complexities and human like behavior, dogs are really quite simple creatures and they do not have the ability to discern when it is OK to get food from the table and when it is not.
If your dog has been accustomed to being able to pick up a bite or two from the dinner table, chances are he will just go ahead and grab a bite the next time you are not looking.
Keeping peace at the dinner table is not the only reason that you would want to wean your dog of this habit as early as possible.
Contrary to what you may have previously thought, human food is not really ideal for dogs.
Aside from lacking in many of the basic nutritional requirements that dogs need to stay strong and healthy, a lot of the food that is prepared for human consumption can actually cause harm to your pets.
There are many other ways by which you can show care and affection to your dog aside from feeding him from the table.
With a little thought and effort, you can find a way that is not only enjoyable to you and your pet but one that will benefit him as well.