Stop Begging or Stealing Food

Dogs love food. Even a dog who is properly and plentifully fed can develop an annoying habit of begging while people eat, or counter-surfing for food left out for humans. Solving this problem may, in part, be a matter of changing human rather than dog behavior. Train your family not to leave food out where the dog can reach it and to never share their food with the dog. Even if your dog is asking for it nicely. Even if that little face is so cute. Even if it's Christmas. If you must share human food with your dog, put it in the dog's food dish. Be sure your dog isn't attention-seeking by providing plenty of playtime and attention. Teach the "give" command so that you can remove illicit or harmful items from its mouth (substitute a favorite toy or a dog treat instead). Stealing food is a dominant behavior and may indicate that your dog is challenging you for position in the "pack" (household). This is common with an adolescent dog or one who has recently entered a household. Make it clear that you're in charge of the food and the dog eating behavior may settle down.