Doggy Table Manners

[silentchild]

Just out of fun and curiosity, what do you all do regarding your dog's manners during meal times?

When we eat, my dog Emma is not allowed anywhere near us, the food or the table - she is relegated to lying on her bed in the corner of the room. She is not allowed to beg or steal food off our plates. She's very good with this, and only comes closer once we have finished and we tell her to come over. Regardless, we still find her fur appearing magically in our food... sometimes I wonder why I even bother!

Sometimes if she feels we have left her in the corner for too long she will start "grumbling" and turning herself upside down so we will look at her lol.

However I do have the occasional slip-up where I'll be sitting at the computer having a snack or something and she will come up... to which I will look into her melting eyes and say OH DOGGY AREN'T YOU ADORABLE HERE SHARE MY SNACK. :D

What about you and your furkids? Do they lick the scraps off your plates after meals? Do they lie at your feet as you sneak them peas? Or do you keep them in their crates? If you do or don't, why?

Do share!

[ruthless]

When it's just us they lie on their bed. They're not allowed to stare at us eating. If there's leftover scraps of meat they get them when we're done. They don't lick the plates.

If we have guests they go out in their crates.

[Guest Willow]

They have to be away from us, by a few metres and when the baby is eating, they must also be away from her, but once she is finished, they have a release word & they are allowed to come clean up what's on the floor.

I find dogs that beg highly irritating, which is why we don't let them do it.

[B-Q]

I just don't like them looking at me while I'm eating, but I like having them at my feet weather I'm sitting on the couch or at the table.

[missmoo]

My 2 aren't allowed to lick the plates but any scraps may be given to them in their food bowls...they aren't allowed to hang around while we eat...my labrador drools a lot when we eat and my OH finds it off putting...they both have a "scram" command which means to go away and don't hover while we eat...my kelpie x usually doesnt hang around..years of experience has taught her she won't be getting anything anyway....

I understand what you mean when you say about melting eyes...my lab boy has is down to a fine art....

[corvus]

Our boys are allowed to lie on our feet as long as they are quiet and we can ignore them. When other people are around Erik tends to want to see if they know the rule about lying down quietly and will try barking at them. If they don't mind dogs, I tell them to ignore him and I will call him over and tell him to down if he needs it. They are occasionally allowed to lick plates. Usually if we ate something sticky that's hard to wash off. Like runny egg. We are practical about these things. It's not a habit, though, or Erik would be a real pest about it.

ETA What constitutes "begging"?

Edited January 27, 2011 by corvus

[FHRP]

I usually have one with his head on my knee drooling, another sitting intently looking at me, another in a dog bed watching me. They usually all get a bit of what I'm eating and they get to lick the plates Oh the horror

If we're at my folks place they are supposed to stay on the carpeted area in the lounge, the dining area has floorboards. We've pretty much given up trying to get my old boy to do that now and even there he's usually under the table with his head on my knee. My parents will even feed them from the table now and let them lick the plates, although that's usually out in the kitchen....

Edited January 27, 2011 by FHRP

[Staranais]

My dog does not eat from my plate, or at meal times with me. I don't like her learning to expect food whenever I'm eating. She doesn't beg, but if she's a pain at all when people are eating I'll tell her to go lie down in her crate or go outside.

She sometimes gets left overs from the meal after we're finished eating, but she works for those.

[W Sibs]

Charlie and Em do their own things during meal times. They don't bother me and I just ignore them.

They get to lick the dessert bowl or plate when I'm done though. Especially if I had ice cream

[Keira&Phoenix]

Both of my dogs have been taught to sit drop at a distance from where we are eating. Keira got to the point where she knew she wasn't allowed close after many months or commando crawling towards us while we ate that she finally gave up and stopped coming into the room. Phoenix is still in training and has to stay on a mat in a room adjoining (she can still see us) and sometimes she will get up and try to come over in which case she gets a quick argh and sent back to her mat, other times she will start to whimper after 10 - 15 minutes but stay put. She is released once everyone is finished eating and I will often give her scraps off plates as a reward but only once they are back in the kitchen not in the eating areas.

[DeltaCharlie]

Ours are allowed to go where they like while we are eating given they do not stare at us! That is a pet hate and any dog caught staring is given one chance to "GO AND LIE DOWN!!!" or they are thrown in a crate. Usually we have the terriers on the lounge beside us as they aren't doing it to get closer to the food, that is just where they like to lie 24/7 There is usually at least 1 BC at our feet, sometimes 2 (but they have to lying down asleep) and the others are just scattered around the loungeroom.

When we have visitors everyone is crated and we expect visitors dogs to be crated too. Not fair to put ours away if theirs aren't.

[BMAK]

They're not allowed to stare at us eating.

yes i can relate! if they are inside they still manage to just stare at us eating and then comes the dribble

so All adult dogs are outside away from everyone where ever we may eat and the pups are either out the back playing or in there pen.

We don't have dog dish pigs here that is what out dishwasher is for, no jumping on any table or bench this goes for the kids and dogs and no stealing food dropped or not hehe

The scraps are normally frozen/fridged for them to have the next day.

[silentchild]

Many people I know freak out once when they hear some dogs eat out of human plates.. I guess it is a squicky issue.

They're not allowed to stare at us eating.

How do you train them to not stare?! Keeping them at a distance or in another room is all well enough, but I'm not sure I could get Emma to avert her eyes! That would be a handy trick for when she pokes her head into the bathroom when I'm showering lol..!

ETA What constitutes "begging"?

I'd like to know this myself.. I assume it's the dog getting as close to you as possible and looking up at you / drooling / whining??

Keira got to the point where she knew she wasn't allowed close after many months or commando crawling towards us while we ate that she finally gave up and stopped coming into the room.

I can relate with the commando crawling!

Edited January 27, 2011 by silentchild

[MolassesLass]

They don't stare or drool over food but nor are they sent anywhere. They sit where they usually do and act as they otherwise would. Probably because I've insisted that no one EVER feeds them from their plate, so they just don't expect it to happen.

At my mum's place though! Her dogs beg and she always feeds them some of whatever you are eating. So at her place my dogs join in and beg from everyone.

[pipsqueak]

Dogs must be on their "bed" (mats) whilst we're eating, preferably lying down, but this is a work in progress. Older dog just ignores meal times (since she's never been given food from our plates - more recently adopted dog is still learning, but doing well for a lab x

[tlc]

Im not that strict as some. Mine usually sit a little way from the table and hope for a skerrick of left overs which is very rare depending on what we are eating. If we eat in the lounge they sit and stare as they are closer. MY OH hates this so mostly they go outside if this is the case. probly 8 nights out of 10 we all eat at the same time which is handy.

Corvus as to what constitutes begging, my white girl after I taught her to beg she does it on her own now when she wants something weather it be food or attetnion and it is so dam cute, my OH gives in but I don't.

When we do our hospital visits she has figured out it gets her more pats if she does a little beg

oh and there is no licking of any dishes we eat off, I just couldn't do it!!

[Bundyburger]

Some nights ours don't care and don't beg.. otherwise they'll sit in front of us a few metres away. The little one will drool all over the floor, and the other doesn't. We don't feed from our plates as a rule, but occasionally they'll be thrown a scrap. Mostly if there's dog friendly left overs it goes in their bowls with their dinner.

[Dju]

Hugo sits next to me on the ground and just stares at me for minutes on end, licking his lips and shifting his weight around, if he's out of his pen while we eat. I sometimes toss him a scrap off my plate every now and again; we're not really strict on table manners, though we never let him jump up while we're eating.

[Kelly_Louise]

Sigh…

Sasha is very rarely inside with us when we eat. She is usually put outside with her own food until we have finished. But there are times when I can’t put her out, and I have been diligently trying to teach her to sit/stay/lie approximately 1 – 2 metres away from us and the table and not be scabby. At first, it’s hard work – but once she gets she isn’t getting any food and she is returned to her mat everytime she attempts to move, she is happy to do as she’s told (okay not happy, begrudgingly). HOWEVER, she knows how to work OH. She will creep around to his side of the table and stick her head under his elbow and look at him hungrily, drooling. He will tell her to go back – but usually gives her something off his plate too!!! I go nuts!!! She never does this to me cause I refuse to feed her anything, but she knows he will give in. Then he gets angry when she won’t do as she’s told and go back – and I tell him he has no one to blame but himself!!!

So, it’s an ongoing process. Mostly she is pretty good and will sit away from the table on her mat, which I’m happy with – if we have guests and she is inside she will usually lie under the table and not bother anyone. But she does love to come up and stick her boofy head under your elbow – never touches your plate, just eyeballs you eating and will put her head on your lap or try to give you a kiss if you don’t seem to notice her big head there – so she’s not totally void of all manners.

No to licking the plates or trying to sniff at anything on the table, but I think it's only fair that she is free to hoover up anything that's hit the floor.

[ruthless]

They're not allowed to stare at us eating.

How do you train them to not stare?!

We just tell them to lie down in a pretty mean voice and I guess it makes them go into avoidance so they look away. No doubt there are better ways to train it!